What is the best time of day to catch tarpon?
The best time of day to catch tarpon is the first hour of light after sunrise. Mornings are by far the best time of day to catch tarpon and the last hour before sunset is a close second. The low light that accompanies sunrise and sunset gives the sharp eyed tarpon an advantage over their prey items.
Tarpon and many other marine predators like to take advantage of the low light conditions of sunrise and sunset to hunt for their prey items.
As the day progresses and the sun gets high in the sky the tarpon lose their advantage to capture shrimp, fish and crabs. Tarpon have excellent eyesight which allows them to see well in low light conditions.
This doesn't mean that you can't catch tarpon in the middle of the day or at night. You just have to understand that tarpon get picky and less aggressive after first hour of light is over.
The author of this article is a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. He has been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves for tarpon all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about the best time of day to target tarpon and the best baits, lures, tackle and techniques to get one on the line.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to see some morning tarpon fishing action.
The best time of day to catch tarpon is the first hour of light after sunrise. Mornings are by far the best time of day to catch tarpon and the last hour before sunset is a close second. The low light that accompanies sunrise and sunset gives the sharp eyed tarpon an advantage over their prey items.
Tarpon and many other marine predators like to take advantage of the low light conditions of sunrise and sunset to hunt for their prey items.
As the day progresses and the sun gets high in the sky the tarpon lose their advantage to capture shrimp, fish and crabs. Tarpon have excellent eyesight which allows them to see well in low light conditions.
This doesn't mean that you can't catch tarpon in the middle of the day or at night. You just have to understand that tarpon get picky and less aggressive after first hour of light is over.
The author of this article is a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. He has been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves for tarpon all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about the best time of day to target tarpon and the best baits, lures, tackle and techniques to get one on the line.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to see some morning tarpon fishing action.
Mornings are Best Time of Day to Catch Tarpon!
Tarpon do a lot of feeding first thing in the morning. They are easy to find first thing in the morning because the water has less dissolved oxygen before the sun can photosynthesize the diatoms and algae in the water.
You have to remember that oxygen in the water comes from different organisms that produce oxygen as a byproduct of their feeding activity. Tarpon are a fish that needs to supplement their oxygen needs with atmospheric oxygen.
This is why you can see tarpon gulping air early in the mornings. This makes it much easier to figure out where the tarpon are so that you can pitch your bait or lure into their strike zone.
If you want to catch a tarpon using a top water fishing lure, this is the best time of day to get that done. This is also true for snook, redfish, speckled trout and many other predatory fish too. So get that top water tied on in the early mornings for some amazing tarpon fishing results.
My favorite top water lure for tarpon, snook, redfish and speckled trout is a Zara Spook. I wrote another article on this website all about fishing with top water lures. You can read that article by clicking right here.
P.S. I am not sponsored by Zara Spook or any of the other lure companies that I will mention later in this article. I just like them and they work well for me.
Another great lure to catch tarpon in the morning is a paddle tail swim bait. A 3 inch or a 5 inch paddle tail swim bait are great choices to fish for tarpon early in the morning.
The best fishing technique for fishing with paddle tail swim baits is a steady retrieve. I am a kayak fishing guide and often will troll a swim bait behind my kayak as I paddle to the next fishing spot.
WANT TO CATCH A TARPON? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
The best way to catch those early morning tarpon is to wait for a tarpon to gulp and then watch which way the bubbles are heading as the tarpon swims off.
Just cast your lure 4 or 5 feet ahead of the bubble trail and get ready to set that hook.
Sunset is a Great Time of Day to Catch Tarpon Too!
If you can't get up early enough to fish during first light then get out on the water before sunset and you might just be able to jump a bunch of tarpon too. Like I said earlier, predators like low light scenarios to hunt for their prey items.
When their is a full moon this is especially true. Predatory fish will feed all night and won't bite readily in the mornings. This means that the tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled trout.... will not be hungry until later in the day.
You will find those tarpon around creek mouths, inlets and any other deep channels near a food source of some sort. My favorite is deep channels around creek mouths. This is a favorite hunting spot for hungry tarpon right before sunset.
A great lure to use during those sunset tarpon fishing hours is the DOA Bait Buster. This lure looks like a mullet that is one of a tarpon's favorite food items. Those lures work better than most for some reason.
They come in 3 different weights. One of the lures is for fishing the top 3 feet of the water column. Then their is a deep diver version that will get the lure down deep. The last option is a Bait Buster lure that will run in the middle of the water column.
I created a Free Online Tarpon Fishing Course right on this website. You can find the Free Tarpon Fishing Course by clicking right here. This course covers best baits, lures, tackle, techniques and much more.
Definitely get out and fish for tarpon around sunset if you can't make it out first thing in the morning.
Can You Catch Tarpon at Night?
Tarpon love to feed at night around dock lights, bridge lights and inlet lights at night. Lights attract prey items like small shrimp and fish. This attracts tons of predators like tarpon to come and get some food.
The best way to fish around lights at night is to cast your baits to the shadows just outside of the light shine. The predators like to hide in the shadows and gobble up any shrimp and fish that swim into the light.
Tarpon like to hang out down low and blast up on the baits that run through the lights. This is a sight to see if you have never seen it before.
I like to use live shrimp to fish around dock and bridge lights at night. Everything likes to eat shrimp and so do tarpon. You want to send that bait to the shadows just outside of the light and hold on tight.
Fly fishermen seem to do very well with the tarpon at night. It is probably because of the more subtle presentation of their flies. The tarpon can be wary and a big splash will often spook them away from the light.
What is the Best Time of Year to Catch Tarpon?
Tarpon don't feed very well until the water temperatures are above 75 degrees. Wherever you are that is your lucky number. On the Treasure Coast of Florida, the tarpon leave town around December and head south to the Florida Keys. They turn around and come back in April usually.
This of course depends upon water temperatures. If we have a late cold front in March or early April, then it will often delay the tarpon returning to the area. If we have a warmer winter, then you will see the tarpon return in March.
It is all about 75 degree water temperatures. That is your lucky number for catching tarpon.
It doesn't matter if you are looking for tarpon in North Carolina or in Texas. It is all about water temperatures. Just keep an eye on those temperatures and when they get above 75 degrees, go out and catch some monster tarpon.
Conclusion:
Tarpon are one of those fish that people come from all over the world to catch. By far the best time to target tarpon is in the morning. That doesn't mean that you can't catch them later in the day but that is definitely the best.
When I catch tarpon in the middle of the day it is usually with some fresh dead bait on the bottom. The tarpon seem to like their food to be in the lower parts of the water column. During sunset and sunrise the tarpon seem to like to feed in the upper parts of the water column.
Night time is the right time to catch tarpon when there is a full moon. The day of the full moon and the couple of days before and after the full moon come with lots of light and lots of tide.
Light and tide are very important for tarpon fishing. Ambush predators like tarpon love to target prey items in the upper parts of the water column. When the moon is full they can see much better and get some food.
I hope this article helps you catch more tarpon or at least have more fun trying.
If you like how to fishing articles like this one, then sign up for our email list below. You will get one how to fishing article every week. Sign up now and get your first article today.
Tarpon love to feed at night around dock lights, bridge lights and inlet lights at night. Lights attract prey items like small shrimp and fish. This attracts tons of predators like tarpon to come and get some food.
The best way to fish around lights at night is to cast your baits to the shadows just outside of the light shine. The predators like to hide in the shadows and gobble up any shrimp and fish that swim into the light.
Tarpon like to hang out down low and blast up on the baits that run through the lights. This is a sight to see if you have never seen it before.
I like to use live shrimp to fish around dock and bridge lights at night. Everything likes to eat shrimp and so do tarpon. You want to send that bait to the shadows just outside of the light and hold on tight.
Fly fishermen seem to do very well with the tarpon at night. It is probably because of the more subtle presentation of their flies. The tarpon can be wary and a big splash will often spook them away from the light.
What is the Best Time of Year to Catch Tarpon?
Tarpon don't feed very well until the water temperatures are above 75 degrees. Wherever you are that is your lucky number. On the Treasure Coast of Florida, the tarpon leave town around December and head south to the Florida Keys. They turn around and come back in April usually.
This of course depends upon water temperatures. If we have a late cold front in March or early April, then it will often delay the tarpon returning to the area. If we have a warmer winter, then you will see the tarpon return in March.
It is all about 75 degree water temperatures. That is your lucky number for catching tarpon.
It doesn't matter if you are looking for tarpon in North Carolina or in Texas. It is all about water temperatures. Just keep an eye on those temperatures and when they get above 75 degrees, go out and catch some monster tarpon.
Conclusion:
Tarpon are one of those fish that people come from all over the world to catch. By far the best time to target tarpon is in the morning. That doesn't mean that you can't catch them later in the day but that is definitely the best.
When I catch tarpon in the middle of the day it is usually with some fresh dead bait on the bottom. The tarpon seem to like their food to be in the lower parts of the water column. During sunset and sunrise the tarpon seem to like to feed in the upper parts of the water column.
Night time is the right time to catch tarpon when there is a full moon. The day of the full moon and the couple of days before and after the full moon come with lots of light and lots of tide.
Light and tide are very important for tarpon fishing. Ambush predators like tarpon love to target prey items in the upper parts of the water column. When the moon is full they can see much better and get some food.
I hope this article helps you catch more tarpon or at least have more fun trying.
If you like how to fishing articles like this one, then sign up for our email list below. You will get one how to fishing article every week. Sign up now and get your first article today.