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John N. Felsher's Other Salty Adventures
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Night time
the right time
to catch big
silver kings
close to shore
the right time
to catch big
silver kings
close to shore
Capt. Robert Moore, a
guide from Port
Charlotte, Fla., and his
son Ryan land a
tarpon they caught
under a bridge at night
in Charlotte Harbor.
guide from Port
Charlotte, Fla., and his
son Ryan land a
tarpon they caught
under a bridge at night
in Charlotte Harbor.
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Barely taking the outboard out of idle, Capt. Robert Moore
maneuvered his boat toward the Gilchrist Bridge over Charlotte Harbor
between Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, Fla. Charlotte Harbor connects
with the Gulf of Mexico through Boca Grande Pass, the Tarpon Capital of
Florida.
Tarpon often feed at night around lighted bridges, marinas and docks.
Since they gather so close to such facilities at night, anglers in small boats
may catch giant fish without spending too much money. Stopping just a few
hundred yards from the landing, Moore pointed to silver kings busting bait
under the bridge lights.
“We don’t have to go very far to catch tarpon at night,” explained the
“Tarponman,” a Charlotte Harbor native and guide. “At night, tarpon are
more concentrated in smaller areas and not roaming open water looking for
baitfish. They hide in shadow lines, looking upstream to ambush bait swept
through the pilings.”
Positioning the boat upstream from the bridge, Moore rigged a 7-foot
medium-heavy spinning outfit loaded with 50-pound PowerPro braid tipped
with a 4-foot length of 60-pound monofilament leader. On a 5/0 hook, he
attached a 4-inch sardine and free-lined it toward the bridge where a 60-
pound silver king inhaled it. Other good baits include shrimp, herring,
mullet, ladyfish, pinfish and crabs.
While Moore used bait, some fishermen prefer to flip lures toward
pilings almost like bass anglers working flooded timber. At night, glow, white
or pearl swimbaits or other soft plastics work well. Tarpon occasionally hit
crankbaits or even topwaters. Some anglers anchor near a bridge, place
some baited rods in holders while casting lures parallel to the shadow lines.
“They key is moving water,” Moore explained. “Stay 20 to 30 feet
upstream of the bridge and pitch toward the shadows. I put my bait just
upstream of the shadow line and let it drift. Depending upon the tide, I might
throw the bait 10 feet in front of the shadow line or two feet in front of it so
that it drifts two or three feet beneath the surface right at the line. That’s
the best strike zone.”
Capt. Mike Miller of Fish N Golf Florida Guide Service in Tampa fishes
the bridges crossing Tampa Bay in a similar fashion. However, he also finds
tarpon off the beaches at night. Lights from condos, hotels and streets may
cast enough illumination on the water to attract tarpon.
“Off the beaches, there’s usually some light shining into the water out
to about 100 yards,” Miller said. “Find the bait in that zone and you’ll
probably find tarpon holding up or migrating along the beach. Tarpon
fishing depends upon the tide and moon phases. During a full moon, it’s
much better to fish for tarpon at night than during the day. I also like to fish
during the new moon.”
Down in the Keys, anglers fish bottom structure for tarpon. Bottom
contours range from 12 to 30 feet deep. Some anglers troll near contours
for silver kings. They string 3-ounce trolling heads in blue and white or pink
and pull them on extremely long lines at about 4 knots.
“Key West has great tarpon fishing at night,” said Capt. Mike
Weinhofer of Compass Rose Charters. “In Key West, we can’t really fish
around the docks or harbor during day, but there’s a lot less pressure at
night. We can also get much closer to tarpon at night. They lose a bit of
their wariness.”
Chumming may also produce good results. Anchor upstream from a
lighted area or structure and toss fish pieces or shrimp bycatch into the
tide. Once tarpon rise to smack the chum, drift a live baitfish or crab into
the chum slick or dangle a bait under a cork.
“As the chum drifts back, tarpon settle in behind the structure,”
Weinhofer said. “Free-line a bait on a free spool back into the chum slick. A
wine cork or a 1-inch square of a swim noodle makes a great float.”
When fishing live bait, many anglers prefer circle hooks since they can
more easily release big tarpon unharmed. When fishing with circle hooks,
avoid the temptation to “set the hook.” Instead, simply point the rod tip
directly toward the fish and wind the line tight. As the fish runs away from
the boat, make four or five short taps to set the hook into the fish’s jaw.
Tarpon can provide big-game sport for a budget price. For booking
trips, contact Miller at 813-956-8000 or http://fishngolfflorida.com, Moore at
941-628-2650 or www.captrobertmoore.com and Weinhofer at 877-FISH-N-
KW or www.fishnkw.com.
For information about the Charlotte Harbor area, call the Charlotte
County Visitors Bureau, at (941) 743-1900 or see www.pureflorida.com.
maneuvered his boat toward the Gilchrist Bridge over Charlotte Harbor
between Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, Fla. Charlotte Harbor connects
with the Gulf of Mexico through Boca Grande Pass, the Tarpon Capital of
Florida.
Tarpon often feed at night around lighted bridges, marinas and docks.
Since they gather so close to such facilities at night, anglers in small boats
may catch giant fish without spending too much money. Stopping just a few
hundred yards from the landing, Moore pointed to silver kings busting bait
under the bridge lights.
“We don’t have to go very far to catch tarpon at night,” explained the
“Tarponman,” a Charlotte Harbor native and guide. “At night, tarpon are
more concentrated in smaller areas and not roaming open water looking for
baitfish. They hide in shadow lines, looking upstream to ambush bait swept
through the pilings.”
Positioning the boat upstream from the bridge, Moore rigged a 7-foot
medium-heavy spinning outfit loaded with 50-pound PowerPro braid tipped
with a 4-foot length of 60-pound monofilament leader. On a 5/0 hook, he
attached a 4-inch sardine and free-lined it toward the bridge where a 60-
pound silver king inhaled it. Other good baits include shrimp, herring,
mullet, ladyfish, pinfish and crabs.
While Moore used bait, some fishermen prefer to flip lures toward
pilings almost like bass anglers working flooded timber. At night, glow, white
or pearl swimbaits or other soft plastics work well. Tarpon occasionally hit
crankbaits or even topwaters. Some anglers anchor near a bridge, place
some baited rods in holders while casting lures parallel to the shadow lines.
“They key is moving water,” Moore explained. “Stay 20 to 30 feet
upstream of the bridge and pitch toward the shadows. I put my bait just
upstream of the shadow line and let it drift. Depending upon the tide, I might
throw the bait 10 feet in front of the shadow line or two feet in front of it so
that it drifts two or three feet beneath the surface right at the line. That’s
the best strike zone.”
Capt. Mike Miller of Fish N Golf Florida Guide Service in Tampa fishes
the bridges crossing Tampa Bay in a similar fashion. However, he also finds
tarpon off the beaches at night. Lights from condos, hotels and streets may
cast enough illumination on the water to attract tarpon.
“Off the beaches, there’s usually some light shining into the water out
to about 100 yards,” Miller said. “Find the bait in that zone and you’ll
probably find tarpon holding up or migrating along the beach. Tarpon
fishing depends upon the tide and moon phases. During a full moon, it’s
much better to fish for tarpon at night than during the day. I also like to fish
during the new moon.”
Down in the Keys, anglers fish bottom structure for tarpon. Bottom
contours range from 12 to 30 feet deep. Some anglers troll near contours
for silver kings. They string 3-ounce trolling heads in blue and white or pink
and pull them on extremely long lines at about 4 knots.
“Key West has great tarpon fishing at night,” said Capt. Mike
Weinhofer of Compass Rose Charters. “In Key West, we can’t really fish
around the docks or harbor during day, but there’s a lot less pressure at
night. We can also get much closer to tarpon at night. They lose a bit of
their wariness.”
Chumming may also produce good results. Anchor upstream from a
lighted area or structure and toss fish pieces or shrimp bycatch into the
tide. Once tarpon rise to smack the chum, drift a live baitfish or crab into
the chum slick or dangle a bait under a cork.
“As the chum drifts back, tarpon settle in behind the structure,”
Weinhofer said. “Free-line a bait on a free spool back into the chum slick. A
wine cork or a 1-inch square of a swim noodle makes a great float.”
When fishing live bait, many anglers prefer circle hooks since they can
more easily release big tarpon unharmed. When fishing with circle hooks,
avoid the temptation to “set the hook.” Instead, simply point the rod tip
directly toward the fish and wind the line tight. As the fish runs away from
the boat, make four or five short taps to set the hook into the fish’s jaw.
Tarpon can provide big-game sport for a budget price. For booking
trips, contact Miller at 813-956-8000 or http://fishngolfflorida.com, Moore at
941-628-2650 or www.captrobertmoore.com and Weinhofer at 877-FISH-N-
KW or www.fishnkw.com.
For information about the Charlotte Harbor area, call the Charlotte
County Visitors Bureau, at (941) 743-1900 or see www.pureflorida.com.
Tarpon gather around a light on a dock.