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Call Reef Light &
Tackle |
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You’ll need the following items & we sell ’em:
1. Recommended rod (17-30 lb Billfisher) & spinning reel (750SSG
Penn spinning reel) set up 40# to 50# Braided Line.
2. Fluorocarbon leader 25 yd to 50 yd spools- 60# or 80#
Fluorocarbon Leader (Fluorocarbon is invisible to the fish)
3. 100# to 150# ball bearing snap swivels and 100# to 150# ball
bearing barrel swivels
4. Our recommended hooks are the Owner Demon Circle 39951BLN 1X Fine
Wire 4/0 up to 8/0. Effective June 1 2009 you must use an in-line
circle hook when fishing live bait in the Gulf of Mexico. We
recommend using the Gamakatsu Inline Octopus Circle SE #235415-25
4/0 up to 8/0
5. “Tarpon Float” or bobber 2 1/3 “round.
6. Anchor Float Ball After you hook up on the tarpon you will need
to come off your anchor “Quick” and fight the fish with the boat.
Setting up you gear:
The line coming off of your rod and reel - you will need to tie on
your ball bearing snap swivel. We recommend a fisherman’s knot or
uni knot. Prior to leaving the dock make-up several leaders with
your fluorocarbon leader material hooks, and ball bearing barrel
swivels using the same type of knots you used on your snap swivel.
Your leaders will need to be 3’ to 4’ long. You will need to place
your Tarpon Bobber between your hook and swivel.
Tarpon AKA “Silver King”:
Believe it or not, the tarpon is really a giant saltwater bait fish
called “Thread Herring”.
The migration of the larger tarpon in the Lower Keys starts around
March 15 and can run until July 15 this being said, our favorite
time to fish this species in the Florida Keys is Mid May till First
of July. Although the Tarpon is a nocturnal feeding fish, they can
be fished during the daylight hours. The best time to fish for them
during this time is what we call fishing the “Top Of The Drop”. This
means High Tide when the tide starts falling.
Location:
There are many places to fish for tarpon, our two favorite
locations in and around Reef Light Tackle are the Bahia Honda
Bridge and Pine Channel. Fishing the bridge you will need to anchor
where the current is flowing to the bridge. Anchor and tie your
anchor ball on your anchor line. Fishing Pine Channel anchor on the
edge of the channel where your bait is behind the boat and drifting
out towards the ocean.
Bait of Choice:
The bait of choice for Tarpon is live crabs our local species
is call “Shanny” crab which is a local nick name for the blue crab.
All of our crabs are de-clawed prior to selling them to our
customers. When hooking a crab take your crab turn it over on its
back, a crab has what are call “wings”, where the color change
starts in its shell, take your circle hook and drill a hole in the
shell till the pint of your hook comes out the top of the shell.
Remove the hook and turn your crab over and hook the crab through
the hole you made it the shell. You want the hook point to be on the
underside of the crab, if hooked wrong the crab will spin in the
current.
Mullet are also excellent baits.
During the beginning of the migration 3-4 pinfish work well. When
hooking the pinfish or mullet I like to hook them in the tail so
they are swimming into the current.
There are also several artificial baits which also can be used.
Come by Reef Light and we will be glad to help you with our favorite
selections.
Worm Hatch:
On the full moon in May and June we have what is called a “Worm
Hatch”. This is a coral spawn. The coral releases small red worm
like object. This sends the tarpon into a feeding frenzy. Not only
is this an excellent time to fish for this species, it is also very
entertaining to watch thousands of these fish feeding during this
spawn.
Please Remember:
Tarpon are “Game Fish” they are a “Catch and Release Fish”
There are very large tarpon moving through the lower keys during
this migration. We have caught tarpon in access of 200 pounds. A 200
pound tarpon is in the neighborhood of 70 to 80 years old it is
imperative to catch and release this fish ASAP. There are a lot of
large sharks in this area during this time and are waiting on a
meal. Hook-up come off your anchor bring your Tarpon to the boat get
you pictures in the water and release these fish for our future
anglers.
If your are planning a trip to the Lower Keys to fish for the
“Silver King”. We invite you to stop into Reef Light Tackle and we
will do our very best to insure you have a trip of a life time
catching this wonderful Game Fish.