Tarpon via Striper Plugs

[Green Light]

As the number of gray hairs grow, my memory fades. I recall reading a story about a NE surfcaster who use to travel to Florida to catch tarpon from the surf suing striper plugs.

Tarpon is on my bucket list. Anyone know of any good tarpon books, blogs, or guides?

I am not looking for spots! LOL. Just some info to guide me in the right direction.

Thank you in advance for your much appreciated feedback.

Tight lines!

[Slipknot]

Bombers at dusk

I would even try a pikie

[chefchris401]

Ccw small danny slays in Florida

Mullet colored plugs are a good choice

Every time I’ve gone to Florida I’ve hooked into one tarpon each time and never landed em

If you can find some bigger lady fish those are a blast, along with the snook, redfish, sheepshead and everything else down there
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[scottw]

depending on where you plan to fish......I think you are referring to Pete Utschig goes down during the winter months and gives a great presentation on nighttime "surf" tarpon,redfish, snook and shark fishing if you have the opportunity to see him, he fishes the inlets and beaches Ft Lauderdale and north...I've fished the Keys the last several years on Feb-Mar-April...great thing about the tarpon is it's usually pretty good night time fishing if the day shore fishing is lousy due to wind.......over time I've stopped using lures with trebles and pinch all of my barbs....tarpon jump and shake so violently and it's so difficult to get a hook set in that mouth that your plug will(frequently enough) come flying back at you.....also, landing them on a rocky shore is rough on the fish...particularly if you are solo...they don't give up shaking and jumping and the angle or their mouth make them hard to hold onto so getting a lure full or trebles out of that is a challenge....bucktails, swim shads, my biggest came on the smallest RonZ other weighted soft plastics are great...really depends on what they are feeding on...usually mullet....I've caught them skipping jumping minnows across the shadow line.....albie snax work great for that......further north they look for mullet schools on the beaches and then fish those areas at night...and hook some really big fish

it's pretty easy diy fishing if you are down there....8/9'rod..40lb braid...80lb leader.....those fishing further north use heavier surf gear and they throw darters and other big swimming lures by night...

[Got Stripers]

My last tarpon trip is sadly far behind me and although almost all were hooked drifting crabs under the bridges below Bahia Honda State Park in May, my guide dropped one of my 6" ledge runners right below the boat at slack tide and hooked one around 75 lbs. Scared the crap out of me when this monster was looking at me eye to eye literally almost within reach. Needless to say, that was a short fight with so little line out to play the fish.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Green Light

As the number of gray hairs grow, my memory fades. I recall reading a story about a NE surfcaster who use to travel to Florida to catch tarpon from the surf suing striper plugs.

Tarpon is on my bucket list. Anyone know of any good tarpon books, blogs, or guides?

I am not looking for spots! LOL. Just some info to guide me in the right direction.

Thank you in advance for your much appreciated feedback.

Tight lines!

Hooked a couple near 7 mile bridge in Marathon with Rebel Windcheaters. The keys from March - May is not hard to find tarpon.

[niko]

drift crabs through the bridges in the keys in spring. Easy pickings- get them in quick before the sharks get them. Fantastic inshore fishery - you can fish 5 minutes from the dock at some spots. I got one around 75# on a Polaris once but it's mostly a live bait game for big ones
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[t.orlando]

Black Hogy on a black buckktail is a staple down there

[East Tide]

Keys in/after April is always a win/win, though I've still not LANDED one from shore. Win is fishing and hooking up but if you loose it's still a win to be on the Keys with the disease and enjoying it.

Boat fish l/ guided fish don't count for me but I've hooked up a bunch. Google Skinners experiences. He's landed big (75 lb +) fish from shore.
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[Mike P]

On of my old buddies who's a snowbird used Roberts bluefish plugs for tarpon.

[bassballer]

I had one take a white small danny in Panama. After an awesome take and short run broke off. But what a unreal 10 seconds!

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by bassballer

I had one take a white small danny in Panama. After an awesome take and short run broke off. But what a unreal 10 seconds!

Whoa. I can’t imagine. I took a small tarpon in Florida on one of my surf hog eels. What a rush.
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[Rockfish9]

creek chub made a number of pikies with mods to the hooks just for tarpon...

I've never caught one on a plug.. as a youngster I visited my Aunt in Fla. every winter on vacation.. I caught a bunch drifting crabs and on live shrimp... a few years ago I hooked a big one in the Bahamas on a fly but it was short lived... a shark ended the fight after several jumps...

[Green Light]

Thank you for the insights.

Much appreciated.

You guys rock!