We’ve talked a lot the last couple of months about fishing the Lake Country, stripers, hybrids, bass and even spotted bass up at Lanier. We live in a great spot if you love to fish. Think about it. Within two hours, you have Hartwell, Russell, Clarks Hill, Marion, Lanier, Oconee, Sinclair, Jackson and West Point. Within six hours you can add Charleston, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, St. Simons, Savannah, Seminole, Eufaula, Weiss, Guntersville, Moultrie, St. Marks, The Harris Chain, Lake George, the list is almost endless. My mind reels and my feet itch to be on the way!

One of the coolest things we have access to for not a lot of money is tarpon. Yes, you can spend a $1,000 per day with friends of mine and be pushed around on custom carbon skiffs and fish with Sage and Tibor or Seigler. Or you can pick your own boat and go explore the flats of the big bend of Florida. Tarpon show up there in the summer and are ready, willing and able to play! A few Rapala’s, Yo-Zuri mag minnows or darters, a Zoom Super Fluke, or Z-Man 5-inch or bigger swim bait rigged on a 7 to 8 foot heavy spinning rod with a 5,000 to 6,000 series reel and 20-pound test line can put you in the money!

Tarpon are among those fish that people dream of and spend untold amounts of money to chase, yet they can be caught so many ways and places it boggles the mind almost. From Africa, South America, Central America, and from Florida to Texas on the Gulf Coast and Florida to North Carolina on the Atlantic Coast you can chase tarpon at some point during the year. Some areas are better than others, and times vary, but man what a widespread and awesome fish! 

I caught my first tarpon at around 19 years old with my dad off St. Simmons Island while we were working a business convention. It was caught with dead mullet placed on the bottom, and by our estimations it was somewhere around more than 150 pounds. We caught four that afternoon. That was the first of many. Since then, I’ve fished for them in the upper gulf in Apalachicola Bay, Little Tybee Island (estimated 180-pound fish), the keys, Steinhatchee and St. Marks Florida. I’ve fished the no motor zone in the Mosquito Lagoon area for baby tarpon and I’ve also caught tarpon off of Hilton Head Island. I love these fish!

Here’s some basic suggestions for you if you should decide to go after these Silver Kings. 

1. It’s going to be hot!!! Dress accordingly, wear sunscreen, get a big hat, and the best possible sunglasses you can afford!! 
2. Plan this way in advance. Talk to a lot of guides. Take your time. Tarpon guides are weird creatures… I mean crankier than me by the way. You need to find one you think you can click with on a boat for 3-5 days. 
3. Never plan less than a 3 day trip here. Seriously. The weather in tarpon season (April in the keys to September on the GA coast and August in the upper gulf) is going to be tough. It’s going to be in the middle of hurricane season. Plan ahead and allot plenty of time.
4. Practice your casting! This is important! Be able to cast whether it’s a fly rod, a plug rod, or a spinning rod. Practice. Be proficient. PRACTICE! You will need to be precise and quick.

Finally keep this in mind. It’s dadgum big time fun!

Tight lines and following seas y’all!