How to catch Tarpon in Coastal Georgia
Capt. Richie Lott
August 14, 2014
Jekyll Island - Saltwater Fishing Report
The Tarpon fishing around Jekyll Island/Cumberland Island in St. Andrews Sound each summer season is simply amazing.
Some of the best Tarpon Fishing in the US can be found right here in our own backyard in Coastal Georgia. Fishing for Tarpon is a seriously fun and challenging sport for beginning and avid fishermen. The basics of Tarpon fishing is what I will try to cover here.
Find Bait, Find Tarpon
Tarpon tend to travel beneath and alongside large schools of baitfish. The whereabouts of the baitfish schools make no matter to a hungry pod of Tarpon. For example, if there is a large bait school far up the Satilla river, there will be Tarpon around them as they can adapt to the brackish water without a problem. Bottom line is this; If baitfish can live there, you're likely to find tarpon there, especially if there is a large amount of bait.
Large amounts of bait hold Tarpon in Coastal Georgia from June to September each year, with August peaking as the prime month around the Full moon tides. Your chances of catching Tarpon close to shore and inside rivers and sounds are ten times more likely as the Full moon tides push baitfish far into the back of sounds and up into local Rivers and interior channels.
How do I catch a Tarpon?
This is 100%, the most asked question from fishermen learning the sport, or wanting to learn the sport.
In my short 25 years of charter fishing experience for Tarpon, I will start out by summing it up using two words; IT'S TOUGH! Some days, you'll go tarpon fishing and you can do no wrong. Each spot you fish that day produces a Tarpon in the air, on your hook... Other days, you figure out that you didn't have it figured out.
In all seriousness, Tarpon fishing takes time and lots of work along with putting in long hours on the water using the proper techniques and lots of cutting fresh chum. I cannot say this enough; Find Bait, Find Fish. Meaning, Tarpon Fishing is all about location. Locate baitfish and you'll more than likely locate Tarpon.
Tips for Tarpon Fishing Success
1. Plan your fuel range for the day, then add 30% more fuel. If one thing changes from the previous day in wind or weather patterns, the baitfish will move, thus moving the Tarpon pattern. After stiff North East blows, the bite can be shut down for days until the baitfish schools re-gather. Any of these scenarios will put you on the hunt and burning fuel. If you don't, you may cut yourself short or lose interest altogether.
2. Fish by the Barometer, live by the Barometer. Optimally around 29.96 to low 30's. I will write a blog on barometer readings and what they mean at a later time.
3. Catch enough bait (Menhaden/Pogies) to last 3-4 hours so you don't cram your livewell. Optimally, 30-40 happy baits is better than 200 cramped baits that get "red" in an hour, lose slime and begin to die. The key to good fishing with menhaden is their slime. No slime, no smell.
4. Catch another net full of Pogies for chum. Bring along a 90 quart cooler half full of ice. Add pogies until it's full, then add a little saltwater. Use gloves and mix until the fresh baits are all cold and shut the lid.
5. Once you have found Tarpon, chumming is the key to calling them to your baitfish spread. Before you start fishing, use a cutting board and bait scissors to cut up 40-50 baits and drop the chunks into an empty 5-gallon bucket. Toss some Ice over the top when you've cut up a good amount. A lid on the bucket will keep them cold longer than you think, but they need to stay fresh and should not be mixed with water at this point.
6. Anchor ahead of the baitfish school. Anchor your boat inline with the direction the baitfish are headed. Pogies drift in and out with the tide, so you'll simply line up with the tide movement, which will be bringing the bait your way. Personally, I prefer 8-15 ft. of water on the slope of a channel or in a sandbar slough. Shallow water presents greater chances to catch a Tarpon, but requires you to stay fairly quiet.
So, deploy your anchor quietly (never "throw" your anchor) and get to work! Here are the rigs we use for Tarpon every time we go. This is the exact Tackle and Brands we use.
Reel: Okuma Solterra 15 Lever Drag/Level Wind
Rod: Okuma Cortez 30-50
Line: 65 Pound Cortland Braid
Leader: 100 Pound Cajun Red
Hook: 7/0 Short Shank 4-X Live Bait Hook (sharpened)
Float: Comal Adjustable
Weight: Bullet Steel
Snap Swivel - Rosco 75-90 Pound
Rigs to catch Tarpon
1. Fish (2) Float Rigs - 5 or 6 ft. in Length using 100 pound mono leader. Attach the float to your mainline above the snap swivel, not on the leader itself. Fish one WAY back and one medium length back.
2. 1 Mid-Line - 3/8 Bullet acorn weight on a 5 ft. section of 100 pound leader. Allow the weight to free slide up and down the leader between the hook and snap swivel.
3. 1 Bottom Rig - Same as mid-line, but with a 2-3 Ounce weight, according to tide flow.
These are the key essentials (and then some) to get you started in the proper direction. Adjust rigs, try different hooks and diversify to your style of fishing if you need to, but the above rigs and methods have a 30 year proven track record of catching Tarpon.
I hope many of you find this helpful and enjoy your time on the water. We have had a great year Tarpon Fishing and have enjoyed ever minute of it.
Fish on.. Rock on!
Capt. Richie Lott
http://www.richielott.com/
http://www.georgiasportfishing.com/
Target Species:
Tarpon
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