2025 Tarpon season recap and report for Tampa Bay

Captain Barkley Daniel
Jul 27
2 min read

Tarpon fight on a flyrod — Example of some of the action on the Secret Squirrel Hell's Bay Marquesa skiff!

Just a update as the 2025 Tarpon season recap and report for Tampa Bay begins to wind down.

This year's Tarpon season was the best I have experienced in the last several. The fish showed up in great numbers and were more willing to eat than in recent years. I was able to get many beginners and first timers their first fish and sometimes multiple fish in a trip. Weather seemed the most important factor with most days being very fish-able.

Thank you to all who fished with me this season and if you were one of the few who did not succeed; thanks for working hard and giving it your best! Tarpon on fly is a journey and sometimes despite your best efforts it is tough to succeed!

I do know that some very determined clients who followed the process and worked hard finally got a great payoff, some of whom took a few trips and practiced their casting over the last year on land to get ready.

Tarpon will continue to be in the area in fish-able but decreasing numbers through August. Depending on the day you might get up to a dozen shots at hungry fish that are post spawn. This time of year is for the most determined and patient, but when a tarpon comes along he wants to eat better than any time of the season.

Lots of other fish are available on the flats and this time of year it's a good place to start before getting on the Tarpon.

Thanks again to everyone and I hope to see y'all during the year and next Tarpon season starting in May 2026!

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