Tampa Bay Tarpon Fly Fishing
- Captain Barkley Daniel
- 6 hours ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 24 minutes ago
So you are poised to take on the salt and the Silver King on your Fly fishing trip down to Florida and perhaps the Tampa Bay area and you want to prepare for the hunt; what to do? Tarpon fishing is the Wimbledon of Fly fishing where so many parts lead to the whole. With Tampa Bay Tarpon Fly Fishing casting ability is important, but not the only component and it is not only about distance.
In this primer, I hope to give you tips that will lead to success and a better experience whether you are wisely fishing with a guide or you plan to go it alone. If you are fishing with a guide and plan to use a fly rod you must choose a guide that specializes in fly fishing. A fly fishing guide may be able to do some bait fishing if it is a mixed trip, but a bait specialist will not be able to effectively assist a fly angler due to the complexity of the sport. Hiring the right guide is money well spent and will cut the learning curve immeasurably. I will be covering the basics you need to know in this article and I believe that if you follow this advice you can be successful in your quest.
Probably the most important thing that an angler can do is practice a proper saltwater cast which can be done well before you ever step onto the boat. In Tarpon fishing long casts are not always necessary. Of course, the better control of your cast and distance that you can reach, the more opportunities you can take advantage of. In saltwater sight fly fishing the Speed Cast is the most important concept to master in order to be effective. This is the concept of readiness and being ready to deliver the fly at all times is key.
Briefly; the Speed Cast is holding the bend of the fly hook in your non-dominant hand while you hold the fly rod in your dominant hand and the line is trapped by your trigger finger with approximately 10 feet of fly line and your leader outside of the tip of the rod.
The amount to line out of the tip can vary with skill and conditions but, 10 feet is a general starting point. This "ready position" allows the angler to make a quick back-cast and a fast delivery to the cruising fish. Practice making a quick shot starting from this position and work up to 50 feet while keeping the movements to get the cast delivered to the target at 6 or less. Many times the speed at which you deliver the cast to the fish is paramount! This differs from most freshwater applications where time is not as critical and this is probably the biggest obstacle my clients face when making the transition to saltwater sight fishing. Speed and accuracy taken out to 50 feet makes you dangerous to the Tarpon and if you show up with these skills your chance of success is high.
Tarpon can be caught at closer distances depending on conditions, but more distance and control will always afford the angler more opportunities and since not every fish will eat, it is definitely a numbers game. With the most crucial component out of the way we move on to something people focus way too much effort on, and that is the equipment.
If you are fishing with a professional guide, congratulations you have potentially saved yourself $2K since they will have appropriate gear so you will not need to bring your own.
Generally, you will need a 12wt fly rod with a very capable reel to get up to bat. In some fisheries you can go down to a 10wt and some would suggest an 11wt, but to cover it all a good 12wt will handle most situations. I have not found much difference with the 11wt and 12wt so, it is hard to go wrong as long as the rod is quality, but not necessarily the most expensive. I highly suggest a rod that has the titanium "reflex" style stripping guides as they can handle the abuse that a Tarpon dishes out.
For reels, the machined bar stock models are an absolute must and no cast reels are suitable. In most other facets of saltwater fly fishing I would argue that the reel is of small importance, but with Tarpon the stress on the reel is immense so, you must spend the money. On a positive note, once you spend the money on this type of reel you can call it a lifetime investment as long as you take care of it. Suitable reels will have the necessary capacity and my recommendation is 80 pound braided line for backing in a hi-vis color, topped with a heavy taper Tarpon specific floating fly line designed for the short quick cast.
Leaders should be constructed using clear monofilament because of its great abrasion resistance which is superior to fluorocarbon and its propensity not to sink fast (more on that later). There are many ways to construct a suitable Tarpon leader and many of them work. I prefer a simple approach yielding a 12 foot leader. I start with a 6 foot 50 pound butt section followed by a piece of 40 pound with a shorter piece of 30 pound breaking tippet topped off by a 1 1/2 foot 50 pound abrasion tippet to the fly. Although some would balk at the 30 pound breaking tippet; it helps guard against the certainty of a mistake by the angler especially when starting the Tarpon journey.
It is very easy to lighten the tippet as you gain experience and there is no shame in catching a Tarpon on a heavier leader. You are still quite a sporting angler despite what some (so called) experts might opine.
Blood knots to join the sections then a surgeon knot joining the breaking to the bite tippet are small easy knots that can be quickly and reliably tied ending with the connection to the fly using the excellent Homer Rhode Loop Knot.
A simple selection of flies will cover you in most circumstances and include light and dark colors. Some suggestions are Tarpon Toads and worm flies tied on well made 1/0 hooks and Puglisi minnows on appropriate hooks where the fly keels properly.
The right hook can be marketed as a "big game" or species specific Tarpon hook that are of medium thickness not too thin or overly thick so that they both penetrate well, and do not bend or break prematurely. Many anglers put so much emphasis on the pattern of fly, but what is most important is the presentation of the fly to the Tarpon as pattern is I believe rarely the determining factor.
Ancillary equipment is also of importance and includes all the items that you must have to spend a (comfortable day) on the water and allow you to see your quarry. Starting with comfortable loose fitting sun protective clothing such as an SPF long sleeve shirt, breathable lightweight pants, wide brimmed hat, sun gloves, comfortable non-marring shoes.
And most importantly quality polarized sunglasses. Low light yellow tint lenses are the best choice followed by a second pair of brown or green based lenses for brighter times of day. If you only bring one I highly suggest the low light lenses as clouds and sun angles causing lack of vision into the water are the most likely scenario.
Sunblock goes without saying as well as lens cleaner and a hand towel to clean your hands after sunblock application. We try and keep the sun screen chemicals and smell off of our flies as much as possible so, it does not become a potential negative clue or possible fly rejection element when they go to strike!
Speaking of lens cleaners, Dave is a strong advocate for these, using them not only for his sunglasses but, also for his camera gear including his phone. This a hot and salty (spray) environment. Typical dry lens cloths can fall short because they are dry. Given his concern for his expensive sunglasses and even (more) expensive camera lenses, he finds it practical to keep a few of these cleaners in his camera bag, tackle bag, and even in his pockets. This ensures his lenses are thoroughly clean and for around 10 dollars for 120 of them, they are a low cost insurance to help you both see better, and to help you grab that awesome picture after getting that Tarpon!
And of course, sufficient food and drink are important as a day in the sun will require a lot of re-hydration and sports drinks along with water are mandatory.
I always like to have some Ibuprofen on the boat as Tarpon fishing is a physical sport and you will get beat up by the environment and the fish! Top it off with a good pair of pliers and a quality nipper and that rounds out the mandatory gear. Fly line management devices, something to stand on to gain height above the water and a large towel to cover boat snags are useful items and the inclusion of an easy to release anchor on a float if you are on your own boat round out my suggestions. It is possible to fish Tarpon from many styles of vessel that can be anchored in a likely spot and although purpose built skiffs are optimum they are not mandatory. Most fisheries require a vessel and Tampa Bay is definitely one of them. Kayaks and paddle boards will not allow the angler enough height off of the water to be particularly effective as looking down on the approaching fish gives better perspective and early warning of a fish approaching.
Now that the basics are out of the way, we will go on to the fishing aspects of the sport in the next article. Rigging and practicing can be done well before the angler gets to the water and in the end are the only variables that the angler can really control. Next I will see you on the water for the fun stuff!
And, make sure you reach out to us and get your Tarpon Trip set up soon, and you can reach me direct here:
Captain Barkley Daniel HSIC
727-743-3763
PO Box 599 Indian Rocks Beach FL 33785
Also, enjoy some more Tarpon Fly fishing videos on my Secret Squirrel Fly Fishing Channel
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