So I went tarpon fishing the other day (or tried) and spent all day looking for live bait. Never found any so I am wondering what would be a good alternative? Dead Mullet or Menhaden maybe? Thanks!
-There are two types of fisherman those who fish for sport and those who fish for fish.
Best I hear is either large live mullet or menhaden. Never caught one, but they don’t seem like fish that would eat dead stuff but what do I know. If you can’t find any, some people will look for them rolling and throw artificial baits at them.
“In every species of fish I’ve angled for, it is the ones that have got away that thrill me the most, the ones that keep fresh in my memory. So I say it is good to lose fish. If we didn’t, much of the thrill of angling would be gone.” Ray Bergman
Tarpon are opportunistic feeders & will eat almost any fish/crab that is alive or fresh dead. Cut bait works very well for them, with large menhaden & mullet being the best choices. However, live/cut pinfish, spots or other small fish work well. With tarpon the trick is the when & where, not the bait.
The big schools of ocean going pogies have been absent it seems, which is usually a good easy bait to get. In their stead, I get mullet with the net, or bring shrimp and catch croakers and pinfish. The last one I caught, ate 2 dead med size menhaden on a big hook on the bottom. I don’t like bottom fishing, but gotta do what ya can sometimes.
I heard ladyfish are great poon bait
SEAFOX 185DC MERC 125
[MRS KAREN]
14’TARPON 100 paddlepower
[SALTY FLY]
Hard to beat a live foot-long mullet. 
The big harems are seaward of the inlets that you might consider fishing.
Thus why the tarpoons are there.
big dog
As been stated they will eat anything. I have hooked up with whole crabs, half crabs, live or dead bait fish, and any type of cut bait. You got to do whatever it takes. Had one hooked up saturday for 20 mins on a dead manhaden with holes poked in the bait. They will eat anything a shark or a redfish will eat. There was plenty of med. manhaden in the ICW saturday and sunday.