I’m thinking of giving the tarpon a try this year and if the weather is decent I may try this Wednesday. For those of you who are kind enough to share a bit of knowledge to a rookie, where in port royal would you recommend to go early around sun rise and later during the last quarter of the rising tide(high tide 1:30 pm). I hope to have both live and dead menhaden and fish top and bottom rigs. I can anchor or drift and the plan is to roam around early and look for activity and anchor near Bay Point during the last quarter of the rising tide.
Thanks
I’m pretty much a rookie too, but we’ve hooked tarpon at the 170 bridge on a high tide later in July and August. Also hooked them at Bay Pt and the junction of Chechessee and Broad. Don’t limit yourself to menhaden. A big mullet or crab works too.
Big mullet is much better bait in my opinion. The hump off the end of Parris island is a good spot as well late in the summer early fall just before shrimp bait season starts.
Sea Hunt BX 21
150 Yamaha
Thanks for the suggestions. We struck out twice, once on Friday and again on Sunday. Tried live and dead menhaden as well as dead large mullet both whole and cut in half. Lots of sharks but nothing else. We fished off bay point and also on the other side near the breakers off Hilton head. Lots of bait Friday but the weather picked up Sunday and messed up everything. I didn’t see any tarpon but the water was rather choppy even in the morning. The water seems very dirty to me and I think Arthur stirred the surf a bit. I think we will try again in two weeks and see if a couple of weeks later in the summer works better. I’ve also talked to a few folks who have been picking up a few but not quite enough for the rookies like myself to luck into one.
Tarpon fishing has always been hit or miss, especially for us out-of-towners who can’t always get down there during ideal weather conditions. Sounds like you were at Joiner Bank at the north end of HH, another good spot. Sharks are always part of the deal. We may try em in August.
I also think late summer is the best time, but I’m no tarpon expert. Catch a few now and again. Sort of like marlin fishing or cobia in the Broad, it’s a waiting game. Or run the inlet mouths looking for them and cast a bait in a pod. I like crab for tarpon.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
How do you fish them with crabs? When I was growing up my dad took me to boca grande where we caught the biggest fish I had ever seen. Must have been 150lbs tarpon.I remember taking one of its scales which was bigger than my 8 year old hand. We used live blue crabs on the bottom and drifted around.
I guess a medium sized blue crab alive with the c hook placed towards one of its sides allows them to swim? Might also limit the shark bites?
quote:
How do you fish them with crabs? .......snipped......I guess a medium sized blue crab alive with the c hook placed towards one of its sides allows them to swim?
No, I don’t put the hook into a live crab at all. That will kill it and keep you from a good hook up. In Boca Grande they often use pass crabs, which are smaller than our normal blue crabs, but the technique is the same. A Keys rat about 40 years ago taught me how to best rig a live crab for tarpon, cobia and anything else that eats crabs.
Get a fairly stout rubber band, loop it over one point of the shell, twist it 15 or 20 times until it’s tight, stretch it across the back and loop it on the opposite point. Insert circle hook under rubber band at one end, twist it a couple times then go back under the band with the hook again. Crab can swim free, hook is fully exposed. Takes about 5 seconds to rig it.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Larry’s idea of the rubber band sounds good/great. just want to add something I was told at a cobia seminar lately.
Do not break off the claws, but take a pair of pliers and break off the top part of claw…you know, the part that closes down and pinches you:smiley:.
It will make it look more natural and not get ahold of your line.
This fella had done alot of testing his theory without claws, with claws and the broken off part I mentioned. I don’t recall the numbers he had documented but the latter was hugely more successful.
Good luck!
NN
07, 23 Key West, Twin 115 Yammys
“Coastal Bound”
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