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Key West Tarpon Fishing
Seasons
Here in Key West there really is no true season for tarpon. They are here year-round so a defined line of here today and gone tomorrow does not really exist.
January through March we have our cooler waters with temperatures that get down to 60 degrees or so. In between cold fronts we have our Gulf of Mexico tarpon come in to eat. These fish are huge and this is the time of year to catch a larger tarpon ranging in size from 60 - 150 pounds with a few tarpon being caught upwards of 220 pounds on a rare occasion. Staying deep in the channels to keep warm and looking for schools of baitfish, these tarpon are generally only accessible to the light tackle fisherman using deeper jigs or live bait.
 Traditionally, April starts what we call the migration of tarpon through the Keys. This is the strongest and most apparent flow of fish that we see. Indications of this are the many fish balled up in Key West Harbor and every through-channel and ditch will have fish laying in wait almost as if they are looking for a sign to start getting up onto the flats. During late March and early April we also start to see some of the early fish in the backcountry "laying up" or just hanging out in 2 to 4 feet of water.
The channel fish makes for great targets for light tackle enthusiast using live or dead bait and artificials. The laid up fish during this period can offer the tarpon fly fishing person the dream shot he has waited for.
In May, you can almost set your watch by it, around the 9th to the 15th the tarpon come up onto the flats to feed on shrimp, crab and baitfish. Many local guides consider this "tarpon fly fishing season" and book these days in their schedules well in advance with yearly repeat anglers as the tarpon come along the edges and on top of the flats looking for a tasty bite also lending themselves to be presented a fly. This fly fishing for tarpon season lasts until mid to late June. Fishing for tarpon on fly is very challenging but can be a lot of fun; make sure you have your double haul technique down pat to insure a long but accurate cast.
 The moons of May and June offer the famous palolo worm hatch. (Follow our daily Key West fishing Twitter reports during that time as we will be reflecting our thoughts on this highly unique occurrence.)
Later in the summer the tarpon are not on the flats so much during the day as it is too hot. With flats temperatures soaring to the 90+ mark the tarpon find nice cool places to hang out until the sun goes down. Early in the morning offers a great "dawn patrol" for some laid up fish while fly fishing or using crabs for bait. These laid up tarpon are hungry and use the morning hours to stalk their prey. Avoid the full moons for this fishery as the tarpon will be well fed after partying all night in the moonlight.
In the Fall between August and November and sometimes into December the baby tarpon season holds many fish. Baby tarpon can be found most anywhere: residential canals, remote island motes, or flats that have a nice off -low during a shrimp hatch. Wherever you find them they can be an absolute blast to catch while fly fishing or using artificial bait. Any time of year tarpon fishing is a fun time not to be missed.
Capt. Steven Lamp - Owner, Dream Catcher Charters |
