Fishing Sanibel Florida for Tarpon

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To many anglers in the USA, and especially in Florida, the island of Sanibel on the Gulf coast holds some of the best spots to fish for the infamous Tarpon. Their strong fighting ability as well as the challenge of landing the fish makes them one of the most enjoyable and invigorating fish to catch. Since we did not have any means of water transportation, our choices of where to fish were limited. Luckily, we received a tip that a pond-like waterway behind the Sanibel town hall was filled with Tarpon in the early morning hours.
At the crack of dawn, we hopped over to Whitney’s Bait and Tackle where we bought 50 live shrimp and a package of 2 ought circle hooks. As we approached the gazebo that sat on the side of the saltwater pond, we could see Tarpon rolling off on the edge of the waterway. We cautiously and silently set up our gear, not wanting to spook any nearby Tarpon. To attract the predatory fish, we threw a handful of the smallest shrimp in our livewell and any other shrimp that had passed away. Then, we baited our circle hooks with a live shrimp (usually of a larger size) and casted it right into the middle of the man made shoul. As we watched our open bails for movement and the direction of our line in the water, the surface of the water started to stir. Slowly, I noticed my line change its direction, against the oncoming wind signaling the presence of a Tarpon on my line. I closed the bail and slowly lifted my rod up, making sure the hook was secure in the fishes bony mouth. As soon as the tarpon felt the weight of my rod, it burst out into the middle of the pond, hoping to reach the mangroves. I heaved upwards, attempting to bring the Tarpon back in my direction. Luckily it came back at a slower pace. Soon it started jumping, thrashing its mouth its mouth, hoping to let loose from the hook. For an angler's first Tarpon, it was a nice size, maybe three feet long as an estimate. Unfortunately, on the Tarpons third jump, the hook popped out flying back in my direction.
The next Tarpon that gobbled up our shrimp was a few inches larger than a footlong from Subway and the size made it easier to reel it in and land it without any mishaps (which at the time was a blessing in disguise because we probably wouldn't have been able to land a Tarpon much bigger than it due to the lack of water accessibility) . After our first Tarpon, we hooked into two other Tarpon that also had their hooks pop out. Soon after, the sun began to rise over the horizon and the bite slowed down. We had about ten shrimp left afterwards and had fun catching the powerful (and invasive) Mayan Cichlid as our time in Florida ended.IMG_2013.JPG
The only Tarpon we landed.

A shrimp similar to the ones we used as bait.
Whitney’s Bait and Tackle, Sanibel Florida.









The feisty Mayan Cichlid.

-The Rusty Spoon Fishing Team

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