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Guided Tarpon FishingInformation
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Tarpon FishingThe Galveston Beachfrontby Guy Focke, Saltwater Adventures Fishing GuideWhere are the Tarpon? As sport fishermen, we wait all winter and spring for the Giant Silver Kings to arrive at Galveston. During July through September, Tarpon roam the Galveston Beach Front from Roll Over Pass all the way to Freeport. The Galveston Beachfront is my favorite place to fish for Tarpon.Moving with the bait fish, these magnificent creatures roam the coast. There is a lot of beachfront to cover when chasing Tarpon, which makes for an exciting hunt. We move with the fish. Sometimes we go as far as San Luis Pass. Wherever the fish roam, that is where we go and fish. (By the way I have caught many many Tarpon at San Luis Pass.) Because Tarpon are roamers, you need to key on pods of mullet and shad. If you want to catch these giant silver kings, be prepared to burn a lot of gas. To give you an idea how far you can travel in one day, I have traveled almost a 110 miles to find these fish. I left Galveston and ran from the Galveston jetties all the way to Freeport and back to Rollover Pass to find the Tarpon. The hunt is exciting, but it takes patience. I realize that most fisherman have patience, but Tarpon test even the most experienced fisherman's patience. At times you will see groups of Tarpon rolling on the surface of the water or following a Shrimp boat that is culling its catch. No matter whether you drift dead shad or throw artificial lures at them, they may not eat. Patience, patience is the key. If you stay with the school, eventually they will bite your baits. That is just how they are, but they are worth it. Three Rules of Tarpon Fishing off the Galveston Beachfront When fishing for Tarpon, there are three things you need to remember:Be prepared to burn a lot of gas when fishing for Tarpon off the Galveston Beachfront Key on pods of bait fish such as shad or mullet Have patience when you see Tarpon, they will eventually bite your bait Typically, when you see a school of Tarpon off of the Galveston Beachfront, there could be anywhere from 10 to 50 fish in that school. When small groups of Tarpon surface, there is usually a large group under them. Finding and Baiting The Tarpon Tarpon roam the Galveston beachfront from depths of 25 feet to 51 feet. The key to finding these fish is the use of a good depth finder or bottom graph. A graph will allow you to find bait either on the bottom or at mid depth. Once you find bait, you can set up a drift. I like to drift fresh shad either under a balloon or flat line. If you drift fresh dead shad under a balloon, the balloon acts like a big cork and keeps the bait at a certain depth. I prefer to have my bait at 7 to 10 feet below the balloonWhen I say flat line, I mean I drift shad out the side of the boat with nothing on but a hook. The reason we do this is because on some days the Tarpon can be from 3 foot to 20 foot under the water. At other times the Tarpon could be near the bottom. This gives the angler a broad range to fish. If they hit balloons, then I drift balloons all day. Artificial baits are one of my favorite baits to use when chasing Tarpon. I like to use yellow and red jigs drifted under balloons This seems to be a favorite bait for Tarpon. We also like to throw large mirrolures at the schools of tarpon that may be moving. Coastal Hawks is another artificial lure that is painted lead with hooks. Tiger color is my favorite choice. I throw these at moving schools of tarpon. The Right Knot Is Essential Because the Tarpon has a bony mouth, it can be hard to get a good hook set. Tying the right knot for Tarpon fishing is a key to ensuring more hook ups and boated Tarpon. What I like to do is tie a spider hitch at the end of my line with a 180 LB coastal snap swivel. The spider hitch acts as a shock leader.I only use ANDE FISHING LINE. I feel that this is the best line to use because of its over all strength. When tying a swivel onto the spider hitch, people use a few different type of knots. I use only the polymer knot, it seems to be the easiest and the strongest. After the swivel is tied on, its time to choose leader material. The Leader At Saltwater Adventures, we do not use steel leaders. Because Tarpon are a sport fish and they are for catch and release; we do not want to hurt these fish.ANDE Monofilament line is our choice. The size I like to use is 125lb test to 200 lb test. The monofilament is easy to tie and also will not hurt the top of the fish. The Hook Once the you have tied the leader to the swivel by using a loop knot, it is time to pick a hook. Because Tarpon are very hard to hook, we use the faithful CIRCLE HOOK. I prefer the 10, 12,and 14 size hooks. This circle hook has a good opening so that it will hook the side or top of the Tarpons mouth.The best and strongest knot to tie on the circle hook is the loop knot. It is the same knot I use to tie the leader on to the swivel. The length of the mono from the swivel to the hook should be between 4 ft and 6 ft. Conclusion Now you are ready to start fishing for Tarpon. Again, do not be surprised if it takes awhile to catch these fish. I fished for an entire year before I was able to actual boat my first Tarpon. The challenge is what makes Tarpon fishing memorable.Before you set out after these beautiful fish, I will share one last secret on how to find Tarpon off the Galveston Beachfront: When offshore shrimping season opens and the shrimpers are pulling their nets on the beachfront, the Tarpon, Sharks and Jack Creavel will follow behind the shrimp boat chasing bait. I have caught most of my big Tarpon behind a moving shrimp boat. |
If you would like to catch fish like these, give us a call at(713) 210-9629 , or email us at guyfocke@sbcglobal.net.
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