# Help getting early morning Tarpon to hit



## 994 (Apr 14, 2008)

I've been fishing around the bridges in New Smyrna lately, very early morning looking to hook up with a tarpon, but I can't get them to eat. Last night I threw live blue crabs of every size and couldn't get hooked up, got a couple bull reds though. Kinda frustrating, there were pods of 4-6 tarpon rolling and chasing bait all around. Would it help if I crushed a blue crab with a weight and threw it on the bottom? It seems like if the tide is ripping hard the crabs will just spin in the current. Do you think they're eating live mullet?


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

never fished for them there exactly, I have caught them south of there around Sebastian though on all sorts of baits. Anyway, I think a live mullet would work better than a crab, especially on that coast. Another option is a live ladyfish or half of one on the bottom. A half of fresh mullet on the bottom could work too. Like snook, tarpon aren't too proud to eat dead bait off the bottom. Tarpon are notorious for showing themselves but not actively feeding though, so if you're seeing them crashing bait that's half the battle. Hard to believe a free lined live bait wouldn't get smashed in that situation though...


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Have never fished up that way.
But down here, we use white flukes hooked through the nose with a circle hook.
It has actually out-fished live pilchards and live shrimp for us at the same spot.

The best ones have been the Strike King coffee white flukes.


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## Shallowfly (Dec 16, 2006)

I agree with the white fluke, live shrimp or Pilchards free lined for this type of bridge night fishing. You need to scale down the size of everything they are snacking not eating dinner. If you have a fly rod white deciever or white EP minnow will get them. I also like the DOA Terror eye if spin fishing same thing something whitish...


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> I agree with the white fluke, live shrimp or Pilchards free lined for this type of bridge night fishing. You need to scale down the size of everything they are snacking not eating dinner. If you have a fly rod white deciever or white EP minnow will get them. I also like the DOA Terror eye if spin fishing same thing something whitish...


x2

I was throwing a small white fly too and it produced 5x more strikes than the fluke did.


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## jared_simonetti (Jan 11, 2007)

Trolling model baitbuster darker colors like black/silver purple dark green and a real slow retrieve


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## choppercity47 (Jul 30, 2007)

Live mullet freelined, throwing what there feeding on is best. Also mirrolure catch 2000 and mirrodine. Would forget plastics I know those fish there all large and theres no jighead or worm hook that could hook them.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> Live mullet freelined, throwing what there feeding on is best. Also mirrolure catch 2000 and mirrodine. Would forget plastics I know those fish there all large and theres no jighead or worm hook that could hook them.



We throw big circle hooks through the side of the head of the fluke.
They swim great that way.
Probably more action than hooking them with the regular worm hooks.


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