# Best Time of the year for migrating tarpon in the Everglades



## mingo gringo

There are no tarpon in the glades,Keys is where it’s at. Move along.


----------



## Flatsaholic

mingo ****** said:


> There are no tarpon in the glades,Keys is where it’s at. Move along.


Thanks Mingo


----------



## anytide

tarpon season is closed from May 1st thru April 30th


----------



## lemaymiami

The best time for tarpon in the Everglades is when they're not migrating.... but are there for warmer waters than anywhere else... It's going on now and will just get better in Whitewater - then Oyster Bays. By the end of March the action will move still westwards into all the rivers that drain in to the Gulf. By April the fish will be along the gulf coast, up inside rivers and hanging out in places like Big Sable and Ponce de Leon Bay. They leave to go spawn at the end of the first week of May (occasionally not until the second week of May..). No matter how good the water temps are though - conditions in winter and spring (howling winds, sudden cold fronts) can just make the big fish disappear like they were never there at all. Locals have a big advantage over visitors in this regard since they can hold off on bad conditions then get "tarponitis" the moment conditions are favorable...

We get a strong second season as well that also has nothing to do with any migration that starts slowly in late August, gets stronger in September and goes full bore into October - in all the same places as April. It all ends about one week before Halloween as we get our first cold night and the big fish scoot out into the Gulf.. This time of year it's still hot weather, clouds of mosquitoes, and, of course, it's hurricane season...

Tarpon in the 'Glades are all about water temperature - when it's cold they disappear - but come back again when it warms up enough... Studies by Bonefish and Tarpon Trust show they follow 79 degree water when they're migrating like they were on a special track... 

One of the best parts of the 'glades for tarpon is that surrounding areas also hold fish and you're not far at all from Flamingo or Chokoloskee.... that kind of stuff, though, is all about the migration....


----------



## shb

so if I don't really escape from work till fall, I could still go tarpon fishing?

with a fly rod?


----------



## Flatsaholic

Bob, thank you for the information. I am hoping to make a trip there soon with a few buddies. I fish Tampa Bay and have never been to the Everglades.


----------



## Fritz

Bob I can't tell you how much I appreciate the generous way you share your time and experience!


----------



## lemaymiami

Unlike places like the Keys and Homosassa... the 'glades covers a big, big area so I have the luxury of speaking up about it. The area I run in out of Flamingo most days is roughly 20 miles east to west (the coast) and 40 miles north to south (from Lostmans all the way south to Cape Sable). The only time I ever find folks fishing where I want to is on the weekend, mostly Saturdays, so I'm pretty spoiled. There's many a day we'll hardly see one or two other boats anywhere near...

When I came back to guiding in 1996 I knew very little about current tarpon fishing conditions and routines. 99% of the guides and shops I'd been tying for got downright closed mouthed when you asked them about this or that (Chokoloskee is still that way...), actually on the water, so to put it mildly I struggled... I don't mind passing along a bit here or there about tarpon since they're a large part of my world these last 22 years. By comparison I quickly learned the hard way not to say much about the night scene in Biscayne Bay... The last time I did that I found the world sitting on most of the places we'd been fishing... It's a guide's dilemma - let folks know just how good the fishing is (and get over-run) or say nothing about the outstanding fishing - and sit home wishing for a customer or two...


----------



## Flatsaholic

Bob, I greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge. With this information I can setup a game plan. Hopefully the long trip down there will be an success.


----------



## LowHydrogen

Fritz said:


> Bob I can't tell you how much I appreciate the generous way you share your time and experience!


X2! Definitely a great contributor.


----------



## squeezer1

X3! Your willingness to pass on knowledge is greatly appreciated.


----------



## csnaspuck

x4 Bob! 

While we are on this subject and not to hijack this thread but I get really bothered by most anglers not wanting to share tips and spots because they don't want to give away anything. I can somewhat understand you might be a guide and it impacts your life. The whole idea that well if you give away the secrets would ruin your fishing location I think is bull s***. Because the amount of people that would actually act on your advice is minimal compare to your reality where you think the entire world is going to be at your spot the next day. Most of us anglers that actually go out and fish are all respectful enough to know if they see a guy in a spot that they would stay away. 

I had a person on facebook from the area that I sent a friend request because we know some of the same people and he accepted my request. He was not a guide, Well a few months later he posted that he found a school of black drum in the lagoon and since I was fishing the next day I nicely asked him if he could PM me some advise. Instead he replied in public and went on a huge rant that he doesn't like giving advise because hes a local and doens't want to give away anything. Needless to say I dropped him like a ton of bricks and if I do ever see him on the water I will be sure to give him an earful.

If I can help any fellow fishermen I would be more than happy to point in the right direction to the best of my ability.

Ok I will get off my soap box.


----------



## anytide

dont take anything we say serious soapbox.


----------



## Steve_Mevers

Going this morning to Flamingo, hoping the poons have the feed bag on.


----------



## mingo gringo

Hey flats I was just busting your chops. How bout this, I’m down there a few times a week. Try my best to be on the fish, let me know when you are planning on coming down and I can point you in the right direction. Pm me if you’d like.


----------



## Flatsaholic

mingo ****** said:


> Hey flats I was just busting your chops. How bout this, I’m down there a few times a week. Try my best to be on the fish, let me know when you are planning on coming down and I can point you in the right direction. Pm me if you’d like.


I appreciate it. Sounds good man will do.


----------



## EasternGlow

csnaspuck said:


> x4 Bob!
> 
> While we are on this subject and not to hijack this thread but I get really bothered by most anglers not wanting to share tips and spots because they don't want to give away anything. I can somewhat understand you might be a guide and it impacts your life. The whole idea that well if you give away the secrets would ruin your fishing location I think is bull s***. Because the amount of people that would actually act on your advice is minimal compare to your reality where you think the entire world is going to be at your spot the next day. Most of us anglers that actually go out and fish are all respectful enough to know if they see a guy in a spot that they would stay away.
> 
> I had a person on facebook from the area that I sent a friend request because we know some of the same people and he accepted my request. He was not a guide, Well a few months later he posted that he found a school of black drum in the lagoon and since I was fishing the next day I nicely asked him if he could PM me some advise. Instead he replied in public and went on a huge rant that he doesn't like giving advise because hes a local and doens't want to give away anything. Needless to say I dropped him like a ton of bricks and if I do ever see him on the water I will be sure to give him an earful.
> 
> If I can help any fellow fishermen I would be more than happy to point in the right direction to the best of my ability.
> 
> Ok I will get off my soap box.



Very much disagree with this. There are a ton of areas where it only takes a few extra boats there and the spot is never the same. Maybe in a lagoon flats situation, where fish are constantly moving and there one day gone the next, it's not as big of a deal. But if I posted some of the deep backcountry lakes I fish in the 'glades and found multiple boats back there the next day, I can assure you that the fishing will not be the same. You can't just expect people to give you intel on where the fish are. Sure, it's nice if you get a tip from someone- but how about putting in the time yourself to locate fish/figure out patterns? I think people that ask for specifics on fish and don't get information are looking to shoot fish in a barrel.


----------



## tailchaser16

EasternGlow said:


> Very much disagree with this. There are a ton of areas where it only takes a few extra boats there and the spot is never the same. Maybe in a lagoon flats situation, where fish are constantly moving and there one day gone the next, it's not as big of a deal. But if I posted some of the deep backcountry lakes I fish in the 'glades and found multiple boats back there the next day, I can assure you that the fishing will not be the same. You can't just expect people to give you intel on where the fish are. Sure, it's nice if you get a tip from someone- but how about putting in the time yourself to locate fish/figure out patterns? I think people that ask for specifics on fish and don't get information are looking to shoot fish in a barrel.


x2


----------



## Emerald Shiner

I have grown to view anyone that loves a resource as an ambassador allied in a conservation effort. If that means I have to share the water more often so be it. Sharing knowledge strengthens this bond.


----------

