# Tarpon sight fishing - need advise for a spin fishing friend.



## Albieaddict (Feb 3, 2015)

I have a skiff parked in Islamorada at the moment and have enjoyed putting a few tarpon in the air this year - all on fly. I'll be traveling down there with a friend who is a very accomplished spin fisherman, but has no fly experience. I have only picked up a spinning rod a few times in my life - so I am flying blind here. 

In the typical scenario you'd find in back (clear to somewhat stained water), is it possible to fish lures the same way you would fish flies?

If a string of tarpon would break stride to snack on a #2 Toad, is there a comparable lure or soft bait that might also do the trick?

And I guess - as an alternative - can you toss live bait at these fish with any chance of success?

Not looking for any secrets here, just sorting out if I would be better off giving him a crash course in fly fishing or stick to spin fishing for him. I have seen many tarpon spook as soon as a #8 line hits the water, so I am having a hard time picturing anything on a spinning rod landing with enough grace to fool one!


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Apply a similar intersect methodology you do with your fly but have him chunk live bait and it will get him in the money from what I have seen. They are much more likely to eat bait than a fly.

You mileage might vary.


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## mingo gringo (Dec 1, 2015)

A well placed shrimp/crab/pilchard/jerkbait/plug/swim bait will get the job done. As with tarpon fishing you will still have refusals and you will spook some,but make a good casts and he will hook up. I do this all the time for friends that don’t fly fish and it works well. I fish the same area you are in up to Biscayne Bay and over to flamingo. Catch plenty especially in the back using artificials on spin.


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## afernandez (Aug 28, 2013)

Sightfishing with spinning gear can be effective depending on the situation. Tarpon will eat jerk baits like hogy lures up in the water column. 






In deeper water with rolling fish the DOA baitbuster in the trolling model is a standard. I’ve seen the spooltek 4” catch tarpon too.


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## Dustin1 (Feb 11, 2007)

DOA Baitbuster. Done.


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## mpl1978 (Apr 14, 2016)

CA Richardson has a quick video for spin fishing for tarpon, including recd' gear and lures on either his instagram page or youtube.


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

I like DOA shrimp fished really slow. I change out the hooks as the standard hooks are pretty bad


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

I would put a freelined dollar crab well out in front of them, or toss a big pink Hogy unweighted and almost dead stick it. It works for local poons, but I know they get a lot more pressure in the Keys.


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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

afernandez said:


> Sightfishing with spinning gear can be effective depending on the situation. Tarpon will eat jerk baits like hogy lures up in the water column.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So the question is why are these guys throwing 12" and 14" offerings with good success and the fly guys are throwing smaller and smaller flies ? Should we be changing our way of thinking ?


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

sidelock said:


> So the question is why are these guys throwing 12" and 14" offerings with good success and the fly guys are throwing smaller and smaller flies ? Should we be changing our way of thinking ?


Women are easier to figure out than tarpon.


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

sidelock said:


> So the question is why are these guys throwing 12" and 14" offerings with good success and the fly guys are throwing smaller and smaller flies ? Should we be changing our way of thinking ?


Yep, its not fair! lol I think it has to do with the line weight of the flyline landing on the water or the thick flyline throwing a shadow.

As for the OP ?, a storm paddle tail drives them crazy!


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)




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## sidelock (Jan 31, 2011)

Now if someone had said that tarpon fly fishermen are simply strange, weird and not normal you wouldn't need to go far to come up with convincing evidence !


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## jimsmicro (Oct 29, 2013)

I think that if you're regularly catching them on flies you've basically already won the game on hard mode and it should be even easier on spinning gear. I've heard of them being caught on literally every type of live bait. I've heard of them being caught on almost any artificial that you can think of too, from topwaters to jerk shads and mirrodines and fake crabs and all kinds of stuff. If they're in the mood to eat and you put the bait in the water column they're in there's a pretty good chance you're going to hook up IF they're eating. With that said I have had more refusals from tarpon than probably anything else, they're hard headed as hell sometimes. You don't get big by being dumb I guess.


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## Snookyrookie (Sep 9, 2016)

First tarpon I ever caught was on a white paddletail, and have caught quite a few since then on the same. If they’re hungry they’ll eat, if they’re not I’m not sure it matters what’s in front of them.


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## Newman (Jan 22, 2018)

Dustin1 said:


> DOA Baitbuster. Done.


This.
Slow, steady, retrieve.
Trolling model.


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

Don't tell anyone... PurpleHaze Mirrodine17


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## BassFlats (Nov 26, 2018)

Krash, Is that PurpleHaze the same as PurpleDemon?


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## secretsquirrelflyfishing (Nov 9, 2015)

One of the coolest things to do in the keys is free line live mullet at the bridge you can surf the mullet in the shadow line and watch Tarpon eat it for a spin fishing that’s pure entertainment and can be fun for fly guys too it’s just different.


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## georgiadrifter (Jan 14, 2009)

SomaliPirate said:


> Women are easier to figure out than tarpon.


That’s solid gold right there. Should be on a t-shirt!


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Albieaddict said:


> I have a skiff parked in Islamorada at the moment and have enjoyed putting a few tarpon in the air this year - all on fly. I'll be traveling down there with a friend who is a very accomplished spin fisherman, but has no fly experience. I have only picked up a spinning rod a few times in my life - so I am flying blind here.
> 
> In the typical scenario you'd find in back (clear to somewhat stained water), is it possible to fish lures the same way you would fish flies?
> 
> ...



This month's "Florida Sportsman" magazine includes a "Tarpon Double Feature". Lot of information that might be helpful to you.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

georgiadrifter said:


> That’s solid gold right there. Should be on a t-shirt!


Love it! Saved.


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

BassFlats said:


> Krash, Is that PurpleHaze the same as PurpleDemon?


Yes... my bad they are easy to spot on the shelf part of the broken glass series I think.


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## shb (Oct 29, 2013)

Jerk Shads fished weightless, and wacky style.


Gets you a longer time in the zone, and can be drifted into the path of fish like a fly.













Say it with beer.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

I've caught them on all sorts of lures over the years. But if I was going to use one today, it's be a 4-5" paddle tail soft plastic shad in either clear pink, pearl, pearl with wither a soft menhaden style light blue or light greenish olive back, purple or black, depending on water clarity, sky brightness or time of day or night. I'd also have it swimming in either one of those 4x bass hooks with a light keel weight or on on the surface with a good 4/0-5/0 Owner hook with the Owners CPS Screw-in spring clips.


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## K3anderson (Jan 23, 2013)

My advice would be to tell him to go to the bar and go flyfish with normal people. You don't need these kind of people in your life.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

K3anderson said:


> My advice would be to tell him to go to the bar and go flyfish with normal people. You don't need these kind of people in your life.


Best post of the thread.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

All that's needed to get in the groove with big tarpon using spin or plug-casting gear.... Is a trip to the dark waters of the 'glades (out of Flamingo if possible...) when the early tarpon flood in to Oyster and Whitewater bays..
... and bring extra gear just in case....


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## Flatbroke426 (May 5, 2018)

Here’s what I warn you about in the Keys. If you are fishing the same lines of travel as other fly fishermen don’t throw bait It will make you some enemies quickly. Soft jerk baits do great use the lightest added weight you can get by with. The less the hardware the more bights. If you are using live baits hit the bridges. #2&#5 are always great bets. Live mullet works best but always keep a few blue crabs in the well if they are turned off the mullet


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## Flatbroke426 (May 5, 2018)

lemaymiami said:


> All that's needed to get in the groove with big tarpon using spin or plug-casting gear.... Is a trip to the dark waters of the 'glades (out of Flamingo if possible...) when the early tarpon flood in to Oyster and Whitewater bays..
> ... and bring extra gear just in case....


Love those big Oyster bay fish.


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## sandyharris (Jan 12, 2015)

BassFlats said:


> Krash, Is that PurpleHaze the same as PurpleDemon?


Purple Haze is an MR17 which is one of the smaller bodied MirroLures ......Purple Demon is a typically"full size" MirroLure although that color is referred to in some of their other product lines.....


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

K3anderson said:


> My advice would be to tell him to go to the bar and go flyfish with normal people. You don't need these kind of people in your life.


Fly fishing people normal, now that’s funny.


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## BobGee (Apr 10, 2019)

jimsmicro said:


> I think that if you're regularly catching them on flies you've basically already won the game on hard mode and it should be even easier on spinning gear. I've heard of them being caught on literally every type of live bait. I've heard of them being caught on almost any artificial that you can think of too, from topwaters to jerk shads and mirrodines and fake crabs and all kinds of stuff. If they're in the mood to eat and you put the bait in the water column they're in there's a pretty good chance you're going to hook up IF they're eating. With that said I have had more refusals from tarpon than probably anything else, they're hard headed as hell sometimes. You don't get big by being dumb I guess.


I had one of the really big ones on last summer on the redfish rig / chartreuse aqua dream spoon trolling behind the kayak. Fun while it lasted. Same thing on a rattle trap. Split ring straightened out.


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## BobGee (Apr 10, 2019)

Backwater said:


> I've caught them on all sorts of lures over the years. But if I was going to use one today, it's be a 4-5" paddle tail soft plastic shad in either clear pink, pearl, pearl with wither a soft menhaden style light blue or light greenish olive back, purple or black, depending on water clarity, sky brightness or time of day or night. I'd also have it swimming in either one of those 4x bass hooks with a light keel weight or on on the surface with a good 4/0-5/0 Owner hook with the Owners CPS Screw-in spring clips.


Would you just reel it straight in? Slow roll?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

BobGee said:


> Would you just reel it straight in? Slow roll?


Sometimes you have to vary it, but I'd start out with just a steady wind in and let the paddle tail get their attention.


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