# Lake Tarpon question



## buck43

Hey new to the forum and love it! Anyone have luck in Lake Tarpon in the Tarpon Springs area north of Clearwater? Read that the State record for Largemouth came from there?


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## thresher

Welcome aboard Buck! I have a sis-n-law who lives right by there. Funny name "Lake Tarpon" when its freshwater! Always thought that was weird.


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## backwaterbandits

It's cuz it's near Tarpon Springs  Dave


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## Un-shore

> It's cuz it's near Tarpon Springs  Dave


There are no Tarpon in the springs either so why "Tarpon Springs"? Man, I'm so freakin confused!


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## Zman

Hi,
This is my first post on this forum, but I have been browsing for quite awhile. Anyway, I grew up on lake tarpon and have been fishing it since I was 4yrs old (I'm 25 now). I have caught more than 50 bass out of that lake over 8lbs and some days you can catch 25-50 fish using shiners and shad. For really big bass, I like fishing dolly bay and the south cove into the entrance of canal that leads to upper tampa bay. As a matter of fact, they left the dam open during some of the storms 3-4 years ago a little too long and you can actually catch snook on the lake tarpon side now around the bridges if you have a lot of time. I mostly use live shiners just because it is very easy to catch bass with them, but I do fish tournaments and rat-l-traps over the hydrilla in the south cove will catch you a couple bass and tossing wacky worms under docks will always produce a couple fish. The mouth of cove at anderson park is great place for spinner baits. Most of the fish in tournaments are released in that bay which keeps it pretty well stocked with fish. In the evenings you can find them eating shad in the south cove and you can't miss them because they churn the top of the water in 100yd radius circles on some evenings. Just throw anything in the middle and you can catch one. 

On a side note, in the 60's before the dam around the saltwater intrusion point (a sink hole in Anderson park). You could catch blue crabs and flounder in lake tarpon. Also, there are tarpon in the springs in the Anclote river (hence the name of the city). You can catch them in the winter and they move closer to the mouth of the river during summers. There are a lot of baby tarpon in the 10-40lb class there right now because of the cold front not to mention a ton of juvenile snook and rat reds. The springs I am refering to are not the ones by the library however those do hold fish. The ones I am talking about are in the same bay maybe 500yds away if you can find them (hint: look for them rolling really early in the morning and at low tide look for the water being pushed out by the spring).


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## tom_in_orl

Welcome to the forum [smiley=beer.gif] Great 1st post!


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## litlblusrn4bigred

> Welcome to the forum  [smiley=beer.gif] Great 1st post!



X's 2!!


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## Guest

> Welcome to the forum [smiley=beer.gif] Great 1st post!
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> 
> 
> 
> X's 2!!
Click to expand...

 [smiley=1-beer.gif] [smiley=1-beer.gif] Welcome aboard Zman

You a Tarpon alumni? Great to hear an accurate account of Lake Tarpon and TS especially from someone your age. I graduated and moved away before you were even born


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## buck43

Zmann just sent you a PM so we can talk on the phone about Lake Tarpon. Thanks.


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## skydiver77

Z man hit the nail on the head. I started fishing on Lake Tarpon in the late 70's while in diapers. He hit the nail on the head. I have fond memories of bread balls and #4 gold hook fishing from the boat ramp at the park on the East side of the lake. The park has had several names over the years. My dad and I were one of the last people to see Office Peggy Park alive before she was killed in the line of duty. We spoke to here a little before dark the night she was killed. They later named the park after her.....for a few years.


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