Shrimp, mullet, crabs and pinfish are all good options for live bait Key West tarpon fishing. The technique involves anchoring the boat and freeing a line of bait into places where you know the fish are. Weight the bait to get it as deep as possible.
Weights vary according to the speed of the current. A heavy weight may cause the hook to pull out. To prevent this, use light copper wire to secure the weight to the line. It will drop off easily and not cause any hazards while fighting the fish.
Tarpon are strong and have rough, hard mouths, abrasive scales and sharp gill plates. The sizes of hooks depend on brand and size of the bait. Usually, a 6/0-11/0 circle hook does the job.
You need to rig the live bait to make it look natural. Crabs, for example, should be hooked in the corners of their shells. Pinfish or mullet can be hooked through the mouth - either in a horizontal or vertical direction.
If you're using shrimp, a good tip is to tail or head hook it on a hook-up jig to stop it spinning in the current. In the past and even today, guides only take about 12 mullet for bait on a fishing charter because pinfish and crabs work so well.
Tarps are not easy to catch so give yourself lots of options. At times, they favor little pinfish, and at other times they favor crabs. Mullet are preferable if the current is fast because spinning is minimized.
An experienced key west tarpon fishing guide uses various types and sizes of bait. You can now see that there are many variables to consider when going for tarp. However, one thing to always ensure is that you keep one bait on the bottom with one or two others free-lined at various depths.
Weights vary according to the speed of the current. A heavy weight may cause the hook to pull out. To prevent this, use light copper wire to secure the weight to the line. It will drop off easily and not cause any hazards while fighting the fish.
Tarpon are strong and have rough, hard mouths, abrasive scales and sharp gill plates. The sizes of hooks depend on brand and size of the bait. Usually, a 6/0-11/0 circle hook does the job.
You need to rig the live bait to make it look natural. Crabs, for example, should be hooked in the corners of their shells. Pinfish or mullet can be hooked through the mouth - either in a horizontal or vertical direction.
If you're using shrimp, a good tip is to tail or head hook it on a hook-up jig to stop it spinning in the current. In the past and even today, guides only take about 12 mullet for bait on a fishing charter because pinfish and crabs work so well.
Tarps are not easy to catch so give yourself lots of options. At times, they favor little pinfish, and at other times they favor crabs. Mullet are preferable if the current is fast because spinning is minimized.
An experienced key west tarpon fishing guide uses various types and sizes of bait. You can now see that there are many variables to consider when going for tarp. However, one thing to always ensure is that you keep one bait on the bottom with one or two others free-lined at various depths.
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