Best Tarpon Fishing Charters in Florida

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YACHTFISH Fishing Charters out of St. Pete Beach and St. Petersburg offers some of Florida’s Best Tarpon Fishing Charters. Many anglers from all around the country will travel to Florida during the summer months chasing their dream catch of a lifetime. The Megalops Atlanticus aka Tarpon or “Silver King” are the most challenging and best fighting game fish Florida has to offer in the inshore waters. Tarpon invade our waters in Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg Beach beginning in March/April and will be around through October in their spawning cycle. Tarpon can reach a size of 8 feet long and weigh in excess of 250 pounds. The Florida State record for Tarpon was caught near Key West weighing in at 243 pounds. These fish can live for more than 50 years! Tarpon can only be fished recreationally in Florida and are all catch and release and obtain no food value.

How to Catch Tarpon in St. Pete Beach and St. Petersburg With YACHTFISH Fishing Charters

As we approach our peak season for Tarpon Fishing Charters along St. Pete Beach and St. Petersburg, we will be focused on catching these giants over the next few months. Many things come into play when setting out on a Tarpon Fishing Charter, from the best baits, moon phase, tides and weather conditions. Some of our favorite baits to catch Tarpon include but are not limited to: threadfin herring, pinfish, crabs, mullet, shad and scaled sardines. These baits can be fished both live and dead with great success. We like to use big spinning outfits with braided line to target these fish which can make for a true battle on light tackle. A 50 pound fluorocarbon leader coupled with a 5/0 circle hook will normally get the job done.

Where Do We Fish for Tarpon?

Some of our favorite spots to target Tarpon are: St. Pete Beach, Egmont Key, Fort DeSoto, Sunshine Skyway Bridge and many rock piles in Tampa Bay. The moon phases can play a big part on how Tarpon act and feed. We like fishing around the new and full moons which offer some of the better tides and get these fish feeding very aggressively. Time of day also plays a big role with these fish. We will normally book early morning charters to beat the crowds and then do late afternoon trips into the evening hours. YACHTFISH Fishing Charters out of St. Pete Beach and St. Petersburg can be reached at 727.433.4200 to book your next Tarpon Fishing Charter!

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About the Author...
Matt Douglas

Matt Douglas

Captain Matt Douglas is the founder of YACHTFISH and is a licensed United States Coast Guard 100 ton Master Captain. Captain Matt grew up on the waters of Tampa Bay and lived and worked in Costa Rica for over 11 years. He has extensive experience in Central America, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Florida. Captain Matt is a tournament-winning captain who has an intense passion for boating, fishing and creating life time memories for his Clients. These passions, combined with his experience, were the catalysts for YACHTFISH. Captain Matt is laser-focused on what he enjoys the most, and knows the best, in Tampa Bay and Costa Rica.
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We had a great time. Captain Jessie was great. He really knew where the fish were
Nathan Danielson Avatar
My grandson is 13 and loves to fish. He took this Charter and had the time of his life. He caught a couple shark Stingray and some good eating fish. It was a lifetime experience for him and he would do it all over again. Pat and Sam took great... read more
Barb Szpara Avatar
Absolutely Amazing time I’ve been on lots of charters from Alaska to Florida . Captain Patrick and captain Sam worked so hard to get us on fish will Absolutely book again . You can tell they love to fish like fishing with buddy’s
Joe Christiansen Avatar
Captain Nick was awesome!! He went out of his way to make sure my wife and I had a good time
Jared Anderson Avatar
Took my son on charter while down for spring break. Awesome trip with captain Ethan. What a world class experience. Non stop action and would definitely recommend.
Sean Leininger Avatar
We had a great inshore trip with Ethan on 3/14/23. We didn’t spend the entire trip driving around and caught fish wherever we were. Personally, I think these trips are best when you have a captain that’s vocal and interactive. One that wants to have... read more
Wayne Webb Avatar
Patrick and Sam were awesome. Got us in the fish in no time. They were more than accommodating, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. There were 5 of us on the boat besides them and everyone spent ample time reeling in the fish. Easily caught our limit. Thank again Patrick and Sam.... read more
Steve Lambert Avatar
Had a great day on the water. The boat was first class and offered a smooth ride. Our guide Martin was very knowledgeable and worked hard to get us on some fish.
scott smith Avatar
We went fishing in Tampa Bay a few days after a major winter storm system. With cold air and water temperatures fishing was a little slow, but Ethan took us to many spots to maximize our opportunities. He was very friendly, knowledgeable and hard working. We ended up catching several... read more
Nathan Wills Avatar
Had a great day on the water. The boat was first class and offered a smooth ride. Our guide Martin was very knowledgeable and worked hard to get us on some fish.
scott smith Avatar