Best Tarpon Fishing Charters in Florida

Table of Contents

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!

Sharing is Caring...
Facebook
Twitter
Print
Pinterest
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.
Related Posts...
Your St. Petersburg Fishing Charter Captain

GOOGLE REVIEWS
from our happy Guests

Captain Scott was great! Got us on the fish.
Thomas Talbert Avatar
Great Day on water with Scott Edwards with Yachtfish group…very professional…Fun…and Productive!
Henry Lawson Avatar
Took a trip with Capt. Nick. He put us on the fish quick. What a great day. Awesome boat, crew, and gear. Would definitely recommend YachtFish to anyone. Thanks again guys !!!
Brad Stoller Avatar
Unbelievable trips! Family did an offshore and inshore charter during our over 2 days and on both trips we killed lt. The Captain and Mate got us on fish instantly. Offshore hauls were Gag Grouper, Red Snapper, Wahoo and Tuna. Inshore was Snook, Red Fish, Trout and a Flounder. Captain... read more
John Douglas Avatar
We fished with Captain John aboard a 27ft Avenger. The boat was very clean, room enough for five, and the equipment was very good. Captain put us on fish early with a good variety too. We caught mackerel, mangrove snapper and several other species. Even the lady fish were fun... read more
Susan Steed Avatar
Coordination and booking was a breeze for, and our client had an amazing time on their private charters!
Katrina Bowman Avatar
The fishing excursion with YACHTFISH was fantastic and totally worth the cost. Sam and Captain Patrick put in endless hours to get us hooked on fish. It was fun reeling in all the fish that we were able to hook onto. In St. Petersburg, I would never even consider utilizing... read more
Joey Field Avatar
Awesome trip
J Birnbrich Avatar
YACHTFISH Fishing Charters was absolutely amazing! I took my two sons out on a fishing trip and we had the best time ever. Captain Nick and Ethan were awesome and they did such a great job teaching the kids how to fish while still making sure we caught some impressive... read more
Brandi Miller Avatar
The fishing trip with YACHTFISH was seriously epic and totally worth every penny. Captain Patrick and Sam were like machines, working hard to get us hooked onto some big fish. And let me tell you, we caught tons of them! It was an absolute blast reeling in all those fish.... read more
Carmen Rogers Avatar