Jun 10, 2019

Beach Tarpon Etiquette!

When tarpon season rolls around every summer, many anglers focus their attention on the beaches where migratory tarpon roam between the passes. With so many anglers trying to catch the tarpon, naturally there is going to be some headaches and bad judgement. Here are 5 behaviors you do not want display if you are abiding by proper #tarponfishingetiquette.

1) Do not operate your boat on plane in the swim lane where the tarpon and the other anglers have established as the current groove on the beach. Give your fellow anglers a wide berth (300 yds/plus) and then fall in behind them depending on the direction the fish are swimming. This keeps the tarpon relaxed and swimming high in the water column. This is necessary to have relaxed tarpon schools that are easier to feed!

2) Never cut off another tarpon boat's flow of fish by running up in front of them to cut off a school of fish. This is not a popular tactic and will get you a reputation that you don't want amongst the other anglers who play by the rules. Try to keep a degree of separation, of at least 250 yards or more between boats... even on the busiest stretch of beach. If you wanted to be in front of another boat you should have set your alarm and got out of bed earlier!

3) This one is really critical... don't chase the tarpon schools! Once the fish go past your established position whether anchored or spot locked on trolling motor... let them swim on down the beach. This way the boat behind you has an opportunity to catch the fish and the boat behind that one gets a shot as well. Chasing tarpon on a trolling motor or on the outboard as they move past your position and move toward the next boat in the established line is unacceptable. You don't want that to be your reputation and trust me you'll be scolded by the other anglers.

4) Every beach generally has two grooves where the fish want to swim and you can target them. An inside groove usually shallow 4' to 10' where anchoring along the path is best. And then there's the outside groove typically 10' plus and several hundred yards and up to 1/4 mile off the beach. The outside groove you'll see more of the bay boat styles slow idling looking for schools, to set up in front of tarpon to pitch crabs or pilchards. Do not confuse the two grooves and think that idling amongst the shallow anchored boats is acceptable looking for tarpon... It's NOT!

5) This is more of a tip rather than a etiquette rule. When the school of tarpon approaches your position, take into consideration their track angle and speed. Lead them with your presentation appropriately out in front of them whether you are bait or artificial fishing. Tossing a lure or crab into the middle of the string of tarpon just blows them up and changes the direction of the school or sinks them in the water column and kills the next boat's opportunity. Trust me you will figure the timing out and get better at this as the season progresses.

Lastly, I do see these behaviors everyday I'm out tarpon fishing on the beach. And, sadly some of the worst etiquette that is displayed is by fishing guides with promotional wraps on their boats! It's a travesty in my opinion because they are supposed to set an example for the other anglers trying to learn the game.

Please take these 5 suggestions into consideration and pass along the advice to your fellow tarpon enthusiasts. By doing so we can all catch a few more tarpon this summer and hopefully lower our blood pressure a bit, LOL.