by Capt. Matt Mitchell
As per usual, April winds have been in full effect. Without a doubt, this is always the windiest month of the year, with 10-20mph being the normal. This will usually continue until the end of the month. Once this wind lays down, it’s always amazing how many tarpon show up, and we hardly even see them.
Generally, I don’t book tarpon trips until later this month, but I have a group of Canadian clients who always want to do the very first tarpon trip of the season in early April. Over the past two years, we have managed to catch that first tarpon of the season despite less-than-perfect conditions.
Trying to sight-fish tarpon in these crazy winds this week was just about impossible, so I opted to soak cut baits. Setting up in what I refer to as a confidence spot, a narrow, deeper channel, we put out a spread of cut baits and camped. Although it was a slow start, we put one tarpon in the air that just came unstuck. After a battle with a 5ft bull shark, one rod went down again. After a minute or two, I was pretty convinced it was gonna be another shark until the hooked tarpon jumped. What a battle this fish put up; after a leader touch, the fish jumped twice more before we released it. Within another 30 minutes, we jumped one more tarpon before calling it a day. Going 1-for-3 on a 20-mph wind day with very low expectations is why we love tarpon fishing.
My gear for cutting bait tarpon is an 8ft heavy-action spinning rod. For a reel, I like a 6500 spooled with 50# braid connected to about a 5ft piece of 80# fluorocarbon leader. I use an 11/0 offset circle hook with a loop knot for the leader. I find the loop knot lets the circle move on the take and find the sweet spot to stick in the tarpon’s mouth.
My favorite baits to soak with are large chunks of mullet, Spanish mackerel, or threadfin herring. Cut the bait large enough that a catfish cannot eat it, along with breaking the stomach cavity, so the bait will sink. These setups are simply thrown overboard and placed in a rod holder. The circle hook works better if you don’t move the rod. Most of the time, the tarpon will jump before you can even get the rod out of the holder.
This is not the most glamorous way to catch a tarpon, but it is extremely effective when conditions are far from perfect. Early-season fish seem to really enjoy an easy-to-eat cut bait. Although our tarpon season is just getting rolling, it feels good to be on the board.
Capt Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St. James City since 2000, when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com
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