Baby Tarpon

What is my favorite saltwater fish to chase with the long rod? I’m often asked this question. I usually qualify it by saying, “Tailing redfish in shallow water, snook around lighted docks, or baby tarpon.” The first two are more easily available, the last, continues to be a mystery. I have spent a lot of time searching areas for baby tarpon. Many times I am not successful, however I have some trips that have been spectacular. Very little has been published about these smaller silver kings. It seems that most authors want to keep the secrets to themselves. Through the years, my experience has narrowed the search to include several prerequisites for success. 

Locating them and catching them are two different problems. If we limit our choice to fly fishing only, we have our work cut out for us. I know where there are several schools of smaller tarpon, up to thirty pounds, that are in the same area year around. The locations have these similar characteristics. They are bays that are away from the main body of water. The water temperature is a little warmer than surrounding locations, usually exposed to a lot of sun. A deep “hole’ is usually present. My fish finder marks tons of small baitfish, probably glass minnows, year around. Warmer water usually indicates a spring may be close to their home. A shallow water entrance may prevent large predators, sharks and dolphins, from getting in. They are here because they have a constant source of food, comfortable water temperature, depth, and safety.

Besides bays, rivers are the next location with some consistency. Remember, they can adapt to fresh water and will sometime be away from salt for the winter months. As temperatures cool, depth seems to become more important. The outside bend in a river is always deeper. If the average depth of a river is five or six feet and an outside bend has a fifteen foot drop, this will be a good place to look. In both bays and rivers, when they are seen rolling in deep water, they are generally not feeding, but taking advantage of their air breathing ability. If the water is somewhat brackish, or stagnant, the rolling will be more frequent. Quickly casting a fly to a rolling fish will occasionally result in a hookup, but I feel most feeding is done closer to the bottom than the surface. The one that takes the fly may be a companion to the rolling fish. They are rarely concentrated and will be spread over a large area. Dr. Aaron Adams, author of “Fisherman’s Coast,” suggests using a weighted clouser with a sinking, or sink tip line to get your offering on the bottom where they are doing most of their feeding. If there is adjacent structure to their home, like a tree that has fallen in the water, cover the area with careful, well presented casts. Baitfish will generally use the tree for cover and tarpon will lurk nearby. This is one time that they will frequent the shallows. If presentations close to the surface are refused, use a weighted fly with a clear intermediate sinking tip fly line.