Space coast tarpon season is in full swing! Calm winds and afternoon showers with insane humidity and warm temps is tarpon weather at its finest, every year from the end of may thru August or early September the space coast tarpon fishing really heats up and this year has proven to be one of the best. Tarpon are a hard fighting, acrobatic, and all around great game fish, they migrate thousands of miles and can be caught all up and down the coast.
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Tarpon fishing can be challenging but down right fun, anglers can find juveniles in the river system ranging from 5-15lbs infesting back water creeks, residential canals, and even some shallow water grass flats with docks and deeper channels nearby, as well as larger fish from the 25-150+ pound range, the Indian River lagoon system is one of the few estuaries that can hold fish of all sizes and it’s truly a remarkable experience! Smaller fish tend to like smaller baits, finger mullet, free lined shrimp, mud minnows or small plastic baits like the d.o.a terroreyez and paddle tail are great choices, larger fish around the channels and deeper holes like a bigger presentation larger mullet’s ,pogies, and big swim baits and larger topwater plugs for the artificial enthusiasts.

Also, fishing the beach presents some great opportunities when the weather allows, look for fish up shallow just outside the break early in pods or busting bait pods, sometimes all it takes is a glass minnow pod to keep these fish contained. When you have located these fish try and match the hatch, mullet, pogies, thread fins are all great choices with as light of line and almost always a free lined or no weight setup does the trick! Artificial lures like flies, big swim baits like the no live bait needed paddle tail are great options, it’s best to use a larger bait and something with a stout hook as most fish are between the 50-100lb+ range, always try to use appropriate tackle like a 7ft rod with 40-50lb braid, and 50-60lb leader and try to get the fish in quick and send it on its way, the summer temperatures really can be damaging to these fish and a short fight ensures a safe release. The tarpon fishing should remain good up until the fall when cooler temperatures push them on their way so get out and enjoy one of the space coast coolest migrations!