Tarpon Fishing at its Best – Report

Fort Myers Tarpon fishing and this is what you catch! A giant tarpon in the water on a 20 lb line while on a fishing charter with Jim Rusk, a Fort Myers Fishing Guide. — Huge Tarpon on a Light LIne

I have to leave tarpon fishing, snook, redfish. I’s a bitter sweet time for me as I’m sad that my winter fishing season here in Fort Myers Florida is almost over, but excited to head north and start my summer season in Alaska on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.

Battle with a Giant Tarpon

I just have to say Tarpon fishing is awesome I am just amazed at how much power these fish possess they are incredible. Yesterday we went out for a quick afternoon trip in Pine Island Sound, threw my cast net at the bridge and quickly caught a nice load of thread fin herring. We then headed directly out to the fishing grounds set the anchor baited up and started fishing. I didn’t know we’d be spending a lot of time tarpon fishing.

Not five minutes later my lightest rod in the boat went down, the fish takes a brutal jump and then takes off like a freight train. We immediately pull the other fishing lines, unhook from the anchor and begin pursuit. As we get close we see this is a very large tarpon and very determined not to be caught. Two and a half hours later she finally begins to tire and we see this Fort Myers Tarpon fish is an easy one hundred and fifty pounds.

We decide the only way we are going to get the tarpon up for a nice picture on twenty pound test is to beach her. So we eased in close to shore jump out of the boat get her head turned and almost have her on the beach when she gives one last mighty head thrash and breaks the twenty pound test. Weary and tired we head back to our anchor hook up and start fishing again. Five minutes later the same rod go’s off again. This time the tarpon charges the boat and jumps six feet out of the water not ten feet from the boat then turns and runs full speed for two hundred and fifty yards incredible power,then jumps again a spits the hook wow!

Okay lines back in ten minutes later fish on again this time on one of our heavy rods again amazing battle and thirty minutes later a beautiful eighty pound fish subsides at the boat. We fish fifteen more minutes catch a nice Blacktip shark and go home. What an afternoon on the water off Fort Myers Tarpon fishing. It’s the best of fishing.