Hi All…
First of all – thanks for a great website, with lot of god information…!
We are a Danish family of crazy anglers and we are planning a two week trip to Tobago next year (2008) – properly February or March. Our primary target will be tarpon, but we can’t really figure out if the tarpon fishing is god in these months, and if not – which months are the best…? Hope some of you are able to help…
Cheers,
Thomas Maigaard
Season for tarpon fishing..?
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Steve Pitts
- Tobago Anorak
- Posts: 710
- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
- Location: Bristol U.K
Hi Thomas
February and March are usually good months for the numbers of tarpon close inshore, but in reality, most months will see tarpon hanging around.
If any months have previously proven difficult, it's June, July and August.
Maybe they move into deeper water, or spawn at these times?
The biggest influencing factor on the availability of tarpon is the baitfish - where they are and how much is in the water. Find the baitfish and the tarpon won't be too far away.
There are lots of posts in this section of the forum which cover tarpon (and many other species) - try the tarpon and jacks thread, although it does go off subject a number of times - but being crazy, you may enjoy the English style of humour.
Where are you planing to stay and which methods of fishing do you prefer?
I found this on YouTube recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aueM23Ok4E
Filmed by CaribStu at Bookends dive site to the Northern tip of Tobago
Cheers
Steve
February and March are usually good months for the numbers of tarpon close inshore, but in reality, most months will see tarpon hanging around.
If any months have previously proven difficult, it's June, July and August.
Maybe they move into deeper water, or spawn at these times?
The biggest influencing factor on the availability of tarpon is the baitfish - where they are and how much is in the water. Find the baitfish and the tarpon won't be too far away.
There are lots of posts in this section of the forum which cover tarpon (and many other species) - try the tarpon and jacks thread, although it does go off subject a number of times - but being crazy, you may enjoy the English style of humour.
Where are you planing to stay and which methods of fishing do you prefer?
I found this on YouTube recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aueM23Ok4E
Filmed by CaribStu at Bookends dive site to the Northern tip of Tobago
Cheers
Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
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Thomas Maigaard
Hi Steve
Sorry it took so long fore me to get back to you; I’ve just been working like crazy lately…
Well we’re still at a very early stage in the planning of the trip, so we haven’t decided were to stay yet, but since we are six adults and two children hope to rent a nice house for the two weeks. From what I can read in some of the other posts in this forum, it should be in the area around Plymouth, Black Rock and Mt Irvin bay…
I have no special preferences regarding any specific method of fishing. I usually choose the method I find most effective for the species that I’m targeting, which here in Denmark are mostly pike in winter, carp in the summer and seatrout all year round…
I guess we’ll mainly try livebaiting for the tarpon, although I’ve been joggling with the thought of brining my jerkbait gear…
Oh, and by the way I think the English style of humour is much like the Danish...
Cheers,
Thomas
Sorry it took so long fore me to get back to you; I’ve just been working like crazy lately…
Well we’re still at a very early stage in the planning of the trip, so we haven’t decided were to stay yet, but since we are six adults and two children hope to rent a nice house for the two weeks. From what I can read in some of the other posts in this forum, it should be in the area around Plymouth, Black Rock and Mt Irvin bay…
I have no special preferences regarding any specific method of fishing. I usually choose the method I find most effective for the species that I’m targeting, which here in Denmark are mostly pike in winter, carp in the summer and seatrout all year round…
I guess we’ll mainly try livebaiting for the tarpon, although I’ve been joggling with the thought of brining my jerkbait gear…
Oh, and by the way I think the English style of humour is much like the Danish...
Cheers,
Thomas
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Steve Pitts
- Tobago Anorak
- Posts: 710
- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
- Location: Bristol U.K
Hi Thomas
No worries about not gettnig back so soon - seems like we all need to work like mad these days. Mind you - it makes the holidays more enjoyable
Although Plymouth is usually frequented by large numbers and very large specimens of tarpon, they are no push-over and the numbers of pirogues always moored in the bay and around the pier make it almost impossible to play a fish without getting fouled up in the mooring lines. I have given up fishing Plymouth jetty for this reason.
I have had the most sucess with tarpon in recent years fishing from the steep sandy beaches. The tarpon will come close in often and bait, fly and spinning gear will work. The largest tarpon I've caught was on a surface slider (Yo-zuri), so your jerkbait gear would be ideal. Live bait should work best of all, but it is a real drag having to catch, transport and keep alive the baits. I have had more success with dead baits, like flying fish heads, fished on circle hooks.
Live baits do come good when fishing from a boat though, but the boat owner usually uses a cast net for fresh bait and almost all the boats are fitted with livewells to keep them fresh. Having lots of extra small live fish for free feed is a good way of attracting the tarpon to an area.
Cheers
Steve
No worries about not gettnig back so soon - seems like we all need to work like mad these days. Mind you - it makes the holidays more enjoyable
Although Plymouth is usually frequented by large numbers and very large specimens of tarpon, they are no push-over and the numbers of pirogues always moored in the bay and around the pier make it almost impossible to play a fish without getting fouled up in the mooring lines. I have given up fishing Plymouth jetty for this reason.
I have had the most sucess with tarpon in recent years fishing from the steep sandy beaches. The tarpon will come close in often and bait, fly and spinning gear will work. The largest tarpon I've caught was on a surface slider (Yo-zuri), so your jerkbait gear would be ideal. Live bait should work best of all, but it is a real drag having to catch, transport and keep alive the baits. I have had more success with dead baits, like flying fish heads, fished on circle hooks.
Live baits do come good when fishing from a boat though, but the boat owner usually uses a cast net for fresh bait and almost all the boats are fitted with livewells to keep them fresh. Having lots of extra small live fish for free feed is a good way of attracting the tarpon to an area.
Cheers
Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
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Thomas Maigaard
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Steve Pitts
- Tobago Anorak
- Posts: 710
- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
- Location: Bristol U.K
That would be telling ThomasThomas Maigaard wrote: The beaches you mention, where are they located – we would like a house as close to the action as possible…
As a general rule - these beaches are mostly situated on the Caribbean side, but some of the Atlantic beaches do attract tarpon.
Myself and my friends have seen and hooked (notice I said hooked and not landed) tarpon from every beach from Plymouth down to Sandy Point, but the presence of the baitfish is the key to where the tarpon will be at any one time, so I can't write you out a guarantee that tarpon will be at X beach during your stay.
If you are looking for somewhere central to the tarpon action hotspots then Mt Irvin would be a good place to start. If you hire a car, then location is not so important from a fishing perspective. Even if you stayed further up-island, you could get to where the tarpon are within half an hour's drive or less.
We always start our first morning at Sandy Point (Crown Point) and work our way back towards Plymouth if none show. It's such a reliable place though, that we usually strike lucky here.
Cheers
Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.
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Thomas Maigaard
Hi Steve
You can safely tell me, I won’t pass it on… And the internet is highly overrated, hardly anyone uses it, so there’s properly no other than me who’ll see it…
No, jokes on the side… Thank you very much for your help, now we have some god ideas of where to start in our planning.
Cheers,
Thomas
You can safely tell me, I won’t pass it on… And the internet is highly overrated, hardly anyone uses it, so there’s properly no other than me who’ll see it…
No, jokes on the side… Thank you very much for your help, now we have some god ideas of where to start in our planning.
Cheers,
Thomas
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Steve Pitts
- Tobago Anorak
- Posts: 710
- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 11:18 am
- Location: Bristol U.K
Oh - I forgot ThomasThomas Maigaard wrote: Do you think it’s possible to handle a large tarpon on at stiff 6 foot jerkbait rod..?
A stiff 6ft rod is not ideal for tarpon, although I have no doubt that you could use such a rod. My preference is for a 10ft, through-actioned spinning rod, capable of casting up to 80gms.
Cheers
Steve
Take only photos - leave only footprints. I like that concept.