Tarpon can be found year round when conditions align.įrom November-March, when water temps reach 75 degrees, hungry Tarpon seemingly show up overnight and can be some of the best fishing of the year. When should I come to the Everglades to fly fish for tarpon?

They may come as singles, pairs, or groups, and days of seeing 100+ swimming Tarpon are not uncommon. When conditions align, these fish become prime targets for fly anglers as they move through. The migration path of Tarpon takes them through the Everglades, Marco Island, and Naples where they swim the banks, points, and flats of the Gulf of Mexico. Tarpon are a migratory fish and swim great distances every year to survive. In the second or so it takes a Tarpon to roll, the angler must gauge exactly what that fish is doing and quickly get their fly in front of it. Fly fishing for rolling Tarpon in the Everglades is an exercise in speed, accuracy, and sometimes distance as you never know where a Tarpon might roll and present a shot. Many times after Tarpon roll, they will expend the air they took in and release bubbles back to the surface, once again revealing their position.

They will roll at the surface, take an audible “gulp” of air and continue on with what they were doing. Tarpon can breathe air, and do so frequently. More often than not, a Tarpon will reveal its presence with a roll.

Spotting a big Tarpon floating on the surface is fairly easy, but getting them to bite can be a real challenge. Laid-Up Tarpon fishing is an exercise in stealth and accuracy. Laid up Tarpon can be eager feeders as they will ambush prey that gets too close to their business end for an easy meal. When the water temperature is still on the cool side, the sun will warm the surface faster than the deeper areas of the water column and Tarpon will utilize this phenomenon to relax and recharge by laying up (floating motionless). Their tendency to travel and feed in the shallows, gives fly fishermen the opportunity to target them in a variety of scenarios. When conditions are right, Tarpon can be found all over the shallow water of the Everglades, Marco Island, and Naples.

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