So here comes season #2 of this puzzle I'm trying to figure out.
Friend Brad and I tarpon fished Charlotte Harbor / Gasparilla Pass area early last May. We decided to go on the full moon last year to coincide with the hill tides but we didn't crab-fish for them & stayed out of the crowded Boca Grande Pass, choosing to see what we could do with flyrods. We ran around the harbor the first couple days not knowing what to expect. Saw a pair of tarpon from a distance jump 4-5 feet out & just explored the lay of the waters. I'd read and heard of the beach-fishing for cruising fish so we decided to go up the public ramp at Placida & head out to the pass just to see if we could even get the 18'6" carolina skiff out there, anchor and see fish. Not knowing what we would get into, it was a success in being able to do just that. We saw mostly south-bound tarpon on the beach there at the pass two separate days. They weren't in an eating mood at all; saw only one tarpon jumped among several boats both days. Third day (last day of trip), the winds prevented us from setting up out there again. In the article below, the author theorizes that the ones heading south are preoccupied with spawning and not as hungry as those moving north. Anyone else hear that or know that to be the case?
http://www.cyberangler.com/articles/mccue/index.htmPart IV of the article makes a compelling case for fishing July/August after the spring crowds disappear. I would prefer to throw flies at them, but not opposed to using spin/baitcast/live bait.
I'm sure that times other than just the May or June highest tide swings would be worth fishing that area - I just don't really know when or where. I'm sure local knowledge would help & may just need to hire an experienced guide to find out if the tarpon congregate in bays for a while etc & move back out to the beach at certain times, or reside in certain inshore areas that I need to concentrate on. As far as on my own in our boat, I don't have a problem getting out on the beach (at least Gasparilla area) and can get fairly shallow too although I don't have a microskiff that can be poled.
I welcome any input as I try to put the pieces together...