Tarpon

Tarpon Fishing in the Daytona Beach Area

While you may be able to catch some tarpon year round, the migratory tarpon will be providing the best fishing opportunities in this area.  With cooler water temperatures in this part of the state, it takes a little longer into the spring for the tarpon to make their way into the Daytona Beach area in larger numbers.  Tarpon will eventually arrive near the end of spring and there are usually plenty of them in this area through the fall.  Ponce Inlet is one of the most popular spots to catch bigger tarpon.

You will also find schools of tarpon running just off the beaches and some fish will push back into the inshore waters of the Halifax River.  Fishing for the resident tarpon will also pick up from late spring and carry through the fall.  In the summer, the migratory tarpon do keep working their way north, so you will eventually see smaller numbers here as the summer drags on, but then the fall mullet run brings large numbers of tarpon back down south.  The mullet run is one of the best times to target big tarpon in this area as they can be found attacking schools of mullet in the hundreds if not thousands at times.

Tarpon Fishing Tips

While many anglers may run into smaller tarpon and catch them without much effort, to consistently target bigger tarpon, you need to make sure you have the right tackle & equipment so things go your way.  Tarpon will eat a variety of baits, so you have a lot of options when it comes to live & cut baits or artificial lures.  The time of year is very important as well since tarpon will migrate a long way up and down both the Gulf & Atlantic Coasts each year.

Visit our Tarpon fishing page to learn more.