Boca Grande tarpon fishing offers perhaps the very best tarpon fishing in the world. These powerful fish flood into Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass each spring, staying until July.
There are numerous ways to fish these amazing creatures and anglers can take their pick based on their skill level. The beauty of tarpon is that despite the huge challenge they present to expert anglers, they also are easily handled by beginners with the proper technique and the help of your guide. Live and artificial baits can been fished deep in Boca Grande Pass, where depths reach 70 feet. But there also is beach fishing outside the pass, as well as fish that move offshore. Don't forget the back country, either, where it becomes a real thrill to hook them in shallow water.

• Fly fishing Boca Grande Tarpon: This is a sport for those experienced with heavy saltwater fly tackle. It consists of stalking schools of fish on our beaches, putting the boat in position to cast to schools of fish as they travel along the beach or mill about in pods.

• Plug/jig casting for Tarpon: If you are a capable caster with spinning or baitcasting gear, you may opt for trying your hand at presenting a plug or a jig with a soft plastic tail. Much like fly fishing, anglers are positioned to cast to schooling or milling fish, allowing the bait to sink in the path of feeding fish. It is practiced on the beaches and inside the bay.

• Live bait fishing for tarpon: This method is used on our beaches and inside the harbor, from open waters to around structures like bridges. Baitfish, crabs and even shrimp are used at times, for taking everything from small canal fish to monster silver kings well over 100 pounds.

• Dead bait fishing for Tarpon: With this method, fresh dead baits like mullet or shad are fished on the bottom. While not as glamorous, it nevertheless is one of the most effective ways for newcomers to tie into huge fish.

One of the greatest advantages of Boca Grande tarpon fishing is opportunity to catch more and bigger tarpon than most anywhere in the world. The large annual concentration of fish in these parts is sometimes staggering to imagine and if you prize action and really big fish, this is the place to be.

The Fishing Authority guides know the habits of these special fish and are ready to guide you to them. From the backwaters the harbor to the open waters off the sandy beaches and the big pass itself, this is tarpon central in the months of May and June.