MITCHELL GOLDSMITH CATCHING A TARPON IN CHARLOTTE HARBOR. PHOTO BY JAY LEV
Fishing for the silver-sided tarpon can be an experience of a lifetime. Our local anglers are blessed with one of the best bodies of water to experience catching the mighty tarpon. Each year, during their migration, the silver-sided tarpon come in from their offshore route, and visit the deeper water filled with lots of bait fish. This entrance to Charlotte Harbor is known by boaters and anglers alike as the “Pass.”
The “Pass” empties into Charlotte Harbor, from its 40 to 60-foot holes, bringing with it certain moon tides, thousands of crabs, and large schools of thread fin bait fish. When the dinner bell rings, hundreds of large tarpons come into the harbor, and head north and south into our rivers, harbor deeper holes, and swim all along our interior shorelines. It is not uncommon to see large schools breaking the surface of the water as they are chasing bait or reaching for a large gulp of air.
These tarpon range in size from 200-plus pounds down to six or eight pounds. The larger fish tend to hold in deeper water in the harbor. The smaller, younger fish inhabit the many canals of PGI, the marina basins along our eastern shoreline, and wherever they can be safe from the large predatory sharks that feed on them during the tarpon run.
Anglers love this time of year, and head off to find and fish for these beautiful silver-siders, as they are sometimes called. You will see guide boats in large numbers heading out into the harbor in search of the tarpon. Many private boats and more daring kayak fisherman head out as well. This is when we hear some great stories from members of the Burnt Store Anglers. Mitchell Goldsmith launched his kayak on a beautiful spring day, and had the time of his life tangling with a good-sized school tarpon. Using spinning tackle, he fought his tarpon until his fishing skill brought a beautiful tarpon to his kayak and he was able to release his catch. Pictured is Mitchell with his nice tarpon being released. A proud Burnt Store Angler following the club’s “Catch and Release” motto.
On what we would call a busman’s holiday, past officers of the Burnt Store Anglers – Dave Roop, Marvin Bergman, and I headed north up into the entrance to the PGI canals on a snook fishing trip. Our guide for the day, Capt. Paul Halasz, told us of one of the canals holding a lot of small tarpons, in the 10-to-30-pound class. With big smiles and a nod of our heads, we headed into the canal for a shot at these juvenile tarpons. We were fishing with 7½ foot-long fishing rods, a spin reel loaded with 10 lb. test line connected to 4 feet of Orvis 25-pound fluorocarbon, and 3/0 circle hook. We did not have on a float, but instead free-lined our live sardine as bait. Within two minutes all three of us hooked up with a young tarpon in the 30-pound class. Our fish made long runs with at least five or six jumps and finally crossed each other’s lines. With some laughs and careful fish handling, we each landed our fish. That was enough tarpon fishing for this day.
PHOTO BY JAY LEV
Another member of the Burnt Store Anglers also pictured, John Darney, landed a beautiful 208-pound tarpon. This tarpon made beautiful jumps and runs that would make any Olympic sprinter proud. John applied the International Game Fish Association formula (weight in pounds = girth2 X length / 800). This fish was worth the calculation. Great angling skill got this big guy to the boat. Congratulations to all the Burnt Store Anglers with a tarpon catch.
