Best Times to Catch Tarpon in Florida (Complete Guide)

Tarpon are one of the most sought-after sportfish in the world and Florida is known for world-class tarpon fishing. Knowing the best time of year to fish for these Florida tarpon can make a huge difference in your success rates.

The best time to catch tarpon in Florida is from mid-spring to early summer, and then again into the fall as the waters cool again. April through June will offer the best tarpon fishing all year in Florida waters.

In this article, we are doing to give into the best seasons and time to fish for tarpon in Florida, as well as do a breakdown of Florida’s major regions. The best season to catch tarpon in Florida is late Spring and early summer, and then again into the fall as the waters cool again.

Best Time to Catch Tarpon in Florida

Tarpon fishing in Florida is driven by the seasons and water temperatures. In general, Florida has some excellent tarpon fishing year-round. Peak times, however, can vary from region. However, the best time to catch tarpon in Florida is between April and June. 

This is when tidal shifts are the biggest due to the closeness of the moon to that part of the globe. To break it down even further, if you go tarpon fishing during the new moon and full moon cycles, you are likely to hook and land multiple tarpon in a single fishing trip. This is because the tarpon tend to spawn around those same moon cycles. 

Seasonal Breakdown for Tarpon in Florida

The population of tarpon, and where the best tarpon fishing is in Florida, shifts with the seasons. As the weather warms up, you’ll start seeing tarpon further north.

While they may be in droves around Miami during the winter and early spring, you won’t start seeing them along central coast sites until late spring.

In this section we are going to first break down each major Florida region and then each season to see which area is best during which season. First, let’s look at each region. 

One thing you want to keep in mind is that each region likely has different regulations set by Florida Fish and Wildlife. The regulations will determine what you can and cannot do with tarpon.

One of the regulations which is the same throughout Florida is that the tarpon is a strictly catch-and-release species with the larger fish having to be released while still in the water and never coming into the boat. 

Atlantic Coast

At the southern edge of Florida’s Atlantic coast, you’ll start seeing tarpon during the late days of winter into early spring. The waters there stay at their preferred 75° most of the winter, especially where the Gulf Stream brings in warmer water. 

Further north up the Atlantic coast, tarpon will start showing up around mid to late spring and stay well into the summer and fall months.

They’ll stay as long as the waters are to their liking, which is generally between September and October. The Atlantic waters due tend to stay warmer longer than the Gulf waters as the Gulf Stream comes just miles off the coast, pulling in warmer waters from near the Equator. 

Though tarpon can be found up and down the Atlantic coast, the best location is Biscayne Bay and southward. This tends to also be where the Gulf Stream is closest to the shoreline.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Palm Beach, please check out this helpful article.

Gulf Coast

Similar to the Atlantic Coast, the fish start showing in the Gulf waters around early-to-mid spring, or late March into April. The fish, though, do tend to leave the Gulf waters faster. Often tarpon will begin migrating out, back to warmer waters in the south, around early September.

They will, though, still be a few left behind; these are considered resident fish. They, too, will migrate south around mid to late fall.

Unless you are in the very southern edge of the Gulf Coast, you can almost be guaranteed to not see any tarpon during the winter months, unless the winters are abnormally warm. 

On the West Coast you’ll want to head towards Boca Grande. The flats around these islands are great tarpon locations. If you want to learn what are the best fighting fish to catch to include saltwater and freshwater, please check out this helpful article I wrote. 

To learn the best seasons to fish in Panama City, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

South Florida/Miami/Everglades

The waters around South Florida will see tarpon action almost all year round. The waters here seldom get warmer than the preferred 75°.

Actually, if you’re fishing in south Florida during the middle of the day in the summer you will need to seek out deeper waters as the water on the surface tends to heat up beyond what the tarpon prefer. 

Also, the summer months tend to be slow for tarpon fishing in south Florida as many of the tarpon have moved northward around mid-June.

That doesn’t mean you won’t have some good action during summer here; you’ll just want to go early in the morning or late in the evening and target the flats and channels during those times. 

In south Florida, look for canals and river mounts as these are great places for tarpon to hang out. This can include Sand Key Basins, Rabbit Key, and Lostman’s river. 

For a complete breakdown of the best seasons to fish Miami, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Fort Lauderdale, please check out this helpful article I wrote. To learn the best times to fish in the Everglades, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

Florida Keys

In the Florida Keys, tarpon fishing is some of the best the world has to offer. Tarpon are here almost all year round. The peak times to fish tarpon in the Florida Keys is between April and August. During these times, large schools of tarpon will move through on their way north, often stopping in the Keys to feed and spawn. 

Live bait is best when tarpon fishing in the keys as live baitfish is present in these waters all year round. The worse time to fish for tarpon here is when a cold front moves through during the winter.

These fish hate cold waters; even a brief cool down will send them south to warmer waters, sometimes even down into deep waters of the Gulf Stream. 

Islamorada is a great location in the Keys to catch tarpon. The flats and inlets here are world-famous for their tarpon fishing. 

For a complete breakdown of the best times & seasons to catch tarpon in the Florida Keys, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic to create your combo.

Recommended Fishing Charters in Florida for Tarpon

These Florida-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

• Fish Slapped Charters (Clearwater, FL)
• Capt. Evan Denis Charters (Belleair Bluffs, FL)
• High-Class Hooker Charters (Sarasota, FL)
• Nautical Souls Sportfishing LLC (Gulfport, FL)
• Inverted Fishing Charters (St. Petersburg, FL)
• Capt. Chet Jennings Sport Fishing (Tampa, FL)

Best time & Tide of day to Catch Tarpon

This is a question that remains up for debate often. That being said, the tides should factor into what time of day you set out to fish. Generally speaking, the best time of day to fish tarpon in Florida is during the early morning hours and late afternoon to evening. This is often when tarpon are feeding the most. 

When it comes to tide, the best time is between tides. During high tide, there is almost too much water where the tarpon feed, allowing them to spread out quite a bit.

But, in low tide, there’s not enough. When the tides are changing, the water movement causes the baitfish to be more active which, in turn, sends the tarpon into a feeding frenzy.

The problem, though, and what hinders an angler’s ability to hook a tarpon during these tidal changes is how cloudy the water gets, which makes it hard to see them for sight fishing. There is an exception, though, which is mentioned above. 

Tarpon tend to spawn with the moon cycles during the summer months. This is also the time when the moon is closest to Florida, meaning high tide is at its highest point of the year. Normally, throughout the year, high tide would not be a great time to go after tarpon.

Yet, when they are spawning, they are at their most active, raising the chances of landing one greatly.   For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Smyrna Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

Florida Tarpon Fishing By Season

Spring

The spring months are when the tarpon action begins to heat up across Florida’s waters. Starting on the southern tip of the state, tarpon will start showing up in late March to early Spring.

As you go up the coast, this time will be later in the spring with the northern parts of the state seeing tarpon into May. 

Tarpon are a migratory species that love the water to be just right. If the water gets too cold, they go south and if it gets too warm, they go north.

Plus, as the waters heat up, their metabolism gets a boost, meaning they need to eat more than they did during the winter. This sends them into a feeding frenzy which doesn’t stop till the fall. 

Summer

The late spring and early summer is really when the tarpon migration heats up. They start coming into the flats and bays of South Florida. Also, it’s not uncommon to land a tarpon when fishing from the banks and piers as the migration heats up. 

Summertime is when drift fishing is popular as well. As the surface temperature of the water heats up the fish tend to hang out in deeper waters during the day so dropping your bait and trolling behind the boat can yield success. However, sight fishing in the flats and on the beaches is going to give you the optimal chance of landing a tarpon.

Fall

What makes fall fishing for tarpon to great is the lower amount of pressure when compared to the summertime. Summertime brings the most vacationers and anglers to the waters. Fall is not as busy. However, the fishing is just as exciting, especially in the early fall months.

As we go into October, the fishing is best in deeper waters around deepwater structures. When a warm front comes through, the fish will go to the shallower waters for a few days.

As October gives way to November, the migration begins again with droves of tarpon heading to southern waters. This is another great time to be in South Florida as large schools of tarpon come into the region. 

Winter

During the winter months, tarpon fishing in Florida is almost nonexistent. If you are going for tarpon in the winter, you’ll want to go towards the Florida Keys. Here the water temperatures are ideal for tarpon throughout the winter. That’s not to say you won’t or can’t catch tarpon in the winter. 

In fact, if you are able to hook on to one while fishing for another species, it will likely be a bigger residential fish, meaning one that doesn’t migrate.

The bigger of the species tend to be the ones who stick in one location as their spawning days are behind them. This can especially be the case as the winter starts to turn into spring, around late February, and into March. 

Click here to see a breakdown of the best weather for tarpon fishing.

How does clear vs cloudy skies impact tarpon in Florida?

Fishing for tarpon is often done by what is known as sight fishing, which is a method that requires the ability to see the fish, hence the name.

That’s because tarpon can be a skittish fish and have a very acute sense of sight so they can spook at the slightest movement. But many feel that clear waters are more important than clear skies; they are wrong. 

Sunlight is more important when sight fishing than clear water. If you have clear water and cloudy skies, you are likely not going to see the fish against the bottom of the water, especially if they are hugging the bottom. However, sunlight adds contrast to the water, enabling you to clearly see the lines of the fish compared to the bottom. 

With this in mind, remember Florida’s sunlight is brightest between 10 am and 3 pm in late spring and the summer. So, if you’re fishing outside of these times, try to find a location with a sandy bottom so you can see the silver king against the sandy backdrop. 

To learn the best time to Florida for all species of fish, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Stuart, please check out this helpful guide I wrote.

Is Night fishing for Tarpon in Florida any good?

When it comes to fishing for tarpon at night in Florida, patience is key. That being said, with the right conditions and tackle, night fishing for tarpon can be an extremely fun adventure. 

Live bait is best when fishing at night. When the waters are dark, the tarpon won’t see the bait very well, so they depend on other senses to hunt during the night. Shrimp is a great bait for tarpon, as well as mullet and other small baitfish. 

When fishing for tarpon at night, you want to look for wrecks and other underwater structures. Also, large drop-offs are often a perfect place to catch tarpon.

Generally speaking, the first two hours and last two hours of nightfall are best for nighttime tarpon fishing in Florida. 

Impacts Storms & Hurricanes have on Tarpon Fishing

Tarpon love clear, warm waters. Storms and hurricanes tend to change those two conditions in the water, sending tarpon either deep or away from the coast. 

Storms bring cold rain showers which increase the surface temperature of the water. Tarpon will usually move to deep waters during these times until the rain passes. Storms also cause an increase in the water’s current which causes debris from the bottom to get pushed up.

This causes the waters to become cloudy and the tarpon to go somewhere else. Hurricanes, however, tend to disrupt more of what tarpon love. 

Tarpon love to hang out around structures such as rock beds and wrecks. Hurricanes tend to change these underwater structures, sometimes taking them away completely.

How this causes disruptions is that following a hurricane, where one tarpon use to hang out may not be the case any longer.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Naples, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish St. Augustine, please read this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for St. Petersburg & Tampa, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Daytona Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch tarpon in Texas, please check out this helpful article. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch tarpon in Belize, check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best spots to catch tarpon in Florida, check out this helpful guide.