The Tarpon Angler Gift Guide

Tarpon season starts in the Lower Keys once the water holds around 72 degrees, and by March the fish are moving north. Boca Grande Pass and the Southwest Florida beaches peak April through June, fish deep in the pass and up on threadfin along the beach. Charleston has them May into October. In the fall the mullet run pushes them down the east coast past Fort Pierce and Stuart. After dark, the bridges are one of the most reliable bites there is.

The Tarpon Angler chases that run on artificials. Long days, a few real shots, and every cast has to count. The swimbaits and the plug come rigged out of the package, because simpler is more fishy, and the Original rides a Barbarian swimbait hook the way guides have fished it for years. Five plays: twitch it on top, thump it, swim it under, crawl it slow and get it deep.

1  Original 10 inch

WHEN  Surface twitch. Slow-moving fish on the flats, in shallow channels and along the beaches: the Keys flats from March, daisy chains on the Southwest Florida beaches in spring, the Charleston flats in the mullet run. The 10 inch is the call in low light, a breeze or stained water.

FISH IT  Get ahead of the school and wait. Land it across and in front of the lead fish, then a slow twitch and pause, rod tip low. On a daisy chain, cast three to five feet outside the loop, never into it. If the bait ends up chasing the fish, you were late.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Tarpon in skinny water spook at anything unnatural, and this lands like nothing. Hand-poured and on guide boats since 2006. I've thrown it on the Key West flats with Capt. Aaron Snell.

“Outstanding supple softbait with great swimming action.” Scott C.

2  Classic Barbarian Swimbait Hook

WHEN  Every time the Original goes on. It rigs the eel weedless for grassy flats and channel edges, and unweighted on this hook is the daisy chain rig.

FISH IT  Rig the Original on the bait keeper and it's ready. No weight, so it rides high and sinks slow on the pause. When a fish eats, take the slack up fast and set it hard. A soft hook set loses tarpon.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Big fish open up weak hooks. The Barbarian's V-shaped bend locks the fish close to the shank and takes pressure off the point, so it holds through the jumps. Needle sharp VMC point, stainless keeper.

“Strong, sharp, and reliable. Highly recommend.” Jay N.

3  Protail Paddle 5.5 inch

WHEN  Heavy thumping. The minnow run in the surf, late July into August in Central Florida and September and October on the Gulf, and low light at Boca Grande when pass crabs pull fish to the top. Rough surf or cloudy water calls for this size.

FISH IT  Cast to the outside edge of the bait, never into the school, and reel steady just a few inches under the surface. Tarpon track it a short way before they eat, so don't change anything. At Boca, swim it slow and steady across or down tide.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  It's the best-selling Protail for tarpon anglers. The 2 oz throws a mile into a surf wind and the profile gets seen in dirty water. Black is the overcast and chop color.

“I've been using Hogy Protails for years to catch world-class tarpon off local beaches” Zane C.

4  Charter Grade OG Swimmer Fatty

WHEN  Swim it under. Fish rolling in shallow bays, along channel edges and around inlet mouths when you need to cover water, and the mullet run when finger mullet are the bait. Best in low light and stained water.

FISH IT  Fan cast where fish are rolling and reel slow and steady, rod tip pointed at the plug. The lip does the work and keeps it just under the surface. No erratic jerks; that spooks tarpon. Loop knot for the full wobble.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  It does the job the old Slider did, and it comes rigged and ready: tie it on and fish. The small lip runs it shallow over structure that hangs a deeper plug. Black is the low-light, dirty-water color.

“...a high quality lure with top quality components” Thomas D.

5  Slowtail Twin Tail

WHEN  Slow and low. Laid-up, finicky tarpon in shallow bays, canals, flats and channels that won't chase a paddle tail. It also rides the surface in heavy current at Boca and on the bridges, or crawls around slack tide.

FISH IT  Very slow and steady, just enough to keep the twin tails moving. In deeper water, add an occasional pause and let it drop. On a bridge, let the current carry it through the dark edge. Speeding up is the usual mistake.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  The Protail's shallow-water sibling: the same strength and durability, built to swim at a crawl. Bone is the sunny-day flats color, and the pack gives them three.

“Crushed tarpon on this in the Everglades” Robert P.

6  Protail Paddle 6.5 inch

WHEN  Deep beaches. Pods of tarpon in 12 to 30 feet pushing threadfin and menhaden along the beaches, feeding in the top third of the water, best at first and last light.

FISH IT  Cast to the outside edge of the pod and start reeling the second it lands, slow to medium and steady, like a tired bait leaving the school. On an incoming school, cast up-tide and let it sink first. No looks? Let it sink four to eight seconds, then pause every ten or twenty feet.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Three ounces on a 6.5 inch body heaves a long way, so they reach the pod without running the boat into it. Reinforced hook pocket on the bigger models. Olive is a bright-day beach color.

“The plastic is tough and holds up to tarpon very well and can even survive cudas.” Juan

7  Protail Paddle Guide Pack 6.5 inch

WHEN  Heavy current. The holes along the north edge of Boca Grande Pass in the hardest tides, April through June, long casts off an inlet jetty on the outgoing, and bridge back eddies when the current maxes out.

FISH IT  In the pass, drop to the bottom, come up five feet and jig it lightly. Watch the line: a big tarpon can start with a tiny tick. Off a jetty, cast 45 degrees up-tide so it drifts with the current most of the way back, rod tip up to keep it off the rocks.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Pre-rigged, so the body can't creep down the hook in the middle of a fight. Four ounces holds bottom when three won't, and the pack gives them three for a long day in the pass.

“Like the bodies poured over jig head for toothy, hard striking critters for increased durability and life of lure.” Tommy K.

The Protails, the Slowtail and the OG Swimmer come pre-rigged: they last longer, the plastic can't creep down the hook mid-fight, and there's nothing to fuss with when the fish show up. The Original goes on the Barbarian swimbait hook. Flats, channels and beaches: a 7-foot medium-heavy spinning rod, a 6000 to 10000 reel and 30 to 40 lb braid. Leaders run 40 to 50 lb fluorocarbon, at least 48 inches, for line-shy shallow fish, 60 to 80 lb when they're eating hard, and up to 100 lb off the beach in silty water. Bridges and the pass: a 7-foot heavy spinning rod, an 8000 to 18000 reel and 50 to 80 lb braid. Loop knot to the swimbaits and the plug.

If a fight runs past 30 minutes, the outfit is too light. Heavy gear means a short fight and a fish that swims off. Keep it in the water for the photo. Night bridges and inlets turn fast, so go with someone who knows the water.

More from our southern crew: Boca Grande Pass tarpon, tarpon on the bridges and the Gulf Coast migration on Hogy.

And on the blog: Slowtail vs. Protail Paddle, my rundown on when each one earns the cast, and Best Snook Lures for the walls and inlets in the same mullet run.