Outdoors column | Tarpon make their annual arrival in Tampa Bay
With little else to do, Tampa Bay waters have seen an influx of people looking to get a fresh air and separation from others. Whether fishing, cruising, getting exercise or partying, good weather days have made an average weekend look like it’s Memorial Day or Independence Day with packed sand bars, boat ramps and mangrove shorelines.
“I didn’t know so many people had kayaks or paddle boards,” said Capt. Brett Norris. “There are people everywhere, and as a captain we just have to fish around them which can be tough. It’s like we had a quarantine jailbreak.”
Norris, who typically fishes the flats for snook, redfish and trout, discovered another option this week has arrived giving him a chance to get away from the busy shallow waters of Tampa Bay. May usually marks the biggest northern migration arrival of tarpon, and they’re right on time.
“It really just started getting good this week. There were some fish down south and a big wad of them just showed up on the beach. It’s not long before they’ll be thick in Bean Point and around other passes,” Norris explained.
“I like to get away from the crowds so I’ll cruise the beaches in the morning then run around in the Bay or the bridges.”
Fishing in the afternoon Wednesday before the full moon Norris encountered a big outgoing tide on Tampa Bay. He saw a few fish make their presence known by rolling their backs out of the water’s surface but with no bites on his large threadfins or shiners he looked for options.
“The crabs weren’t flowing good. I finally saw a few and netted them up. Apparently that’s what they were waiting for.”
Norris set himself up for another drift near the Sunshine Skyway. He marked a few fish on his depthfinder and deployed the pass crabs on 60- and 80-pound leader. It wasn’t long before his anglers had a silver king flying at the end of their line.
“The first fish was about a 70-pounder. We caught that one in about 15-minutes,” he said. “We got set up again and ended up getting a much bigger fish on.”
The heavy spinning tackle started singing and a tarpon around 130-pounds took to the air. If the bridge and boats don’t provide enough obstacles, a massive predator showed up when the tarpon approached the boat.
“A huge bull shark jumped on it right at the boat and broke the line. The tarpon was still fresh so I’m not sure if the shark got him or not.”
Of the six drifts Norris made with crabs, they were bit on three before the wind picked up enough to send them home as the sun set to their west.
Norris says tarpon fishing should only get better from here as more fish will be arriving daily. One thing he worries about is the courtesy of boats with so many anglers on the water in these COVID-19 times. He emphasizes keeping your distance of other anglers who are stalking tarpon be it on the beach, in a pass or around Tampa Bay.