Boca Grande Tarpon

Tarpon. Every fisherman dreams of chasing, hooking and landing a silver king. Many have tried, but few have succeeded. Anglers may target them for seasons on end before they even get a chance at one. The Tarpon tops many anglers’ bucket list, and there’s no better place to target these behemoths other than the sunshine state.

You may find Tarpon cruising along every inch of the coast in Florida, during certain times of the year that is, but only one area has the ultimate bragging rights. Any guesses? Well it’s a little community situated on Gasparilla Island near Fort Myers by the name of Boca Grande. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Chances are you have if you have your sights set on landing a silver king. This little slice of paradise is THE tarpon fishing hotspot.

Boca Grande yields more tarpon than anywhere else in the world with roughly 5,000 fish being landed within a typical 80 day season! I guess you could call Boca Grande the tarpon fishing capital of the world. The typical tarpon season in Boca Grande begins in mid-April and runs into September. Depending on weather, this season can begin a little early or late and end just the same. Know that when the run happens, it isn’t just a few tarpon that come rolling through Boca Grande pass either; they come in by the thousands!

It all started back in 1885, when a 93 pound tarpon was landed in the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. Soon after, the tarpon became a protected game fish which banned netting and harpooning (a common practice for harvesting tarpon). Nearly a decade later, the modern railroad was erected and provided access to the tarpon rich waters of Boca Grande. It quickly became a tourist destination that attracted anglers from all over the world in their quest for the massive tarpon that frequented the area. That quest is still alive and well today, and the tarpon run doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon.

But what makes Boca Grande so appealing to tarpon? Good question. It’s a bit of a mystery, but there are certainly some hypothesizes floating around. Boca Grande Pass is the deepest natural pass in Florida reaching depths of nearly 80 feet. This provides a sort of underwater highway system for several species of fish and bait. It is also the only outlet of Charlotte Harbor which is fed by two major rivers. The Myakka and the Peace Rivers are two freshwater, spring-fed rivers that dump into the Charlotte Harbor which bring in a multitude of nutrients that fish thrive off of. This is one of the benefiting factors which help draw the thousands of tarpon into the area each year.

So what’s holding you back? Book a guide, grab your fly rod and head down to gorgeous Boca Grande. The tarpon are waiting…