Everglades Guide Service

Peak tarpon fishing season in Naples and Marco Island continues, with the silver kings migrating along the beaches, cruising the passes, and staging in the backcountry bays. This is the best time of year to experience the thrill of battling a 100-pound-plus tarpon on light tackle.

In addition to world-class tarpon fishing, anglers are also catching snook along the beaches, along with redfish, mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, sharks, and other exciting inshore species throughout the Naples, Marco Island, and Ten Thousand Islands area.

June is one of the most exciting months of the year for anglers fishing the waters around Naples, Marco Island, the Ten Thousand Islands, and Everglades National Park!!

Book a Trip Now!
https://naplesfishingcharters.org/book-a-trip/

Tarpon season is now in full swing across Southwest Florida, and the annual migration of the “silver kings” continues along the beaches of Naples and Marco Island just as expected this time of year.

Tarpon fishing in Naples and Marco Island is one of the biggest attractions in Southwest Florida during late spring and early summer. As water temperatures continue to rise through May and June, more migrating tarpon move along the beaches, through the passes, and into the backcountry bays, giving anglers excellent opportunities to hook into these powerful gamefish.

Fishing over the past week has been very productive, with consistent tarpon action along the beaches as well as in several deeper backcountry areas. Along the beaches, live medium-sized crabs and live pinfish have been the top producers. In the backcountry bays, cut bait has been working best, especially when targeting larger tarpon holding deeper in the water column.

Capt. Mark Ward
Naples Fishing Charters
239-450-9230

Book a Trip Now!!
https://naplesfishingcharters.org/book-a-trip/

I’ve been spending most of my time lately tarpon fishing, with some backcountry trips mixed in as conditions allow.

The main focus has been fishing off the beaches for the migrating schools of tarpon moving along the Naples and Marco Island coast. At the beginning of the run a few weeks ago, most of the fish seemed to be moving up from the south. Now we’re starting to see fish coming from both directions, with some schools pushing north and others sliding back down the beach.

Live medium-sized crabs have been one of the best baits, but pinfish have also been productive. Once in a while, cut bait will get the job done too, especially when the fish are not actively rolling or feeding on the surface.

There are also some big tarpon holding in the backcountry bays. These fish have been a little more particular, and cut bait has been the most consistent option. The bonus with that style of fishing is the shark action. While waiting on a tarpon bite, we’ve also been getting into some nice sharks, which keeps things exciting.

For tarpon fishing, I typically use a 40- to 65-pound braided line with about a 6-foot piece of 60-pound fluorocarbon leader and a Gamakatsu 8/0 octopus circle hook. When fishing cut bait in areas where sharks are likely, I add a 2-foot piece of coated wire ahead of the hook.