Turks and Caicos TARPON

[bostonbruins477]

So what does anybody know about Tarpon in the Turks and Caicos. I (up until today) didnt think there were any down here to speak of. But apparently im wrong. While I was out getting my bonefish fix (caught and tagged 4), a couple of my buddies went down to the Salinas on South Caicos. Sure enough there were 7 tarpon sitting in there. They cast to them and hooked one, which shortly broke them off. So how rare is this.. is it? And better question what do i need to catch them. I only have an 8 weight down here. Don't you usually but a bite gaurd on when fishing for them? Tackle is limited here, in OCT however i am getting a shipment from home... so what do i need sent down here?

[SpexnReds]

I'm not sure about the rarity of tarpon in turks and caicos, but my guess would have to be that tarpon are definitely present in a substantial number in the summer because of the fish's migratory behavior.
As far as tarpon gear goes, I generally would not reccommend anything lighter than a 9 weight for tarpon that are 40# and over. A 9 weight can only be used if you are fishing in shallow areas, because a tarpon generally will run and jump first, then if there is any deep water around they will dive down and sit on the bottom. Pulling tarpon up with a 9 weight can snap your rod like a graham cracker, so be cautious. In any other situation and with dealing with large tarpon, use at least a 10 wt (remember, the difference between a 9 and a 10wt is alot bigger than the difference between an 8 and a 9 wt)
The guard isnt necessarily for a tarpon's mouth (although it is very abbraisive), rather it is for those razor sharp armored gill plates. When they jump and flair their gills (some times you can hear them rattle when they shake their heads), a light tippit can be cut through like a hot knife through butter (same goes for snook). So, in advising you to construct a leader, use about 2-3 feet of a good 80# (60# works for snook) shock tippet to connect your fly with. But if you are dying to land a tarpon, I reccommend buying a pretied tarpon leader, because those who are new to constructing saltwater leaders with shock tippets don't make them as solid as pretied leaders without alot of practice and heartbreak. But, I'll let you know how to connect it anyways. Put a bimini twist in the end of your class tippit, and then secure this (you need at least 8-10 inches of doubled line) to the heavier shock tippet with an albright knot (with a lock much like the finishing move on a bimini twist) or huffnagle knot (both of these work pretty well). Hope you find this informative.

[bonefish1]

Bostonbruiin.......I've been to South Caicos twice in Feb both times and didn't see any tarpon ... probably the time of year.....I did see and catch alot of bones and had a ball with Ganger, the only real fishing guide on the Island. I would contact Bibo Janes who runs Beyond the Blue Charters on South and he could point you in the right direction. I also agree with Specs and Reds above on equipment in the event you find some Poons.....good luck....Rick Heim...Ifish

[rlbgfish173]

Have been to South Caicos several times and you will only see Bones and Cuda there. And the Bones are getting smarter and smarter. ;)

[bonefishbtb]

There is a resident school of about 100, 50-80lb. fish that reside in one of the channels to the north of South Caicos. There is an up coming article in the Dec. issue of "Eastern Fly Fishing" that will give a good heads up on our current status of fishing. All I can say is check it out. Tight lines! Bibo.

[rlbgfish173]

There is a resident school of about 100, 50-80lb. fish that reside in one of the channels to the north of South Caicos. There is an up coming article in the Dec. issue of "Eastern Fly Fishing" that will give a good heads up on our current status of fishing. All I can say is check it out. Tight lines! Bibo.


So did you just find them??

[bonefishbtb]

We have always known that these areas are frequented by tarpon but it takes awhile to hone in on new areas and the fish movements. We still don't "sell" the tarpon fishing because it is not greatly consistant but will fish it if we see them when we are in that area. They are not something that we would spend time on unless the group there was interested.

[rlbgfish173]

We have always known that these areas are frequented by tarpon but it takes awhile to hone in on new areas and the fish movements. We still don't "sell" the tarpon fishing because it is not greatly consistant but will fish it if we see them when we are in that area. They are not something that we would spend time on unless the group there was interested.

Interesting! because I specificallly remember asking you if there was anything other than Bonefish there and your answer was No!

[OceanRunner]

I’ve been to the area twice, and found small Tarpon both times on the southwestern side. Pretty easy to find since they were daisy chaining and sipping air. They were no bigger then 50#s, but a lot of fun to mess with. After a couple of hook-ups, the school was shot for several hours, but ready again the next morning.

[bonefishbtb]

What Island were you fishing on ?