Schools of tarpon generally arrive in Miami's Government Cut and Biscayne Bay area in January, and sometimes as early as Christmas if the winter has been mild. Their arrival in the Miami area coincides with a time of year when there are strong tides that carry a lot of shrimp (their favorite food) along with the tidal current.
If the winter weather has also been mild in the Florida Keys, other schools of tarpon will arrive in and around Key West as early as the first part of February, and a month or so later the Miami fish will begin to migrate south, while some of the tarpon that arrive in Key West do the same, heading north a month or so after they arrive in Key West.
Most fly rod action in the Miami area takes place on the flats of Biscayne Bay from an area known as Stiltsville, south to Elliott Key, while the Key West tarpon fishery covers a much larger area, all reachable only by shallow draft boat. By March, the Miami tarpon can often be found from Biscayne Bay south along Key Largo, while more are continually arriving in Key West and spreading out north into the middle Keys and Marathon.
Sometime during the month of April, tarpon will be abundant throughout the Florida Keys from Biscayne Bay at the northern extreme, all the way to the Marquesas, 15 miles west of Key West.
With the tarpon fishing season in the Florida Keys peaking during the months of May and June, many tarpon anglers who have been bitten by the tarpon bug will book a guide for a solid week during this period. By booking a week's worth of fishing, they help minimize the possibility of getting weathered out if they have a couple of bad days.
Walt Jennings lives in Venice, Florida. He is a Fly Fisherman contributing editor.
