Fly Tying

Fly Fishing Knots

Fishing Destinations

Fishing Techniques

Kayak Fishing

Fly Fishing News

Fishing Video Picks

Best on the Web

Site Map

Home Page

Tarpon Fly Fishing at Night

Fly Fishing for Tarpon under Florida Keys Bridges

Year-round Tarpon Fly Fishing  Action

Images on the right:  It's late December, a major cold-front has pushed well south of the Florida Keys, the air temperature dropped into the upper 30s, wind is howling out of the north west, and my friend Craig and I are still landing tarpon on fly tackle, not typical Keys fly tackle, but still fly fishing.  By no means respectable size tarpon for the Keys; but under these conditions, the only other option in town was a bar stool.

        It may not be pretty, but targeting tarpon at night under the Over-Seas Highway bridges is one of the most sure-fire fly fishing opportunities that I know of in the Florida Keys.  I may have to dredge them up off the bottom, and at times I may be unable to catch anything other than small fish; but they are Tarpon on a fly, and I can catch them year-round even under adverse condition.

        I have caught tarpon under certain bridges when it was so cold we dressed more like New England striper angler rather than Keys tarpon anglers.  Bridge tarpon are not difficult to hook-up on fly tackle under most any reasonable conditions.  The key is flexibility.  Five and six hundred grain high density shooting heads are not typical Florida Keys tarpon tackle; but if you want to be fully prepared to meet the conditions presented, then you need the option to go deep,

        If you have walked any of the bridge catwalks at night, then you have probably seen the tarpon up in the lights sipping shrimp or greenies.  For every tarpon you see up in the lights like that, you can generally bet that there a many times more hiding in the shadows and lurking in the depths.

        If you are presenting your fly to tarpon suspended in a light, then you will probably do best with a "match the hatch" fly; Tarpon around bridge lights can be keying on shrimp, or greenies, or crabs.  If you are going to dredge the depths for a tarpon, fly size is not so critical; I have seen them eat some damn big flies.  I think how big a fly depends on how much light is in the area.  If there is enough light that you can tie on a fly without too much difficulty, then I would choose a smaller fly.

        When "dredging" for fish, I have experienced the most success from an anchored skiff; with a cast well up current to allow the fly to sink into the strike zone.  Taking this technique to the extreme; I find it sometimes necessary to anchor just on the up current side of the bridge, make a long cast up current and allow the heavy line and fly to sink as it drifts past the skiff before starting the retrieve.  If you do not learn to judge the sink rate for a given tidal current condition, it is definitely possible to hopelessly entangle an expensive fly line on the bottom.

        Night fishing for tarpon under the bridges is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a place for anyone who does not possess absolute confidence in their boat handling skills.  Smaller size tarpon can be muscled away from the pilings, bigger fish are going to go where they will, you must chase them.  Expect to trash a few fly lines when big fish are around.  I have a whole collection of lines that have kissed a piling or two.  Resist the temptation to tie a heavy line test leader, you will want the option, if necessary, to break the tippet rather than loss of a whole line.

        Have Fun, but mare importantly, Play Safe out there!

Harry Hall sefly
Guided Fly Fishing