Vacation In Boca Grande And Experience World-Class Tarpon Fishing

One of the many varied reasons to come and experience a Boca Grande vacation rental or if you permanently purchase a luxury home here, is the world class tarpon fishing. Boca Grande is known as the tarpon fishing capitol of the world, and for good reason!

 

Each and every spring, fishermen from around the globe congregate in Boca Grande, Florida seeking to catch the beautiful tarpon, known as the silver king of gamefish. Also known as Megalops Atlanticus (what an excellent scientific name, "Megalops"!), the tarpon is sought after for their large size and the fight they put up, often making breathtaking leaps into the air.

 

Tarpon congregate in Boca Grande Pass and Charlotte Harbor in large numbers because of the huge amount of crabs and baitfish that get washed into the pass via the outgoing tide. It's a virtual feast for the tarpon and they only need to position themselves along the bottom and scoop up their meal ... that is unless they take in an angler's hook.

 

The spawning season for tarpon in Boca Grande is from April to June. Many tournaments are run from May to August that attract anglers from all over the world.

 

Tarpon (or Megalops, if you will) can grow to about 5-8 feet long and weight between 80 and 280 pounds! They can live to be 55 years old and mature at age 10 when they're about 4 feet long. Tarpon are bony fish and hardly worth being killed for their meat.

 

 

For this reason there is a huge deal of conservation regarding the mighty tarpon. For instance, there's a 2 fish possession limit for tarpon and you must purchase a tarpon tag to possess one. Catch and release practices are mostly observed in tarpon fishing around Boca Grande. The FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) also advises never gaffing a fish unless you're going to keep it, and not fighting a fish to it's exhaustion, as once you throw it back it may be too tired to defend itself from predators - even if released correctly.

 

The average age of a tarpon caught at Boca Grande is about 25 years old. And since it takes about 8-10 years from birth before a tarpon can reproduce it is of vital importance to the ecology of the area that proper catch and release methods are observed.

 

Here's a great PDF released by the FWC about tarpon fishing in Boca Grande Pass: tarpon Fishing in Boca Grande Pass. It has information about regulation, conservation, safe boating and etiquette, tarpon biology and more. With that conservation in mind and carefully observed, we'll hopefully have exciting sport fishing of tarpon for generations to come! 

 

We hope you'll plan on coming to Boca Grande to experience it for yourself, as you truly deserve it. And when you do, look us up for vacation rentals, luxury homes, or just to sit with us and chat as we enjoy the wonders that comprise the Boca Grande experience!