As south Florida’s winter comes to a close, life returns to the surf as the snowbirds depart. Migratory fish begin to reverse course and travel back up north as the water warms.
The spring is one of Florida’s most interesting beach fishing seasons because you can never be sure of what you’ll catch. Whereas the fall features dense bluefish and mackerel schools, fish tend to be more sparse in the spring.
This doesn’t necessarily mean there are fewer fish out there to catch. It just means that different strategies need to be put to use.
Jack crevalle, bluefish and bluerunner are common surf fish in the late winter and early spring. With the surf still choppy on most days and the baitfish still not very prevalent, casting artificial lures is the easiest way to go about catching these species.
I spend most of my beach-fishing days in the spring flinging a silver spoon. The Lurh Jensen Krocodile Spoon is one of my good ol’ reliable choices.
The reason I find the spoon so successful, particularly in late February and early March, is because jack and bluerunners will hit anything moving that’s shiny.
When the mornings and evenings are still a bit brisk in late winter and early spring, 1 to 4-pound jack are my target of choice in the surf. They’re a lot of fun on light tackle with 5 to 15-pound test. I’ve had days at the beach when I hooked a jack nearly every cast.
Another option for the more extreme beach angler is shark or tarpon fishing.
As discussed in the winter surf fishing story, sharks group up and migrate seasonally. In the late winter they venture north in large aggregations.
Migrating sharks can sometimes swim so close to shore their large bodies can be seen inside the sand bar. Occasionally these sightings prompt beach closures.
Fishing for sharks this time of year is no different than the way I described it in the winter surf fishing series, so I won’t go into depth explaining how to pursue them. However, another massive fish that makes its appearance in the spring needs a bit of an introduction.
Tarpon begin to arrive in the South Florida surf in the late spring. They follow many smaller migratory fish, like jack and ladyfish, as the water warms.
I have personally never caught a tarpon at the beach, however, I’ve spent my share of time fighting them.
Two years ago I hooked a tarpon on a Catch 2000 completely unexpectedly. The fish was well over 100 pounds. My light surf rod was bent in half for about an hour and a half as I tussled with the fish. Of course, my 15-pound leader stood no chance against a fish of that magnitude and eventually it frayed the line enough to break off.
To actually land a tarpon in the surf, shark-like tackle is a necessity. Heavy rods and reels armed with 40-pound monofilament is ideal. I would suggest spooling at least 500 yards of line on your reel and using a long fluorocarbon leader to ensure tarpon cannot see the line in the water. A wire leader, however, should not be used because tarpon are much more picky about their bait and will hesitate to hit rigs with wire.
That brings me to another difference between sharks and tarpon. Whereas shark will eat just about anything you rest on the bottom, tarpon have their preferences.
Using mullet or ladyfish, two primary prey of surf tarpon, is probably the best option. They can be hooked, dead or alive, and either suspended or weighted in the surf. Because tarpon tend to swim somewhat high in the water column I prefer to drop my bait beneath a bobber.
Tarpon can be very abstruse with their feeding habits. I’ve seen them swim right past live bait and ignore it and I watched one nail a lure meant for jack and snook.
While they can be hit-or-miss, you always have to be prepared in the event that you actually do hook a tarpon.
Fighting a tarpon requires quick wits and a steady arm. Initially the fish will thrash and rocket out of the water in an attempt to shake the hook.
It’s imperative to “bow to the silver king” as the fish jumps out of the water. This helps keep the line taut so the hook doesn’t slip out. As the tarpon takes long runs it’ll wear itself out. The massive fish tend to have more energy than imaginable so be ready for a long, weary fight.
Above all, if you manage to pull a tarpon onshore, be careful while handling it. Harvesting tarpon is banned with the exception granted by a special permit. Tarpon above 40 inches are also required to remain at least partially in the water. So take your pictures next to the surf.
Before surf fishing in general I suggest reviewing FWC’s regulations by species. These regulations change frequently but any avid angler should remain aware of current sportfish regulations.
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