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Reply With QuoteAdmins, please forgive if posted the wrong place. I think it needs to be out in the Florida main forum but I can't find a delete option anywhere. Please move if needed and accept my sincere appologies. Forum newbie troubles.
Guppy
Help with Lake Tarpon for Lake Tarpon newbie
Hi all! First post on a new forum for me... so be gentle.
In honesty I just bought a bass boat a couple weeks ago and is parked on Lake Tarpon. I love crappie fishing and have been fishing most of my life...and my question now does apply to crappie... but is also about Lake Tarpon in general. And it's basically this:
In the last couple weeks I've been out with my son fishing on Lake Tarpon maybe 10 seperate days. I've targeted bass and crappie in so many ways... and the only fish caught was one bluegill from the doc on a live red wiggler under a bobber.
Now... I don't yet have a fish finder nor a trolling motor. We've been anchoring near vegetation asking the sides, in the bays, one day in the rain close to others in deep water quite obviously targeting crappie.
Here is my plea. What can I do this this time of year to catch something... anything... without a fish finder or a trolling motor? I've never, ever in my 44 years and most of them fishing...been in a body of water that a red wiggler under a bobber nor on the bottom in so many different spots caught not even a nibble. Or, for crappie in particular... jigging various colors of crappie magnets.
Meanwhile I'm catching tons of bass any evening I go across the street in local lakes in Ridgemore...throwing a simple watermelon texas rigged plastic worm.
I'm begging for some tips on Lake Tarpon. I can't wait to catch crappie... but right now I'd take advice on any reliable technique for any species so I don't lose my son's interest out on this lake. What am I missing here? Are there any fish in this lake?
Fish finder on the way... but until then
thanks so much in advance for any advice. We just want to go out and prove to ourselves some can be caught from the boat! Help!
Guppy
Admins, please forgive if posted the wrong place. I think it needs to be out in the Florida main forum but I can't find a delete option anywhere. Please move if needed and accept my sincere appologies. Forum newbie troubles.
Crappie.com Legend
No trolling motor thats tiuff. I would loose the anchor and go as far upwind and drift across the lake dragging minnows under a float set at different depths. Change your start points so you drift different lanes until you pick up fish.
Guppy
Thanks! Like a search pattern.
Bait store never seems to be open when I go. I need to find out how to catch bait on this lake too. decades of fishing and every new venue completely different?
Crappie magnets work out here of live bait a must have?
PS I'm starting to read some of the existing excellent wealth of info already here. Im sure I'll find answers on my own here too... but thanks again for all advice!
Crappie.com Legend
Get ya a grass shrimp net and run through shallow vegatation. Prolly a lil chilly now but might be worth a try.
Crappie.com Legend
Crappie magnets, tubes, hair jigs, and tear drops can also be tipped with wax worms and work well. Can get em at petco or petsmart usually around the reptile food.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
Read, Read, Read!
Crappie.com 2K Star General
Lake Tarpon is excellant fishery for Crappie (Spec's)
Can be caught year round this 2500 acre compound.
Presently they are being caught in 8 - 10 ft water depending on cloud cover
will be in water column from 6" below surface in am to 12ft near bottom.
When is depth finder due to be put on boat. - Also will it be of kind that can
have a "chip" put in for contours of Tarpon ?
Spider riggin and/or long-ling is most popular form on lake.
No depth finder - start out long-ling.
Curley jigs - charlie brewer slider - road runners all work great.
Colors needed - black/chart - hot pink curley tails - junebug sliders
Blue-cheese road-runners. Stay in the 16th - 32nd oz range.
No need to tip jigs.............bait stores very hard to find in Tarpon area - cost
of minnows - will need 2nd mortage on house - most charge by dozen and they
are big enough to filet for sardines.
Get a fine mess little dip net and go to waters edge in weeds by anderson park
dock - should be able to get some grass ship right at the band by dock.
When long ling Tarpon - put out 4 -6 lines various distances back of boat.
25 ft -to 60 ft.
Travel speed around 1.0 mph to 1.3 mph - stay off banks work areas north end
by the idle zone (white) bouys - not hard to spot....
Along north east side of lake stay out about 1/8 - 1//4 mi run south towards
point - when reaching point - stay out 100 - 200 from white idle marker - continue
your trolling.
Something will happen.
Once you get depth finder - a whole lot of things will change, also get
yourself a medium priced gps (hand held ok) so as you can tell how fast you are
moving............
Go through and read items in Florida Crappie -
regarding results at various lakes.
We fish tarpon twice a year on tournaments, plus gives updates on other lakes
along with equipment and style
Guppy
Guppy
Have a Raymarine Dragonfly Pro 4 GPS with Navionics maps coming for Christmas. Hoping the maps include something for Tarpon but to be completely honest, not 100% sure.Originally Posted by fishin813
Thanks so much for the details. They will be put to good use. Very grateful.
PS, when long lining can I troll using the gas motor at idle...or must that wait until I have a tolling motor?
Also, I feel like long lining with a 1/16 or 1/8 jig will run the jigs at the surface basically. 1) am I wrong on that? 2) do I need to do something to get the lines down? Again I'll go right now and search on long lining right away. Just figured while we were at it I'd throw this out there if anything about it worth discussing. Much thanks guys!!!
Thanks Again!
