BOCA GRANDE EXPERIENCE: My trip to fish Tarpon Central two weekends ago proved to be a wild ride. I am used to hunting for fish. The thrill and satisfaction is as much from finding fish to catch as it is catching them. But in Boca Grande from May to July, everyone knows the tarpon are there.
During the day, the Pass is a traffic jam. Some guys drop live crabs, others drop jigs. (The Boca Grande Guide's Association disdains the jigs, preferring everyone in the Pass fished live crabs, or shrimp.) It can be insanity. Especially when people hook up in the middle of the herd. There is a generally accepted etiquette, but it seems like one in every ten boats disregards it. (With hundreds of boats out there, that causes a lot disruption.)
We found the Pass much more enjoyable after sundown. As our guide put it, the big tarpon feed primarily at night, and look to rest during the day. With a guide and on our own, we encountered far fewer boats under the moonlight, and had far more hook ups. When the flats and bay boats started heading out the Pass to cruise the beaches, we knew the sun would soon rise, and the fly anglers they carried would be looking for their shots (Unfortunately, I never got to be one of them). That signaled time to reel in.
We fished elsewhere during the day. With most anglers in a tarpon craze, we had little competition for everything else--snook, reds, trout, ladyfish, jacks, spanish mackerel, and so on. This was my fourth trip to Boca Grande, and by far the most enjoyable. It didn't leave much time for sleep, but that's what the flight home is for.