These are notes that I am making as a non fly fisherman interested in this technique. I might be more keen normally fishing for bone fish with lighter gear but I started my research in this genre and came up with this..
Tarpon Fishing Equipment
Rod you need a 10 – 12 wt fly rod. Not sure about the length yet. These are strong to fish for big salmon originally I think. 8 wt rods that might be ideal for permit and bonefish are not enough.
Lets take a look at a TARPON in this video..
Spool line 30lb -50lb mono (braid would be 30-80lb) then have a fluorocarbon leader of 60 – 80lb. These figures seem really high for me. I know those fishing for tarpon in Florida get the really big fish and they may exist in Antigua however the fly caught tarpon are not the massive ones you see on the cover of magazines.
I think a spool line of 15lb and an appropriate leader would be good to start with.
Some useful tips with videos
Here is an edited video of the guy pioneering this kind of fishing in Antigua – Nick and his clients as he gets them hooking into 20lb plus fish regularly.
Float Tubing is another dimension and you can see it in action in this video. Tarpon leap out of the air as Nick’s clients hook into a few. It must be quite weird fishing with scuba diving fins on.
If you would like to learn more about Nick’s fishing then check out his website here. http://www.antigua-flyfishing.com/
I also recommend fishaholic on YT. His kayaking fishing videos are great and he has some decent tarpon ones too. He is mostly lure fishing tho be warned!
