We searched the internet for the best tarpon fly fishing videos so you wouldn’t have to. The mix comes from varied fisheries, and even countries, though the majority of videos are from Florida. Apparently, when anglers target tarpon in Florida they bring their camera gear! The videos on the following pages highlight some of the best fisheries, fishing scenes, fly takes, and variety tarpon fishing has to offer. Did we miss a video? Please let us know in the comments below.
Smack in the middle of downtown Miami, tarpon forage at the bridges each night, chomping on shrimp, crabs and mullet. Traffic rumbles loudly on the bridges above, but the tarpon don’t seem to care. If the tide’s moving right and the bait’s there, tarpon line up in the shadowlines waiting for a tightly placed fly.
Every summer, tarpon migrate along Florida’s east coach beaches. Savvy anglers like Captain Scott Crippen and Captain Christian Yergen intercept the schools along the near shore, close to St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and Sebastian inlets. The results can be pretty exciting.
Even one fish can be exciting. Jay Johnson, a diehard steelhead fisherman, made a single cast to a tarpon in the Florida Keys and hooked up. Some people have all the luck! And he was supposed to be behind the camera, shooting the fishing footage, not the angler in front of the lens.
Not all tarpon have to be big. Silver kings swim among skinny mangrove channels where some boats just can’t fit. If you make it back there, you risk getting your tarpon caught in a tree…and that’s a good thing.
This video has a bit of everything, covering all sizes of tarpon. Cavin Brothers, of Colorblind Media, shot this footage of tarpon fishing along Florida’s West Coast. Not all of it is fly fishing, but the scenes and hookups are too good not to have on the list.
It may not be the best quality video, but it is the best at showing off Florida’s Gulf Coast tarpon fishery. The west side of Florida has a tarpon migration even better than the east, and that’s saying something. The blue-green clear waters and sandy seafloors make spotting tarpon easy; getting a fish to bite is a different story.
Jan Bach Kristensen and Daniel Goz traveled deep into remote Central America to fish untapped waters for tarpon, snook and jacks. Though the exact region is never truly disclosed, it’s believed the action took place somewhere in coastal Nicaragua. The movie that sprung from it is called Tapâm. View the trailer below:
There are some waters where tarpon just seem to be everywhere. Untouched and hungry, the estuarine waters of Mexico might be one of those places. Not all the tarpon are big, but they’re feisty and willing. Check out the highlights below:
And now for something completely different and totally impractical. This angler successfully sight-fished and caught a tarpon from under water off the coast of Belize. Who needs a boat or dry land? (Be warned, some Not Safe For Work language included in the video.)
Classic fly fishing action for tarpon in the Everglades. Jose Wejebe and Rob Fodyce battle against a shark attack on a hooked tarpon. Jose, you were a great angler and TV personality, and you will be missed.