KAYAKS-4U

Kayak Fishing for Tarpon - Live Bait or Breakaway Jig’s

If you have plans to visit Florida or the Gulf of Mexico for some exciting tarpon kayak fishing you may want to know what bait to use live or artificial. This question has been debated for years.

During a recent FWC study to obtain current catch and release mortality-rate estimates anglers used live bait and break away jigs in Boca Grande Pass one of the best tarpon fisheries in the state.

There were 83 trips accomplished:

The average size of a landed tarpon caught using jigs (171cm TL) was significantly larger than tarpon caught using live bait (142cm TL) methods.
The average fight time of tagged tarpon was 26 minutes on jig trips (range 5 to 98 minutes) and 11 minutes on live bait trips (range 4 to 55 minutes).
Despite the significant difference between fight times. These average times are normal to low relative to tarpon fishing in other parts of the state.

The study showed no significant difference between jig- and live-bait fishing on tarpon catch-and-release mortality rates in Boca Grande Pass. Shark attacks were the cause of all the observed and confirmed tarpon mortalities (4). Some were not observed and cause is hard to tell (4)

Researchers, using estimates based on cessation of tag movement from tags placed on tarpon, determined that the catch-and-release mortality rate of Boca Grand Pass tarpon evaluated for this study is 19.5% (8 of 41 fish died). The catch-and-release mortality rate is 9.8% when calculated using only the number of fish for which there was visual confirmation of mortality.

Results: Tarpon Kayak Fishing

Well the study shows more tarpon landed on live bait and larger tarpon caught on jigs. And most important watch out for sharks when releasing your tarpon back to the environment. Use good resuscitation techniques to ensure the tarpon population stays healthy. The debate goes on. Have a great Kayak Fishing Day!

For more information and accessories on fishing from kayaks see our kayak fishing section