Ok, we're heading to Boca Grande in June so we can chase tarpon. I've got the dates for the hill tides, and now I'm wondering if we should book for the new moon or the full moon, or is there even a difference?? Anybody from Tarpon university have a preference?

Went last year and got skunked :angry-cry: ...was blowing 20 - 25 mph the whole time. Hoping for better luck this year.

Thanks in advace,

If you find a halfway decent guide that isn't booked on a full moon hump tide in June let me know. It's pretty late in the year. Last year Lostmans and I booked for June/July around this time of year and the only guy left was Fred Flinstone. We got skunked needless to say... We fished the New Moon and had a good tide but the guide said he prefers full

Thanks groupernugget, I keep hearing "full moon in June".

groupernugget wrote:

that guy was something else....our normal guy had already filled up and this guy was more interested in the stars than the tarpon lol. I have fished the pass close to 30 times both jigging in the day and live baiting at night and while the night bite can be slow the daytime jiggers hook far more fish ( we cant credit all of the to them eating the jigs, half the time you hook them in the side of the face) but from now on I think im going to stick to sight casting pods off the beach and catching them inside the harbor instead of the pass.

Are you trying to book with a guide or taking your own boat down?

groupernugget wrote:
Not so sure "Fred" would be the guy I would listen to... just sayin'
If it was me, I would prefer the new moon in May. This year the moon phases are a little screwy. Normally the new moon comes first in June and then the full moon follows two weeks later. Not this year. The first moon in June will be full. This may mess things up a little down there.
Some of this is pure speculation on my part based on my limited experience HERE (Tampa Bay). What I do know for sure is.... if you haven't booked a guide for the hill tides in Boca Grande by now, there is a good chance you're gonna be fishing with Fred Flinstone.

I thought i saw Mr. Flintstone out runnin down a tarpon last weekend...He "runs" one of those peddle boats right?!?... :laughing: sorry i just visualized it and couldnt help myself.

Thanks CaptTommyZ and Lostmans.

No Flinstones this time, we are taking our boat down. Years ago I did the jig in the pass method. This year we are going to focus on throwing pass crabs at the pods along the beach.

I'm taking my boys down for the first time and praying they don't see the old man get skunked.

Tommy Z! What was the model # of that Star tarpon stick you showed off at TFO?

Dan

theres a good chance ill be hanging on the beach on the north side of Gasparilla island. if one of the boys drops out Ill meet you over at uncle henry's lol

I am going to rewrite the solunar story, so it is easier to understand how to know what they are going to be without any software, hardware, or forms. Once you have that info, it will help you understand why tarpon are so active in early summer and how the moon effects their bite.

DanTheMan wrote:
SB2050S70

If any of you are still looking, might i recomend Capt. Rich Andretta. (813)503-6761 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it I have been with him in Boca Grande pass and did very well with the tarpon. He is running charters in boca grande and tampa bay for the tarpon this summer and is one of the best around. Here are some pics from when i have been with him. And check out their facebook page for some deals ,more info, and a ton of pictures! www.facebook.com/#!/richandretta
You can reach Capt. Rich at (813)503-6761 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I do not think Scott Moore or his son Jason have a day open, but I would call them personally. I am biased. Another really winner is captain jay plastic. He is also very booked.nay is Jim's son, and Jim stood in for the canoe man as mel berman's angling (drifting in the same spot on Thursday morning) buddies.

Those guys you mention have been talked about a lot though. I have not fished with them but I sure hear a lot about them. They have to be real good or they would not have the names.

That pass is like nothing else. I do not like it personally. I fished it 35 years ago the first time. Things were different then. And Scott and GB Knowles were close friends, and deeply involved in the breakaway jig controversy.

It never happened here because the fish don't all sit in one deep hole. That is why people are such good tarpon fisherman, there. The fish live in a hole and are easy. Far easier than here.

I was talking to Vance Tice abou captain James Wisener. For the 40 years he has fished this bay he would argue this bay is as tarpon rich ( and perhaps more) as Boca. If we have the chance we will talk about the difference in the two fisheries at our class.

They are different. I do not bother going there anymore. It is worth it till you learn it. Once you know both? You would make your own choice, but I am not alone in thinking our fishery is better, and that the negatives there, especially in the choked pass, far outweigh the positives..

I would agree with Gary... IMHO, there are more fish in the Tampa Bay area than in Boca Grande. And, I would go so far as to also state that the tarpon are here for a longer time period, too. The only thing is, here you have to become versed in a variety of different aspects of tarpon fishing to be truly successful.
I hate fishing the pass down there. And their beaches can get very crowded with very competetive anglers. We have a much more spread out and diverse tarpon fishery here in Tampa Bay.
Again, this is all JMHO.

There are many Pass captains in Boca. If you do take a charter down there get with a captain that can catch fish in all the areas...Beach, Pass, and Harbor. That way if you get a day with heavy tides or a strong westerly kicks up you will still catch fish. Very few are good enough to do it consistently.
And I strongly Agree with Tommy and Gary, Tampa Bay has a much better Tarpon fishery than Boca!!!!!! Stay here and catch them ;)