Night Fishing for Tarpon on the Texas Jetties – by Bill Slough

Submitted by admin on September 26, 2006 – 9:30pm

(Editors Note: This information was originally created for a specific trip to the Port Aransas North Jetty but is mostly applicable elsewhere. We still have some time before the Tarpon head south for the winter!)

Bill Slough: Tarpon caught on a jetty on the Texas Coast.This handout contains general information about fly fishing the Port Aransas Jetties at night for Tarpon. The material has been gathered from a wide variety of sources, and it contains the best information we have been able to find, but it is in no way comprehensive

A note on Fisherman’s Wharf: State Highway 361 is the road that runs the length of Mustang Island. Follow it all the way into Port Aransas, where it dead ends into W. Cotter Ave. Go straight into the parking lot where Trout Street and Virginia’s on the Bay restaurants are. Turn right through the parking lot until you see the big sign for Fisherman’s Wharf.

Most members prefer taking the JFK Causeway to Mustang Island instead of the ferry at Aransas Pass, due to the long waits that sometimes occur, sometimes an hour or more, especially on weekends.
The Jetty Boat schedule is:
6:30 am, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 12:00pm, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00.
The return trip is 10 minutes after the hour. You can return on any boat Sunday.

Tides: A strong tidal flow greatly increases your chances for a hookup. The current comes and goes, sometimes close to the rocks, other times moving away, leaving slack water near the rocks. All the hookups we’ve experienced occurred in moving water. Fish when the current is moving, rest when it isn’t. Most of the fishing is near the tip, on the channel or the beach side, wherever the bait is. Watch for rolling tarpon right before dark, and concentrate your fishing in that area when it is dark.

Rods & Reels: The ideal jetty tarpon rod is probably a ten weight. It’s powerful enough to handle all but the largest fish, but still light enough to cast for hours at a time. Many of us don’t own one, so what should you bring? Whatever you have. An eight weight will land many of the tarpon you’re likely to hook. For reels, ideally you should have at least 300 yards of 30 pound backing. But if your reel only holds 150, bring it. You might get spooled. But there are plenty of tarpon you can land with that rig. Come see what it’s like before you invest in the higher end equipment. If you do decide to buy some gear, consult with one of our local fly shops. They know what works.

Todd Fleming with Big SpecksLines: Tarpon are generally considered bottom up feeders, meaning they will rise to take a fly above them. While they frequently feed near the surface at night, they sometimes hold at different depths. Many of our jetty regulars favor a floating line with a sinking tip. This gets the fly down, but keeps the rear portion of the line above the rocks, which can catch and cut a full sinking line. There are also short lead heads you can loop to your floating line that convert it into a sink tip. If you use a shooting head system, stay away from the monofilament shooting lines like amnesia. It can cut your hand when a tarpon hits.

Backing: Many of us load our bay reels with twenty-pound test backing. But you need a fairly heavy leader to give you a decent chance of landing a tarpon, and twenty pound backing doesn’t leave much margin for error. If there is a weak spot in the backing, or a poor connection, a tarpon could make off with your fly line. If you have thirty pound, use it, but some reels cannot accommodate enough to handle a long run. Some of the gel-spun backings have become popular due to their thin diameter to strength ratio, allowing you to put a lot more yardage on a reel. If you go that route, use a 50 lb gel spun. It is still much thinner than standard 30 lb Dacron, and avoids some of the problems with super thin 30 lb gel spun.

Leaders: A tarpon leader typically consists of three parts–the butt, a class or break tippet, and a bite or shock tippet. At night you can usually dispense with the butt section and attach your break tippet directly to the fly line. The break tippet needs to be of a strength that will break before your fly line or backing. For 20 pound backing, it’s best to keep your break tippet 15 pounds or less. With 30 pound backing, you can go up to 20 pound tippet

Jon King: State Fly Rod Record 42″ Red Fish caught on the Texas Coast.Tarpon have extremely abrasive mouths. They can saw through thin monofilament during a fight, so you need some kind of heavy diameter mono to protect against that. While giant tarpon may require 100 pound test, for the size fish we’re likely to land, 60 to 80 pounds is more than adequate. Many tarpon can be caught on 30 to 50 pound tippet, although if you go that small, it’s best to use some type of hard mono such as Mason or an abrasion resistant fluorocarbon.

Most leader formulas you’re likely to run across are set up to IGFA specifications,
which require a class or break tippet of at least 15 inches between the knots, and a bite tippet of no more than 12 inches. But unless you’re planning on keeping a tarpon, there are advantages to going with a three to four foot bite tippet. The first is you can change flies quite a few times before the leader is too short. Second, it moves the fragile break tippet away from a tarpon’s gill plates and away from the rocks. And, when it comes time to land a tarpon, it helps to have a couple of feet of tippet sticking out of its mouth for someone to grab.

Knots: No area generates as much argument as knots. We won’t attempt to address the subject here, instead, we recommend you buy a copy of Lefty Kreh and Mark Sosin’s book: Practical Fishing Knots. This is an excellent source, written for flyfishers by flyfishers, and it’s small enough to tuck into a gear bag. If you don’t want to tie your own leaders, you can buy them at any of our local fly shops. We will also have a supply of basic tarpon leaders available at the outing.

Flies: While there are hundreds of tarpon flies for daytime fishing, there is one pattern that is consistently mentioned when fishing at night, and it has been the most effective fly on our outings. It is Dan Blanton’s Whistler. There are a couple of theories why this fly is so effective. First, it is big and bulky. It has a large silhouette, especially when tied in black, and it pushes a lot of water. Also, the fly is tied with extra-large bead chain eyes. Air streaming past the holes in the bead chain makes it whistle when you cast, hence the name. There is a theory that when water streams past these holes, it makes a disturbance or noise that tarpon can hone in on in the dark. For whatever reason, they definitely work, although other patterns catch fish also. There have been hookups on bunny flies, Lefty’s Deceivers, seaducers, even clousers.

Whichever pattern you choose, make sure you use a big enough hook, the most popular being 3/0 and 4/0 Tiemco 600 SP. Hooks need to be razor sharp. Carry a file with you and touch them up frequently. If you tick the rocks behind you on your backcast, check the point.

There is also debate about mashing your barbs on tarpon flies. Lefty Krey, who advocates going barbless for most fishing, files his hook until he has a micro barb on tarpon flies. Other experts say a completely barbless hook offers the best penetration because most anglers cannot set the hook well enough to drive a barb into a tarpon, causing the fly to be thrown on the first few jumps. Because of this, we recommend mashing barbs completely flat. You will be glad you did if you happen to hook yourself.

WhistlerWhistler:
Hook: Tiemco 600SP, 3/0 or 4/0, Eagle Claw 254 SA, 3/0 or 4/0, Gamagatsu Octopus Circle Hook 4/0
Thread: Black 3/0, Size A, or Gudebrod G
Body/Throat: Medium red chenille
Sides: Blue or gold Flashabou, or purple or red saddle hackles
Wing: Two or more bunches of stiff black bucktail
Collar: Three or four black hen hackles
Eyes: Xtra large silver or gold bead chain

Tying Notes: Most Whistlers are weighted with lead wire from the eye of the hook to above the hook point. On the jetty, these flies can sink too deeply, causing hang-ups on the rocks, but sometimes the weight is necessary to get to the desired depth. Tie weighted and unweighted versions. Flies for night fishing are frequently tied bulkier than the one shown, using three or four clumps of deer hair.

Fishing techniques: There are exceptions, but most tarpon are caught on slow moving flies, with six to twelve inch strips, or just swinging in the current. Long casts are not usually necessary. Most hookups occurred 30 to 50 feet out, with several hits just outside the rocks.

Hook setting and fighting fish: There are two schools of thought on setting the hook on tarpon. One is to strip strike with your line hand until you feel the fish, then plant the rod against your belly and pivot sideways, using your body, while pulling hard with your line hand. The other method is to let the tarpon hook itself by keeping steady pressure. The reality of night fishing is that the first clue you have a tarpon has hit is when the line gets ripped from your hand, and your reel starts buzzing. Within seconds there will be a great splash, then another and another. You can set the hook between splashes, palming the spool lightly while you rotate the rod with your body. But generally it is best not to put too much pressure as the tarpon does its first panicked run. Keep the rod low, even dipping the tip into the water. This keeps part of the fly line in the water and helps compensate for being unable to bow to the jumps, since you can’t see them at night. If the entire fly line pops out of the water, the tarpon is much more likely to throw the hook. It’s similar to shaking your fly out of a tree. You can’t do it on a tight line, but if you can create some slack and get some waves in the line, the fly frequently comes loose. With a tarpon, anything you can do to keep the fly line in the water increases your odds of the hook staying in. Once the tarpon settles down and quits jumping, you can start applying pressure. Palm the spool, or press with your fingertips. Wear a leather glove if it helps, or tie a small leather paddle to the bottom crosspiece, to use as a brake. Watch out for the spinning handle; it can hurt you. Keep the rod low. There should be just enough bend so you can feel what the fish is doing. When you pump, instead of raising the rod, as in freshwater fishing, lean forward and extend your arms while reeling up slack. Then grasp the reel handle, and lean back smoothly, pulling your arms in against your body. Keep the rod at the same angle all through the motion. This keeps the maximum pressure on the fish, and the minimum pressure on you. The number one rule when fighting a big fish is to keep it moving. It should be running out line, or coming toward you as you pump. If the fish isn’t moving, even though you have a deep bend in the rod, you are giving it time to rest, while tiring yourself out. Lower the rod, extend and reel, then lean back smoothly. You can turn the biggest fish this way.

Chris Wray: Over 40-inch Jack Crevalle caught from a jetty on the Texas Coast. Would have been a state fly record, but was released without a formal measurement.Landing Fish: To land a big fish such as a tarpon, you will need some help. Pick your sloping rock beforehand. Wait until the fish is tired enough that you can lift its head onto the slope. If you try this before the fish is ready, and it dives below the rock, it can cut you off. Once it’s on the rock, someone wearing gloves needs to grasp the shock tippet (Don’t grab the break tippet; it will do what it’s designed to do). Lift the tarpon’s head while you slide it up until it can’t escape. Avoid dragging it farther onto the rocks. You can hurt the fish this way, possibly damaging an eye. Smaller fish can be lifted for a quick photo. A length and girth measurement can give you a fairly accurate weight. The most common formula is: girth x girth x length, divided by 800 = weight. Try to return the fish to the water as quickly as possible. The longer it is out, the more likely it is to die.
Other landing tools are Boga Grips and hand held gaffs. If you attempt one of these approaches, make sure you can let go of the device. Big tarpon have dragged anglers into the water. Tarpon are also capable of lunging forward. Don’t get your face in front of one. If any part of the leader is touched by human hand, it is considered a caught fish and can be broken off. This may be best for all concerned when dealing with really big fish. Tarpon don’t have teeth, but they have abrasive mouths. Be careful when reaching in for your fly. If your hand is inside a big tarpon’s mouth and it thrashes, it can break your wrist. If you’re not sure, cut the leader.

Lights: We will be moving around in the dark, so it is important to have good lighting. Headlamps are popular. A propane lantern is handy to walk around with, and you can set it on a rock and cast in the circle of light. It is possible to see tarpon rolling in the lantern light. Avoid flashing lights across the water. Fish don’t seem to mind a stationary light, but flashes can put them down. It’s important to identify rocks you can land a big fish on before dark. Look for rocks that slope deep into the water. You can mark them with a chemical light stick.

Life Vests: The water around the jetty can get very rough, with surf pounding the rocks, and current ripping along it. If you fall in, you can be in real trouble. A life preserver is the best way to insure your safety. It also increases the chance you won’t lose a high dollar rod & reel while you’re thrashing around. Some of the inflatable vests that use a CO2 cartridge work well and are comfortable.

Eye protection: You will be casting a heavily weighted fly in the dark. Others will be casting flies near you. Protect yourself. Clear safety glasses available at a home improvement store work well.

Shoes: Jetty rocks are slippery, especially those that get sprayed or doused frequently with water. Most jetty regulars wear some kind of cleats, or felt soles.

First Aid Kit: Jetties are inherently dangerous places. The most likely injuries are slipping and falling, stepping into a crack between the rocks, or hooking yourself or someone else with a fly. Carry a basic first aid kit. Make sure you have any medicines you require.

Water: It will be hot when we get out there, and it takes some effort to transport your gear. Most members were surprised at the amount of water they needed, especially if they fished the flats earlier that day. We recommend 1 ½ to 2 gallons of water per person. Once you’re out there, there’s no way to get more. Don’t drink seawater.

General Safety: Use caution, especially at night. Everyone will have a partner. Don’t get more than fifty feet from your partner. Move slowly. Wear eye protection and proper footwear. Don’t go poking around in the rocks. (On a previous outing, an animal control officer had to remove a rattlesnake from the end of the South Jetty). Have a whistle around your neck for emergencies. Carry a walkie talkie. We will decide on a channel when we get out there.

Jetty carts: The north jetty is concrete about halfway out. The concrete is old and cracked, but you can pull a cart fairly well. There are only a couple of places that two people are required to lift the carts across. You can rent a cart overnight for $10 or bring your own. Most of our regulars favor a dolly. Attach a small cooler for cold drinks to the base, then lash your rod cases and gear. Use straps or rope instead of bungie cord. The jetty isn’t level, and gear can slide sideways on the dolly.

Sleeping: Are we going to fish all night? You can if you want, but it is best to concentrate your energies on dusk, dawn, and the major tidal movements. You can take a collapsible chair with a footrest, or a folding cot. At the end of the concrete is a wood frame structure called the Shark Shack. We will make a base camp there. Try to get some sleep, so you won’t be totally wiped out the following day. One other concern is the drive back on Sunday. Make sure you’re traveling with someone, and make everyone stay awake. You’re a lot less likely to fall asleep if you’re talking.

Anna Burlingame: Spanish Mackerel caught from jetty on the Texas Coast.Suggested items to bring, in no particular order:

• Cart or dolly
• Rods, reels, lines, spare lines
• Leaders, wire leaders
• Flies
• Boga Grip, gaff
• Life vest
• Sun glasses & safety glasses
• Hat
• Shoes with cleats
• 1 pair of dry socks
• Flashlight, headlamp, lantern, chemical lightstick
• Spare batteries and bulbs
• Walkie talkie
• Whistle on lanyard
• Knife
• Toilet paper
• Sunblock
• Individually packed wet wipes
• Insect repellent
• Folding cot, or folding chair with footrest for sleeping
• Stuffable camp pillow
• Food, drink (1 ½ to 2 gallons of water per person minimum)
• Camera, film, batteries
• First aid kit, any medicines you may require
• Spare shirt with long sleeves
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Rope to tie things down with
• Trash bags for trash and to keep gear dry
• Spare change of clothes to leave in the car

Bring foods that don’t need to be cold to save valuable cooler space for beverages. Freeze a half-dozen pint water bottles for ice; you can drink them when they melt. Wear long pants, to protect you from the sun, and to provide warmth at night. It can get cool, especially in the wind. Bring an extra long sleeve shirt and dry pair of socks to change into when you want to sleep, along with a lightweight rain jacket or windbreaker. We got caught in the rain once before. You can double up on some gear. Not everyone needs a first aid kit. One lantern for two people is sufficient. One jetty cart should be able to accommodate enough gear for two people if you don’t overdo. Bring one cooler between you. Coordinate on other items. There are no facilities out there of any kind. If you don’t take it, you will have to do without.

If you have any questions, call: Bill Slough 826-6697 Good luck!!!