Well it’s about what we like to call ‘prime time’ for tarpon fishing here in the Florida Keys! We had some slick calm weather a couple days ago and there were thousands of tarpon in the backcountry and thousands showing up locally around the bridges, channels, and ocean atlantic side… almost everywhere you looked there were tarpon! April is one of the best months to fish here for them and the mullet run coincides with this timeframe which is the bait of choice for tarpon. We often go out early and catch bait or buy it when we have to to give you all the best shot at catching fish. Bait is part of the game and can definitely make or break your day but April is often nice because the bait is usually still pretty easy to catch. Sometimes later in late May/June it gets tougher on that front for sure but every year is different.
Anyways Capt. Trent who has been running our 18′ skiff this season has been doing pretty good. He’s been mixing it up a lot of trips but the last three trips all yielded nice tarpon catches for his anglers along with large nurse sharks, lemon sharks, rays, groupers, and cubera snappers. He’s also been catching a lot of nice mangrove snapper for clients for a little hook & hook, and a few resident snook as well. He’s got plenty of availability still in April and he along with my team of guys will be working together to keep the bait stocked up and in the know as far as where the best tarpon fishing is.
I’m also happy to announce Capt. Stephen Byrd is joining the team and will be running my boat for me on my off days (usually Friday & Saturday right now) and will also soon be available for evening trips just about any evening (the 4 pm to 8 pm window). Right now we have most Friday and Saturdays available the next few months with him. He’ll still be available at my older rate not my new seasonal rate too which you can find info on that on my charter FAQ page.
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
YouTube: Bud n’ Mary’s Marina
