Tarpon migration calendar.
Tarpon migrate northward each spring along the SE Atlantic and Gulf coasts, peaking on the SW Florida coast May–July. Fish sight-cast crabs during palolo worm hatches; live mullet, threadfin, or pinfish off the beach during migration. Keep them in the water and revive them properly — they fight to exhaustion.
Stable but slow-growing — adult tarpon are managed as a catch-and-release fishery in Florida and most of their US range. Tournament catch-and-keep requires a tag.
Where the tarpon are this year
Region-by-region presence. Sorted by current month — regions where tarpon are at peak or good status this month appear first.
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama & Mississippi Coast Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Central Florida East Coast South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| Florida Nature Coast & Big Bend Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Florida Panhandle Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Louisiana Coast Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Southeast Florida South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| Southwest Florida & Everglades Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Tampa Bay & Charlotte Harbor Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Texas Lower Coast & Laguna Madre Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Texas Middle Coast Gulf Coast | ||||||||||||
| Georgia Coast South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| Northeast Florida South Atlantic | ||||||||||||
| South Carolina Coast South Atlantic |
Temperature triggers
- Preferred: 75–88°F
- Avoid below: 70°F
- Avoid above: 92°F
Read the water temperature, not the calendar — fish move when the water hits these thresholds, not when the date does.
Primary baitfish
- Threadfin herring
- Mullet
- Crabs (during palolo worm hatch)
- Pinfish
Predators follow prey. Track the bait — find the bait, find the tarpon.
Regulation & sources
Florida requires a Tarpon Tag ($50+) to harvest a tarpon — typically used only for IGFA record certification. Effectively catch-and-release in all US waters.
Track tarpon arrivals on your coast.
Bield: Fish notifies you when water temperatures and bait movements line up for your home region — so you're on the water the day they show up, not the week after.