Juvi Tarpon- No matter the size of these fish, they will get your heart pumping! My two favorite ways to target them are with artificial lures and flies. For spinning tackle, I generally use a 3-4000 FFP size reel with a 7 ft. Med.-Heavy Fast Action rod, spooled them with 15-20 lb. Yo-Zuri braided line accompanied by a 20-30 lb. fluorocarbon leader. Then, I like to use soft-plastics like the Monster 3 X and hard baits like the Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow 70 SP. For fly fishing I like to use a 6-8 wt. 9 ft. rod with a 3-Tand T-Series reel to match the rod with a RIO WF Floating line accompanied by a tapered leader. Length changes depending on where and how I am targeting them but, I still use a 20-30 lb. tippet. And for flies, small minnow imitations and gurglers work great.
Adult Poons- These fish will test you both mentally and physically!! There is no mistaking when you hook one of these giants because you are about to be on the craziest sleigh ride of your life! You are at the complete mercy of the fish until it either comes off or you after you release it. When targeting these fish, I like to use a 6-8000 FFP size spinning reels with a 8 ft. Heavy Fast Action rod. I spool them with 40-60 lb. Yo-Zuri braided line accompanied by a 60-80 lb. Fluorocarbon leader. I use 2 or 3-X strong hooks with the right size to match your bait. Most of the time I use different live baits depending on what part of the season it is. Fly fishing-wise I beef up to 10-12 wt. set up with a WF Floating or slow sinking line. Also, beefing up the leader with a 40-50 lb. tippet. And for flies, different type bunny flies seem to work well.
If you do decide to give this a go, please know your physical endurance and ALWAYS wear a life vest! And please NEVER do it out of a kayak by yourself because it’s just not safe for you or the fish… I know you’ll be exhausted after fighting this fish BUT, always do your best to get a safe healthy release of the fish. They are the future of our fishery.Tight lines and Tight knots to everyone!