# Live baiting



## Huachele (Apr 19, 2009)

Anyone live bait for tarpon?

What are the prefered baits/methods?

I imagine big mullet are probably best. Would croaker, piggies, hardtails, etc... Work?


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

My recommendation is to try to determine what species of the bait is the area, and go with that. Sounds obvious I know...


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## BrandonFox (Jan 8, 2013)

Go small if the usual large mullet are not getting it done. Small finger mullet (3") can be deadly, on a lighter leader to keep the natural look.


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## Huachele (Apr 19, 2009)

I wonder if Texas Tarpon eat crabs like their Florida cousins.


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## BrandonFox (Jan 8, 2013)

Huachele said:


> I wonder if Texas Tarpon eat crabs like their Florida cousins.


Yep.


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## tcbayman (Apr 27, 2006)

I hooked up this summer using a live bull shrimp. Biggest tarpon Ive ever seen in the wild much less hooked. Too bad it was on my trout rod, got two jumps then he was gone, still one of the highlights of my summer.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

We used to catch them with anything that wiggled and could support a big circle hook. Never tried catfish though, but that's all they use down in Mexico. You just need a castnet and learn to throw it, if you're getting into tarpon fishing.


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## Rmm (Jun 7, 2013)

Dove with a bunch of them in bonaire a few years ago. In the daytime they mainly suspended in 40-80 feet of water. At night they came up on the shallow flats less than 20 feet. Big ones would swim right beside you and hunt small fish in your light. We had a blast spotlighting fish for them and trying to video them feeding. They were picky about what they would eat.


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