Tarpon fishing
in Matlacha.
Matlacha Pass is a narrow tidal gut by tarpon-fishery standards — nothing like Boca Grande's mile-wide, 70-foot pass. That's exactly why we love it. The fish funnel through tight water, which means closer shots and fewer boats. When Boca Grande is a parking lot in May, Matlacha is where we quietly put clients on the same migratory fish.
Tarpon fishing in Matlacha, Florida runs year-round, with peak action April through June as migratory schools push through Matlacha Pass on their way into Charlotte Harbor. Fly anglers target rolling fish in the 6–15-foot channel with 10- or 11-weight rods; backcountry juveniles hold in the creeks and bayous year-round on an 8-weight. RescueFly Charters runs Matlacha Pass tarpon trips from our Pine Island home port.
Updated April 2026 · Captain Stuart Behrens
Tarpon on the fly.
Matlacha tarpon fishing is close-quarters. The channel runs 6 to 15 feet through most of the pass, so rolling fish are rarely more than a long cast away. On the incoming tide I'll work dark patterns — Black Death, Tarpon Toads in purple and black — drifted across rolling pods. On the outgoing, brighter profiles show up better in the cleaner water. When migratory adults are through, we're running a 10- or 11-weight. The resident juvenile fishery in the back creeks fishes great on an 8-weight year-round.
Why Matlacha for tarpon?
Matlacha Pass is the eastern gateway to Pine Island Sound and one of the primary funnels feeding Charlotte Harbor. Every tarpon moving up the coast from Boca Grande en route to the Harbor has to squeeze through here. The pass is shallower and narrower than the famous Gulf passes — which concentrates fish, limits where they can hide, and keeps the fishery honest. You won't see the Boca Grande fleet here.
Tarpon are a catch-and-release fishery in Florida. A $50 tarpon tag is required only if you intend to take a fish from the water, which we never do.
Current rules: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission →
About tarpon fishing in Matlacha.
- How is tarpon fishing in Matlacha different from Boca Grande?
- Matlacha Pass is shallower, narrower, and far less crowded. The migratory fish that get pushed through Boca Grande funnel into Pine Island Sound via Matlacha — so you get a shot at the same class of fish without the Gulf-pass boat traffic. You also get the resident juvenile fishery right in the creeks, which Boca Grande doesn't have.
- When do migratory tarpon show up in Matlacha Pass?
- Late March is the early arrival. April through June is the real migration window — that's when the big bodies push through on their way up to Charlotte Harbor. July they're still around but more scattered.
- Can we fly fish for tarpon in Matlacha?
- Absolutely — and the shallower, narrower pass actually favors fly. You don't need a 70-foot cast into a 20-knot current. Most of our presentations are 40 to 60 feet into rolling pods. An 8-weight for juveniles, 10- or 11-weight for the migratory adults.
Other species we chase in Matlacha.
Chase tarpon at these locations too.
Ready to chase tarpon in Matlacha?
Limited dates each season. Reach out to lock in your charter.