Grand Cayman Tarpon Fishing

Grand Cayman Tarpon Fishing is a thrilling experience that an avid angler should try at least once. Tarpons are known for their aggressive strikes, long, powerful runs, and jumps, making for an adrenaline-pumping fight. Grand Cayman is a great place to Tarpon fish, with the waters around Grand Cayman being home to some of the very large (100lb or more) Tarpon.

Anglers typically use bait or lures such as jigs, plugs, or flies to catch tarpon in Grand Cayman. The type of bait used often depends on the location and water conditions. Tarpons can be found in various habitats around Grand Cayman, including shallow flats, near-shore reefs, harbors, channels, and canals.

Harbors, Canals, and Channels

One of the most popular methods for Grand Cayman Tarpon fishing is sight casting in the canals, channels, and shallow flats. Cast just beyond a small school of Tarpon and retrieve your line slowly. Sight casting requires patience, skill, and a bit of luck, but it can result in some of the most thrilling catches.

Another productive technique is to chum the water. Chumming the water will attract multiple Tarpons, creating a feeding frenzy and making it much easier to hook up. You will bait your hook with bait similar to the chum, set it in the chum patch, and wait.

Hooking up a Tarpon is the easy part. Getting them to the boat is the real challenge.  Mostly, patience is the key. Try to rush it or increasing the drag will undoubtedly result in a lost fish. In addition, it is essential to keep the “Silver Kings” away from docks, rocks, and other obstructions.

Grand Cayman Tarpon – Catch and Release

Tarpon have no food value. Hence, they should be released to fight another day. The best way to release a Tarpon back with minimum trauma is to use circle hooks. Circle hooks inflict less trauma and are easy to remove. Everyone loves a picture, but do your best to minimize the time the fish is out of the water. Finally, gently put  (not throw or drop) the fish into the water and wait a few seconds for the fish to regroup and swim away.

The Flats

The flats around Grand Cayman’s North Sound are another popular spot for tarpon fishing. Here the preferred method is using light tackle or fly fishing gear. The flats around Barkers and Rum Point are good places to fish for these beautiful and strong fish.  Many fly fishing enthusiasts prefer to wade to target tarpon and bonefish.

Tarpon fishing in Grand Cayman is catch-and-release, as the species is not good to eat. This ensures that future generations of anglers will have the opportunity to experience the excitement of tarpon fishing in this beautiful location.

Overall, tarpon fishing in Grand Cayman is an unforgettable adventure that should be on every angler’s bucket list.

Fishcaymanislands charters love to target tarpon.  You can book a spot on our semi-private tarpon charters. If you are reef fishing, let the captain know you want to target tarpon.  He will take you to the fish and should have the gear you need onboard.