2013 is here and it’s never to early to start planning your Boca Grande Tarpon Fishing Charter. The following is a list of the “Hill Tide” dates for 2013 based on the Full and New moons for Boca Grande Tarpon Fishing.
Please Note: The “Hill Tides” are NOT the only time to catch Tarpon! They are simply very consistent times based on the tides. The Tarpon fishing is just as good the rest of the season but it involves a bit more searching as the fish are not all in the passes to feed on the afternoon tides.
May 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13
May 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27
June 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
June 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25
July 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
Most “Hill Tide” trips start in the afternoon from 2pm – 8pm. These times coincide with the strongest part of the out going tide. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the “Hill Tide” here is a brief description.
Hill Tide Boca Grande Tarpon Fishing
The Boca Grande area is considered by many to be “Ground Zero” for the Tarpon spawn in early summer. Every year we see a crab flow around the full and new moons of May, June and July that drives the Tarpon INSANE! Most years during the spring tides of the full and new moon, hundreds of thousands of “pass crabs” are washed out from Charlotte Harbor en-route to spawn. During this natural phenomenon, the tarpon cruise well inside the pass to an area called “The Hill.” During a good hill tide, countless Tarpon are whipped into a feeding frenzy as vulnerable crabs are plentiful and make for easy prey. Picture a school of Bass or Bluefish terrorizing a school of baitfish on the surface of the water. Now picture the same thing, except make these fish between 60 and 200+lbs! They rarely turn down a properly presented live crab as bait and double or even triple hookups are not uncommon during these feeding frenzies. Hill tides are fairly easy to predict based on a combination of full/new moons and strong outgoing tides that take place late in the day. Some of the most memorable Boca Grande tarpon fishing charters in recent years have taken place during “The Hill” tides.
