07 Aug 2025
Went out with the wife and two daughters. First time Tarpon fishing. 23’ skiff. Fished maybe 5 minutes from dock in lagoon. Caught an 80 lb tarpon, a 20-30 lb tarpon, and a really big Crevalle Jack in 4 hours. Fights were 30 min, 15 min, and 5-10 min. Guide worked hard to help us land them, and gave us instruction during the fights. We had a great time and would definitely recommend. Side note, you can’t take tarpon over 40 inches out of the water in order to protect them (their internal organs are damaged by the gravity), so the photos you see of people holding them in the boat are older. But, getting it to the side of the boat is just as big a rush, and still good photos. Light tackle was 7’ rod, 5000 series reel, and it was a lot of fun on that size equipment. Guide had water and PowerAde for us on boat. Dock was right outside San Juan, easily accessible from San Juan, Loiza, Carolina, Rio Grande, etc…Highly recommend a trip to Old Harbor Brewing for food and drink after.