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live HardHeads as Tarpon Bait???

7K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  Ryan H. 
#1 ·
I have come across several articles talking about how live hardheads make great tarpon bait. Has anyone ever tried using them on here? Just curious if they work as good as they say they do or if it is just a florida thing?
 
#4 ·
not worth the trouble, they feed on shad and mullet. There are massive schools of shad out front and very easy to catch with a sabiki. i prefer lures, otherwise you spend the day fighting massive sharks, jacks and bull reds. :texasflag
I was hoping to drift with crab to avoid the sharks. I will only be fishing the days it’s to rough to cruise the beach. On the days it’s calm enough to cruise the beach I’m usually offshore fishing. So Usually when I’m out it’s muddy water on which ever surf side of the jetties is protected

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#9 ·
The only fish that I've heard of people specifically using hardheads as bait for are bull sharks and cobia. I've never heard of them as tarpon bait, but who knows?

One night several years ago, I decided to try hardheads as bait - I clipped the dorsal and pectoral spines and nicked the tail, and wound up catching several huge crevalle jack, all over 20 lbs, off the end of the Port Aransas jetty.
 
#10 ·
I assume you are talking about hard head croakers, not catfish.

I use hard head croakers a lot in Florida for Tarpon. Friday I went 4-10 on tarpon using hard heads and one was on a pilchard. If you have Silver trout or weakfish, they make a great bait too. I use them year round when I can get them. When they are feeding on glass minnows or pilchards, sometimes its good to give them something different they like to eat!
 
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