Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County

[basslovr]

Anybody fish Lake Tarpon lately that is willing to share some information? It will be greatly appreciated....

[Pirouge]

I fish Lake Tarpon , but don't have much luck there. I do much better at Alligator Lake in Safety Harbor. Zoom Junebug lizard works best for me there.

[gar-tracker]

Probably my least favorite lake in Florida.

Look for those sunk bails of hay and structure the G&F put out there.

[masterbaiter99]

Fished it on Saturday, I live about 5 miles from the lake so it is kinda my home lake. Was a struggle until the weather changed just a tad and then they turned on a bit. Ended up with 5 fish in about an hour once the weather changed and the storm started rolling in. Am thinking the barometer moved. Caught them all on a Sexy Shad Red Eye Trap working the outer edge of the grass lines on the NE banks. Find the hydrilla and grass and work around them. My big one Saturday was about 4.5lbs.

[basslovr]

Thanks for the tips guys.....

"I fish Lake Tarpon , but don't have much luck there.  I do much better at Alligator Lake in Safety Harbor.  Zoom Junebug lizard works best for me there. "

Alligator Lake huh?...I fished there once and didn't have much luck...It's not a very big place....I fished behind the homes around the docks.......used zoom worms and Berkley centipedes...caught a couple but not any size.....where do you fish when you go there?

[Pirouge]

I've caught them all around the perimeter. On the West side by the houses is good, but I usually go straight out from the ramp towards Ruth Eckerd.

I tie up to one of the pilings holding the 'No Boats' signs and cast towards the big bird sancuary island.

Just past the island and going towards Ruth Eckerd on both sides is good. On the West bank there are two dead trees sticking up and I get some top water action there around dusk. Continuing South the lake bends around to the right and that point is good.

I don't catch any heavey weights there, but it's close to home and easy to launch and park.

[basslovr]

Thank you sir....monday is my birthday and I'm takin the day off from work to go fishing. My brother is letting me borrow his kayak and that sounds like a good place to go. I live only a few minutes from there and have wanted to fish there again. I'll let ya know how I do. Thanks again for the info.....

[Pirouge]

I'll be out there after 5:00pm, so if you see a blue aluminum semi V with bow and stern trolling motors, but no gas engine, say 'Hi". I never have much luck there during the heat of the day, but the last two hours before sunset things start jumping.

[Gomer Pyle]

I've fished Tarpon Lake a few times...I'm not very impressed. :-/ I have found quite a few lakes in Pinellas county to fish. Some of these lakes are residential lakes that you would have to seek out permission from a resident to fish or launch a kayak from. I fish about 8 different lakes here and 5 of those lakes always produce fish. Some of these lakes are quite large, while others are very small bodies of water, maybe 100yds long by 30yd wide. I've said before, I believe the next record Florida LMB will be caught in a lake like these that pretty much go unnoticed. Do a Google Earth search for all the bodies of water in Pinellas...you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of lakes in this area that are fishable.

[Pirouge]

Beckett Lake off Sunset Point looks good. Anybody ever fish that?

[basslovr]

I pass it all the time, but how do you get in there to fish it? I don't know anybody that lives on it and there seems to be a fence most of the way around it.....It does look like a good fishery....

[Gomer Pyle]

I've fished Becket Lake a few times, there's alot of potential in that lake. I went with a buddy in his small John boat and we launched from the end of the parking lot on the north end of the lake...right next to that retirement building. You will have to carry your boat, kayak, or canoe about 80+ yds down a little path..through some wooded area to the waters edge. We caught maybe 10-12 LMB...the biggest being maybe 2 lbs. I believe there are some big fish there...just gotta find them....

[basslovr]

Does that retirement place allow you to park there legally, or did you have to "sneak" in?

[basslovr]

fished Alligator Lake yesterday (monday) from 7 am til about 2. Was there probably 3 hours too long. Had no luck towards Ruth Eckerd...didn't catch anything until I turned around and went east towards the canals and homes......caught 8 fish altogether. 4 "keeper" size with the biggest about 2 pounds...all caught on Zoom junebug finesse worms texas rigged with no weight. Went home when little black algae balls started floating to the surface. Did see some surface action that had to be good size chasing baitfish.....would like to go back when the weather turns a little.

[Pirouge]

I pulled into the retirement home parking lot on the North end of Lake Beckett and there were plenty of no tresspassing / private property signs between the parking lot and the woods leading to the lake.  It also looks like a chore getting through the woods to the water dragging a kayak or canoe.  

[basslovr]

Ok, we had our night tournament out on the lake last night, and boy was it tough.....only 8 out of 20 caught fish.....1st place was 4 fish for a little over 6 lbs. Big fish of the tournament was 4.4 lbs. caught at 10:30 pm on a chrome n blue sexy shad (my boater). I blanked. only one bite and my drag was too loose, so I lost her. See the correlation there? The fish we "found" earlier in the week were not where we found them, or if they were there, they didn't want the same thing as they did the first time.

[tallonejosh]

Hey, Does anyone know of a great place to catch bass near becket lake in clearwater. I have been fishing in becket lake but got yelled at the other day for fishing there. So if anyone knows of a place near becket lake with an abundance of large bass please post back.