Tarpon in Port Gentil

If you’re planning Tarpon Fishing in Port Gentil, understand this early. The ocean shapes your week.

We welcomed back a group of Zimbabwean anglers who have fished with us at several of our destinations. These are seasoned fishermen. They know that big tarpon demand patience and that every tide window counts.

That mindset set the tone.

A Slow Build to the Week

Big weather pushed through as the group arrived, which meant we had to sit tight initially. Guests stay at the hotel right on the shoreline here, and each morning the guides collect them with the skiffs directly off the beach. When the sea stands up, we simply wait it out.

No drama. Just part of fishing on the Atlantic coast of Gabon.

The upside is that when the weather settles, it often resets the system. Once we were back on the water, we found the sea still carrying a bit of movement and colour from the blow. That meant adjusting our approach.

We stuck to intermediate lines to stay in the feeding zone and focused on precise drifts through the likely channels rather than rushing between spots. The bites started coming.

Not everything stayed connected. There were good eats, solid jumps, and more than a few fish that came unstuck. A couple of those were serious fish.

The Four-Hour Tarpon

One fish will be talked about for a long time.

Hooked clean on an intermediate line and fought properly from the outset. The angler settled in and did everything right. The guides managed the skiff carefully, keeping angles clean and pressure constant.

Four hours later, the tarpon rolled on its side boatside.

You could feel what it was.

Likely one of the biggest tarpon ever hooked on fly at this fishery. The angler was exhausted. The fish was done.

Then one head shake.

The hook pulled free.

She kicked once and slid back into the green water.

There is something about losing a fish like that which is hard to explain. You replay it. You measure it in your mind. You wonder. Then you accept that you were part of something exceptional, even without the photograph.

That is tarpon fishing at this level.

Momentum Turns

By day four, the water cleaned up properly and the fish began to show more consistently. We tightened our positioning on key tide windows and stayed disciplined with depth on the intermediate lines.

The group kept executing. No rushing shots. No sloppy boat work. Just steady, focused fishing.

You could sense the shift.

Catch of the Week: 100lb on the Final Day

The final day delivered properly.

Tarpon were present in strong numbers and feeding once we found them. All five anglers landed fish across the day. After a week of close calls, that result meant something.

Dave, a very experienced angler, left it to late in the day. After we landed Conrad’s fish and reset the drift, he stepped up.

Two casts.

Solid eat.

He fought the fish calmly for just over an hour, managing pressure perfectly on the intermediate setup. When the fish came to the boat, it was a true 100lb tarpon.

After the week he had endured, that landing felt fitting.

What This Fishery Demands

Tarpon in Port Gentil will test your patience and your technique. You can lose giants. You can wait on weather. You can have days where nothing sticks.

Then, in a single tide window, everything comes together.

If you’re serious about experiencing Tarpon in Port Gentil for yourself, get in touch with us and let’s start planning your trip.