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96th Annual Sarasota Tarpon Tournament

ATTENTION ANGLERS: We are looking forward to another great season in 2026. This year we celebrate our 96 consecutive year, make the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament the longest running Tarpon Tournament in America. Fishing begins May 9th, and will run through June 14th. The FISH OFF follows on Saturday, June 20th, with the first weather date, if needed, Saturday, June 27th. The Awards event will be held June 20th, following the Fish-Off at the Sarasota Outboard Club.

This years 96th Annual Tarpon Tournament Kick-Off Event will once again be held at Joyland, 8341 Lockwood Ridge Road, in Sarasota on Tuesday, May 5th. We will announce when the 2026 Online Registration becomes available. Sign up online and get a chance to win our door prize at kick off.

We are in the process of looking for sponsors and donations for our raffles. All proceeds go to the charities we will be supporting this season including Suncoast Charities for Children Coastal Conservation Association Florida & The Dennis V. Cooper foundation Wishes for Heros.

It’s because of talented anglers and the generosity of our sponsors that we’ve been able to kept this legendary tournament going for so long. As you know, we have a fantastic group of anglers who participate each year and many others who follow the tournament online so please get in touch if you would like to talk about a sponsorship.

The Tarpon Tournament has been an Annual Event here in Sarasota since 1930 and this year’s 2026 Edition marks the Tournament’s 96th year of sanctioned competition. Not only is this historic Tarpon Tournament an opportunity to participate in world-class fishing, it also supports the local community.

To do that the Tournament partners with selected non-profit organizations annually and donates a portion of the proceeds to those charitable organizations. This year those organizations include the Suncoast Charities for Children, the CCA and the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida.

For a Entry Fee of just $150, anglers not only compete for an overall winner tile, but also, weekly, junior, ladies, fly, most releases, and His & Her Divisions winner.

Weekly winners and winners of the fly division and most releases will all compete in a 2-day Fish-Off weekend to determine overall winner whose name is inscribed on the historic trophy.

If you’re looking to make new friends, have some fun, and test your angling skills, fish with us, and yours could be the next name on that trophy.

Tarpon are world-class game fish and are easy to access directly off Sarasota’s beautiful beaches. Described as one of the most exciting fish to catch, tarpon are known for spectacular leaps and determined fights — as a matter of fact, more battles seem to be won by the tarpon rather than the angler, making the reward of catching one momentous!

Entering the “World’s Oldest Tarpon Tournament” makes this ‘game’ even more exciting because anglers not only have the chance to compete against the Silver King, but also, their fellow anglers.