Here are a few tips to maximize your chances of landing a tarpon and avoiding sharks. Tune the Atom 54 to go sub surface as opposed to swimming on top. Fishing the 54 deep will get you less shark bite off's and eliminates the problem of pelican's dive bombing your lure. To achieve this simply bends the front eyelet upward at a 45-degree angle. This will cause the lure to plane downward upon retrieval, going three to four feet below the surface into the strike zone of the tarpon.
Sharks are notorious for beating a tarpon to a surface plug.
So remember, fish the 54 low and slow and you'll get more tarpon and less trouble. Just as important as sharpening your hooks is smashing down your barbs. Especially tarpon fishing. You may think this doesn't make sense considering tarpon jump a lot. But remember that hook penetration is key here.