Single mode tapered optical fiber (TOF) is widely used to image sample surfaces in Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) because its resolution is not limited by optical diffraction. Resolution and signal-to-noise in NSOM is determined in large part by degree of laser mode transmission, the TOF cone angle and the TOF tip size. We adjust exposure time of single mode optical fiber to an HF/silicone-oil etchant to vary cone angle from 16 to 36 degrees and tip size from 250 nm to 1.2 microns. We examine the degree of laser mode transmission through TOF tips as a function of cone angle and tip size. We introduce a new method of coupling laser modes to surface polaritons by applying a gold coat of varying nanometer-scale thickness to the TOF. We report enhancements in near-field intensity measured at the gold-coated TOF tip due to concentrated polariton fields.