5 minutes into my second ever tarpon trip I landed my first tarpon, instantly embarking on what seems like is going to be an obsession with real staying power!
For all you snowbirds, the Tarpon are bringing the smoke to the bait buffet that is funneling over the flats in the Islamorada area. For those of you willing to travel for the fishing experience of a lifetime, I highly recommend a trip to the keys to tangle with the “Silver King”.
While staying at beautiful Hawks Cay Resort, located on Duck Key, just south of Islamorada, I found myself in prime position to finally get a shot at hooking a fish that has always looked like it would be a blast to catch. As soon as the flights were set, and the dates were confirmed with Hawks Cay, I started making plans for little windows where I could sneak off on a charter.
I got my first taste of “Tarpon Fever” with Capt. Mike Makowski of Blackfoot Charters, where we hooked two quality fish in a four hour trip. A friend of mine, Danny Viera, who was down there for a wedding we were attending, shared the trip with me, and had the lucky hand getting the first bite. He ended up boating his first tarpon that went around 80 pounds and put on a show in the moonlight with one epic jump after another! Unfortunately for me, a gear failure cost me a shot at my first tarpon landed, but in the two minutes I was hooked up; I was hooked!
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long to get acquainted with this incredible gamefish. Fishing with Capt. Bou Bosso, of Capt. Bou Charters, out of Angler House Marina, just a short ride North from Hawks Cay, I was able to tie into several plus sized tarpon! Like striped bass, tarpon love to feed at night, and what a night we had! Drifting live crabs on an outgoing tide was the ticket, which produced 8 bites on our first 8 drifts! My advice to those of you looking for maximizing your chances at landing one of these prehistoric, drag burning, acrobatic beasts, is to fish at night. All of our bites occurred at night or early in the morning before first light.
The last bite of the night produced a real beauty, well over 100 pounds! The fight lasted all of an hour and didn’t leave us short on excitement as she dragged us through old bridge abutments, power lines, and through the Overseas Highway Bridge, where we landed her on the Atlantic side, completing an “Islamorada sleigh-ride” that started on the Gulf side.
It safe to say tarpon are truly a bucket-list quality fish, and after my first experience with these formidable foes, I can assure you that it won’t be my last! I can’t shake the noise they make when they exit the water for show-stopping leaps, nor can I stop thinking about the visual that accompanies it. Both are permanently burned into my memory. I can’t wait to get back down to do it again, and truth be told I’ve already started plotting a return trip for next spring!
Caught one on my trip to the Keys this year not my first but I remember my first like it was yesterday. The hard take, the screaming drag, the fantastic jumps, and the “sleigh-ride” for an hour with your muscles burning. Your right about “Tarpon Fever”. once you’ve experienced it, you can’t wait for the next time.
Right on Dave! Such a cool fishery, and a fight that doesn’t seem like it could ever get old! Thanks