The Last Laugh

For years I’ve been a dedicated sailfish angler, that is, until a close friend took me down to Islamorada to wade the bay side flats for tarpon. As soon as I released my first ‘poon, I was hooked on silver kings. Watching those prehistoric monsters leisurely roll has become an addiction. My newly set goal was to catch & release a triple digit fish, as my largest tarpon to date was an estimated 50 pounds.

It seemed like no matter what I threw, flies, jigs, or plugs, I could never get the big boys to eat. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy consistently catching fish just about every time I went out, but they were all in that cookie cutter 30 to 50 pound range. Sure, that’s great fishing, but with hundred to two hundred pound giants roaming these waters, I wanted a real trophy.

The bread and butter of my offshore success has always been kite fishing. Not to brag, but I consider myself a kite fishin’ sailfish master. I’ve caught not only many sailfish, but the whole gamut of pelagic species off my kites. And if all those fish were caught under my kite, I figured then why not a trophy tarpon too? But I was soon to find out that I was sorely mistaken about my mastership of wind, kite and fish.

Now since I don’t have a flats boat, I figured wading with the kite would be my next best approach. I’m a fairly creative person, so I decided to apply some mechanical ingenuity and constructed a flats kite-outfit. The first problem I encountered was where to put the kite reel.  I eventually constructed a mechanized spool for the kite line that attached to a specialized, battery powered belt. I spooled the reel with kite string and decided to use a downsized, modified version of my favorite offshore kite.  I chose my favorite spinning rod to use with the setup and was well on my way to success. Or so I thought.

All I had to do was wait for the perfect day with a perfect breeze. Unfortunately it was the dog days of summer and there was no wind to be found. I spent that time fine tuning and testing my new invention and was satisfied that the gear was in top mechanical condition. When the winter finally rolled around, the breeze kicked up and the long anticipated shrimp  run commenced. I’ve heard that the moon phase can cause tides to carry shrimp on and off the flats, so I waited for the best possible conditions for my initial endeavor.

A promising day finally arrived. The forecast called for a light breeze, and a strong tide running in the channel next to my favorite flat. I headed down to my local bait shop, but forgot that ol’ Joe only carried offshore tackle. This was new for me, having to find a place to purchase a handful of jumbo shrimp for my experiment. I finally found a rundown shop on the side of Highway 1 that had more shrimp than I could use in a year.  I hand picked a half dozen of the largest I could find, dropped them in my trusty shrimp bucket and was on my way. I noticed that the attendant winked at me on my way out the door. I don’t know whether it was because I told him my plan, or because he thought I was absolutely nuts. 

Anyway, I had already scouted my destination and parked my pickup a short walk away. I had everything I needed: my kite, my rod, my orange and white shrimp bucket, and my lucky fishing hat. I waded onto the flat and proceeded until I got about fifty feet from where the hip deep edge dropped into the deeper channel. I’d heard good reports from the previous day and the tide was running swiftly. I could sense imminent success was in store.

With the push of a button I eased my kite up and into the breeze. Its bright red body was a perfect compliment to the pale blue sky. I affixed my fishing line to the release clip and sent the helpless bait aloft. The jumbo shrimp looked so magnificent bobbing gently on the surface below the kite, that I knew no tarpon could resist the crustacean’s allure. I knew it wouldn’t be long, and sure enough within just minutes a pod of huge tarpon came rolling through the channel.

A few heart pounding moments later, the granddaddy of the pack eyed up my dangling shrimp and wasn’t going to deny the easy meal. He approached, and in one quick gulp slurped down the shrimp. I had imagined this moment in my mind a thousand times. Just as I had planned, the kite release clip popped, the line came tight, I set the hook, and the reel screamed! The enormous tarpon took off like a freight train. I estimated the monstrous, silvery fish at over 120 pounds as he leaped six feet into the air. I unclipped the mechanical reel from my waist, pulled out the retractable ‘leg’ and staked the contraption into the sandy bottom. I was now free of obstructions to chase my trophy. 

Just up wind of my position, I could see two other anglers with their jaws dropped, staring in disbelief. These were the same two anglers who only a short while earlier, were laughing hysterically as I sent my kite up toward the heavens. To make a long story short, an exhausting hour later I released my ultimate trophy. I don’t know exact what the giant fish weighed, but I know for sure he was over a hundred! Wading back toward my truck, I remember thinking ‘who’s laughing now’.