AS SEEN IN THE SPRING 2004 ISSUE

Tarpon, the epitome of fly fishing success

Forty feet must have seemed like a hundred for Bob. But the fly rolled over and landed like a flower petal on a pond. “Strip, strip, strip,” I whispered. Bobs’ stripping hand mimicked the tempo. The log came to life at the passing of the fly. Twenty feet away we saw a bright flash and the water gushed. The line came tight. Loose coils sprang from the deck. A moment later the reels’ spool was a blur. Somewhere in between, Bob and I remembered to breathe. Two hundred feet out, one hundred pounds of silver mayhem broke the surface for the first of a series of wild acrobatics. Bob dropped the rod tip with every jump to relieve the pressure with slack.

For the next forty minutes we remained in the throws of a slugfest. I’m not sure who won the fight, but I can definitely say that they will both live to fight another day. This scene will be played out all over South Florida from February until as late as June. There are many methods that we use to catch giant tarpon. But fly fishing for resting tarpon has to be the most exciting tarpon scenario an angler will play out.

February signals the beginning of the tarpon migration, which starts in the Keys. The first tarpon in southwest Florida show up in the rivers and bays of the backcountry to south of Chokoloskee. Soon they will make their way into the 10,000 Islands. By March, April, and May, schools of tarpon will be pursued down the coast from Fort Myers to the Keys. The Naples, Marco and Ten thousand Island areas will get more than their share of attention. Serious anglers and guides alike will be infected with tarpon fever. Most of us are already starting to get our gear ready in anticipation.

Tarpon will be anywhere from five miles offshore to the innermost backcountry bays. They often like to show themselves by quietly rolling in the passes. Tarpon have a crude lung which they use to obtain a supplemental oxygen supply. The more active a tarpon is, the more air it will sip to get an extra helping of energy. These fish have made a long journey on their annual migration to our area. They are lean and mean. Even so, many of them will tip the scales at well over one hundred fifty pounds. Their main objective is to feed on our vast supply of mullet and other baitfish species. As spring progresses, the tarpon will follow their urge to spawn, which occurs well offshore. The fry are at the whim of the wind and currents which will carry them to the innermost reaches of the backcountry. It is in the small creeks, pools, and sloughs where baby tarpon will grow large enough to repeat this age old process.

Tarpon will suspend motionless in shallow bays that dead end off of major passes that are scattered throughout the Everglades National Park and the Ten Thousand Islands. They may lay up in coves adjacent to major passes throughout the islands. It is possible to see a fish over one hundred pounds just below the surface with a good pair of polarized sunglasses. Tarpon will often lay high on the surface, but it is more likely that they will lie on the bottom.  We often throw flies from 10 to 12 wt rods to the fish in conditions like this. In these places stealth is a must. Guides will quietly pole the boat a few feet at a time while scanning the area for dark shapes on the bottom or near the surface. It is not uncommon to miss seeing a tarpon and actually pole over the fish. This often results in “blowing out” the fish, and leaves the angler and guide a little rattled.

Locating laid up tarpon is not as hard as it may seem. Large passes are scattered throughout the Ten Thousand Islands and the Everglades National Park. South of Chokoloskee there are major rivers that lead deep into the backcountry. Here you will find numerous bays and coves where the water rarely exceeds three feet deep. It is hard to see tarpon lying on the bottom in water deeper than a couple of feet. However, there are plenty of fish that float just below the surface. It is the same way in the quiet coves and bays that are adjacent to most of the major passes in the Ten Thousand Islands.

Once you have spotted a fish, it is important to find out which end is his head. Many times these fish will appear as just a dark outline in the water. If it is too hard to determine which end he eats from, remember that the tail almost always floats closer to the surface. Tarpon don’t always spook easily, and if you are careful you can often position the boat for the optimum cast. Experience is the best teacher. Often your guide will be able to recognize the attitude of the fish. Tarpon will give subtle signals to let you know whether he has detected your presence. The best shot is when the tarpon is facing towards you. In that position you can throw the fly right at him or off to the corners of his head. It is important that you let the fly reach the level of his vision. The depth of your fly depends on where the fish is in the water column. If you have to take a shot when the fish is perpendicular to you, the best shot is to lay the fly down a few feet past the fish and a couple of feet in front of him. One thing is for sure, most laid up tarpon love to eat a fly. If the cast is proper, expect a strike. Often the fish will hunker down and disappear after you begin your strip. Never stop the strip until the leader is coming through the guides. A client of mine actually had a tarpon eat the fly at the tip of the rod. He hit with such force that it separated the two piece rod. Luckily the fish got away so that we could get the upper half of the rod back.

Once the fish takes the fly, use your striping hand to jab the fish while you sweep the rod slightly. The new hooks now used pierce much better than before, so don’t over power your hook set. Many fish are lost at this moment because the angler has too much adrenaline coursing through his veins. Clearing the line properly is probably the most important task of the whole process. Try to remain cool and keep your eyes on your loose line. I have anglers push the butt of the fly rod into their forearm. Rotate the reel so that its handle is facing the sky. This keeps the fly line from being able to get caught in the butt of the rod or the handle of the reel as it comes off the deck.

When you are clearing loose line, let the fly line slip through your fingers with slight pressure. If you grip the line too hard, it will cause the line to jump off the deck. This jumping action is a major reason why so many tarpon are lost due to line tangles in the equipment. Let the line glide through your fingers as you bring it to the spool.

The line is on the spool and is peeling at an alarming rate. Your heart is flapping like a flag in a forty mile an hour wind. But the fish is on. Here I like to see my angler keep his rod at about a forty five degree angle. If the fish hasn’t jumped yet, he will. When the fish jumps, drop rod to the water and push it forward. You have just bowed to the king. By dropping the rod and shoving it forward, you relieve the pressure by giving slack, thus avoiding a break off from the fish’s violent actions and dead weight. Remember to bow to the fish with every jump. There are many techniques to use to shorten the length of the fight. It is a whole subject in itself. One important thing to remember is to fight the fish with the butt of the rod. Point the rod at the fish and roll with your hips as you crank in chunks of line. Try not to use the tip of rod by going vertical. There is no power there. If you are with a guide, he will coach you along the way.

There are many fly rods to choose from. You can use nine foot, ten to fifteen weight rods that come in two or more pieces. There are also now manufacturers that make one piece rods. Overall, most anglers targeting the silver king use twelve weight rods. Personally, I have always used two piece twelve weight rods. I have traveled all over the place with two piece rods and have never had an incident. I have heard many horror stories from clients about stolen or broken equipment. With multi piece rods, you can even carry them with you on a plane. The choice is up to you.

Fly reels are probably the most important piece of equipment you will need. They must have a line capacity of a minimum of two hundred yards. Most reels designed for tarpon hold much more. With the new gel spun poly backings, it is possible to gain much more line capacity on reels because of the lines’ small diameter.

Fly lines are another consideration. In the past, most anglers used intermediate sinking weight forward lines. These lines help keep the fly tracking level. It is the line that I have always used. The problem with them is that they are hard to pick up out of the water for a recast. There are sink tip lines available now. The last ten to fifteen feet of line are clear and they sink at a slow rate. Many anglers and guides alike are using regular weight forward floating lines. These lines allow the angler to make easier pickups when they have to make another cast. Often the tarpon are not very deep in the water column, so these fly lines work fine given that most leader systems are at least nine feet long. Leader systems are a whole subject in it self. There are many books available on the how to build them with the appropriate knots. Water clarity and size of fish bring on a whole plethora of arguments on the subject.

We tend to use darker fly patterns in the Everglades and 10,000 Islands because the water is often slightly to heavily stained.  I am partial to a fly that I use in Cost Rica that was invented by the late Harry Kime. It is red and black with bead chain eyes. The Black Death and Cock Roaches are also both good producers. Basically, anything tied in red and black or purple and black should do the trick. It is the sharp contrast of the dark fly in our stained water that will get the tarpons’ attention.

There are super sharp hooks on the market today. Most of them are chemically sharpened. I like to tie my flies on 3/0 Aki fly hooks made by Owner. There are fine hooks by other manufacturers as well. Most leading retailers carry tarpon flies that are made with these style of hooks. Chemically sharpened hooks do away with the tedious process of hand sharpening. We found that these hooks greatly increased our ratio of keeping fish hooked while fishing in Florida as well as recording big numbers in Costa Rica.

Get the big guns ready because the silver rush is at our door. If you are a fly fisherman and you don’t have a tarpon under your belt, you need to get started pursuing one now. The tarpon is truly an angling milestone. For those of you who have already caught one or many, I know you can’t wait for the next. I’ll see you on the water. 

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