Women remember their first.

Like our male counterparts, female anglers, too, find the lure of BIG fish simply to great to ignore. Join me on a brief adventure as I recap my personal quest for a true trophy.

If you've ever had the muscle-aching privilege of hooking a giant tarpon, then you know the shear exhilaration and breathtaking thrill that comes along with testing yourself and your tackle to the very limits in a battle against one of the most sought after game fish in the world. Hard-fighting and hard-jumping, glamorous silver kings rule the inshore waterways!

When I originally relocated to Florida quite a few years ago, I quickly became very passionate about saltwater fishing. While I enjoyed freshwater fishing in past years in my home state, this was a whole new world with limitless boundaries and fantastic possibilities. It also didn’t take me long to realize that on the top of my angling agenda would be to hook and land a monster tarpon - a true trophy that could potentially weigh twice as much as I do. Living near the world famous Boca Grande Pass – the undisputed tarpon capital of the world - I guess you can say that I caught ‘tarpon fever’ early on and knew for sure that with enough persistence, my day would come. Till this day, I can vividly recall every moment of my very first experience with a giant silver king because the surreal encounter still feels as if it occurred only yesterday.

As my hunt for a trophy tarpon approached, my adrenalin was high and I was filled with anticipation. I had gone up against many great fish in the past, but never anything like this. I knew I would need arms of steel and unlimited endurance to battle such a worthy adversary. For days before my first tarpon trip, I was lectured to always remember to “bow to the king” when the fish explodes out of the water in its raging fury. I recall lying awake the night before the big day visualizing tarpon rolling on the surface and wondering what it was going to be like setting the hook into one of these giant silvery fish. I remember thinking how exciting it would be to witness a giant shimmering beauty blast out of the water in a frothy mix of white water. Little did I know that my dreams would soon be reality?

Only minutes after setting up in the guide’s favorite hot spot a pod of massive-size fish came casually rolling by. A few casts later and suddenly, I found myself hooked up with a huge tarpon estimated at well over 150 pounds! I could hardly speak a word as I was so in-tune with what was happening at the other end of my line. Everything I had heard or imagined was true. But still, nothing could have ever prepared me for this. The shear power and determination this possessed simply could not be explained in words. I do however, remember blurting, “If I land this monster, I am going to jump in with it!”

While I did my best to bow as my fish commenced on its acrobatic displays, I was overwhelmed with the instructions being shouted at me from every direction…“Pull up”…”Steady pressure”…”Not so much tension”…”Get ready to bow.”  

At the time, none of these directions made much sense, but I knew I had better listen if I wanted to stand any chance at winning the fight of my life.

With my arms and back taking a beating, my hands literally turned blue from clinching the rod so tightly. Nevertheless, none of that seemed to matter now; all I was concerned with was landing my first trophy tarpon and claiming victory against the largest fish I have ever hooked. I was warned well in advance that most encounters with tarpon this size end in the fish’s favor, so while I knew what may very well happen, I kept my expectations high. The drawn-out, tug-of-war battle was long, strenuous and challenging, but in the end I emerged victorious. I am sure that every angler fishing Boca Grande Pass that day will remember the crazy girl who was screaming and shouting and jumping up and down as if she had just won the lottery. In my eyes, I did win the lottery - the trophy tarpon lottery.

From that day on I learned that tarpon fishing – especially when really big tarpon are a possibility - requires extreme patience and discipline. I have also since learned that just because you see tarpon around the boat does not mean they are going to bite. And when you do get one to strike, it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to land your fish. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. Big tarpon don’t get big by making mistakes. These magnificent fish have lots of tricks up their sleeve and have mastered the art of shaking a hook. Since that very first monster, I have had the privilege of catching and releasing close to a hundred of these powerful prehistoric predators in just about every size out of the many more that I have hooked. I am still hoping to one day connect with a giant that truly compares with the current world-record of 286 pounds! I know I can take him. Until then, I will keep trying.

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