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Photo by Jenni Bennett
An airborne tarpon shows his mighty fury.
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By Capt. Mark Bennett
Tarpon report
The tarpon fishing has been consistent this week despite
the wind from that last front. This week, we have been
catching tarpon along the flats and beaches. With the
hard east wind early in the week, it made the bays
choppy but the beaches were beautiful. Not a lot of pods
out there yet, but the ones that have been there have
been large.
Bonito, mackerel bountiful
There have been lots of bonito around the bell buoys.
Spanish Mackerel have been everywhere. I have seen lots
of mackeral around the harbor, Pine Island sound and
along the beaches. All of the bars along the channel in
Pine Island Sound have been holding some of the biggest
trout I’ve have ever seen. I talked to a couple of
guides who have been fishing for trout down in the sound
and they said they have been averaging 20” or better. I
still have been seeing a lot of cobia while tarpon
fishing.
Fighting a tarpon Part 3: Releasing a tarpon
Last week, we talked about fighting a tarpon and getting
one boat side. Now you have him at the boat, now what?
If you ever fought a tarpon and had one beside the boat
you know already they never want to give up. This is not
an ordinary fish. They are not the almost docile trout
or a snook that gives up very easily. Not just the fact
that they often out weigh the angler that is catching
them, or the fact that they are regularly over 6 feet
long. I have caught many different species of fish,
saltwater, freshwater, in the states and elsewhere,
never ever have I encountered a fish with as much heart
and the will to survive as a tarpon. The sheer power and
the unexpected explosive bursts of energy that makes the
tarpon such a magnificent sport fish is also what makes
them dangerous boat side.
The best way to learn how to release a tarpon is first
hand with a true professional. Either by hiring them as
a guide or watching them release a fish on the water. I
feel the method used by the traditional Boca Grande Pass
guides is the safest for both the fish and you. If you
have ever witnessed their way of handling a tarpon boat
side, it is a thing of beauty. It shows they respect
their quarry. I call it a leader release. Basically,
with a gloved hand you grab the leader when the fish
comes close. Hold it high in the air, holding the tarpon
on top of the water for a quick photo, they will usually
give you a head shake or a jump then lower your hands,
let the fish start to go down. With a firm grasp give
the leader a quick jerk. This will break the leader at
the hook. It can be done long before the fish is tired
enough to let you grab them by the jaw and retrieve the
hook. Thus, letting the fish go in better shape to
survive. Tarpon are the greatest game fish in the world
and they deserve respect.
4/29/08-4:15 a.m.
I knew the forecast and felt the strong north wind when
I was loading the boat earlier in the dark. I know all
too well that this kind of weather might keep the tarpon
from showing up on the flats. So reluctantly, I put
three light St. Croix snook rods in the boat along with
my tarpon tackle. My client for the day was Rick Trester,
a long-time regular client of mine and a serious
fisherman from Wisconsin. I knew Rick would want to fish
for snook and redfish, if it was too windy to fish for
tarpon. His wife, Sue, would also join us for her first
trip out for tarpon.
5:45 a.m.
As I approached the main channel the north wind hit us
in the face. It was not looking good for tarpon. It
seemed inevitable, the worst thing that could possibly
happen this time of year, I might have to fish for snook
and redfish during tarpon season. I decided to chum up a
few whitebait and pinfish on the lee side of Devilfish
Island just in case. After a few throws of the net I had
enough bait. As I was cleaning up the boat, I noticed
the wind didn’t seem to be as stiff as earlier. I had
decided to go for it and try to tarpon fish anyway.
7:00 a.m.
With the wind on our back, we were off for the flat. As
I was running, it seemed the wind was lying down, but
the closer we got to the flat I started noticing the
waves were building. When we arrived, we were greeted by
windy conditions and white caps. If the tarpon were
here, they would have to roll up right next to us to be
seen at all. I slowly and cautiously idled toward the
spot where we encountered them the day before.
As we were straining our eyes looking through the
whitecaps hoping to catch a glimpse of a tarpon on the
surface, Rick was explaining to Sue how different tarpon
fishing was from all of the snook and redfish fishing
she had done on my boat in the past. Even with the bad
conditions, if Rick’s confidence ever wavered he never
showed it.
7:45 a.m.
Jenni saw a tarpon bust at 10 o’clock off the bow. I saw
another straight in front, then behind us a free jumping
tarpon. I quickly shut off my outboard and quietly
slipped my trolling motor in the water. We saw a few
more busts and rolling fish near the boat, so I turned
off the trolling motor. I handed Rick a rod and quickly
put out a couple live baits off the stern. As I was
putting the second one in, the starboard rod holder the
port flat line went down. I quickly handed the rod to
Rick and the tarpon screamed line off the reel, while
jumping many times along the way. I was thinking either
the wind was diminishing and the water was getting
calmer, or it didn’t matter because we were hooked up.
After about 10 minutes, an 80-pound specimen was boat
side. Rick pulled this fish in fast. He had done this
many times before. So we did not have to go far to be
back in the zone. The tarpon were still showing ahead of
us. We eased back in and immediately Rick got tight to
another this time on an artificial lure. The fish leaped
into the air and after another short battle was boat
side. After a few more casts and a couple fish jumped
off, the fish were gone as fast as they appeared. We
spent a few hours looking around for a few more.
12:30 p.m.
The wind finally quit and the water was calm. I went
further south along the flat and we started to see a few
tarpon up ahead in the distance. I moved in for a shot
and handed a rod to Rick again. There were a lot of fish
this time. The tarpon were showing on the surface in two
distinct pods. I got ahead of the closest pod with my
trolling motor. Almost immediately, Rick gets bit and a
130-plus pound tarpon launches into the air, along with
Rick’s D.O.A flying out of his mouth. Suddenly, I hooked
up off the rear of the boat. It was Sue’s turn this
time. This fish was a true Boca Grande sea monster of
about 140 pounds. It jumped several times for the camera
and was boat side for a quick release.
1:30 p.m.
The fish were still showing in the distance, and it was
time to head in, but I couldn’t leave these fish. “One
more,” I told Rick and Sue, and we moved in on the fish
again. We got right in there and as Rick’s D.O.A. was
coming to the top an even bigger tarpon skyrocketed at
the lure and almost jumped in the boat. I spun the boat
around with the trolling motor and we were off with
another one. Rick made quick work of this one, too. Let
me tell you — three tarpon pulled to the boat by one man
in one morning, two back to back and Rick made it look
easy.
You really never know with these tarpon. Just when you
think you have figured them out, they will show you that
you haven’t, and just when you think it’s over you might
just see another pod right down the beach. A very wise
man once said, “The difference between a zero and a hero
is just one cast.” This holds very true with tarpon.
Next week, I will have another adventure, but this time
we’re fishing along the beaches in gin-clear water.
Good fishing and tight lines to all,
Capt. Mark Bennett |
