December 22, 6am. I decide the painting of the carport can wait. I headed down Route 41 to check on the Baby Tarpon. It’s a 20- minute drive. Past Marco Island, past Port of the Islands, past the turn-off to Everglades City. In short time, I am there. The sun is up and the mist is hugging the creek shorelines. I lock the car and I’m left in total quiet, except for the squawk of a crow. A dozen white Egrets are perched in the Red Mangroves suspended like Christmas ornaments, waiting for a chance to peck at bait. I see two Manatees rolling and blowing as they surface. Then I see an Alligator maybe 8 feet long. He drifts by in the creek below as I walk to a point where the trees are sparse. He dives away silently. I can see schools of inch-long baitfish hugging the shoreline. It’s cold. Well, relatively cold for Florida, 52-degrees. But, the temperature is gradually warming. By noon it will be 65.The most successful pattern I have used here is a dark chartreuse Clouser Minnow. A small one, just like the baitfish. I tie one on using a loop knot…the only fly-to-tippet knot I use here. I can tie it in the dark.Baby Tarpon are most active here in this creek right around sun up. After 9 AM they seem to quiet down, but they’re active now. I can see Mullet rolling. Then I see a game fish roll and the prominent tail-like fin extension tells me that it’s a Tarpon. Unmistakable! Now, if only he’ll come within casting range! Wow, he rolled right next to the 800 lb. Manatee! I strip off 60 feet of line in big coils at my feet in the grass, false casting until all of it is air born. I rip another 12 feet off the Vortex and send the line streaking next to the wake. My rod tip drops to the water and I begin to slowly strip the line. One long strip per second. One, two, three, four, five…hmm, maybe he didn’t see it…six..WHOA!He followed it! There! A visual take! I could see him strike the fly and I set up on him. Hard! He knows he’s hooked. He runs down and away, then he shoots 4 feet into the air like he was rocket-boosted. I clear some line and set him again! He’s in the air again. This time he’s 15 feet farther away and I quickly reel in the rest of the slack. He turns sideways and I sense he’s mine. Only an 8 pounder. But wow, what fun! Worth the drive out and well worth the effort. I’ll be back to try for his brothers, the 30 and 40 pounders. I can paint the carport now.
Crocks freak me out Marshall, even more than the copperheads and rattlers. Good to see you are hard at it and being successful.
Nice story too, you have a Merry Christmas!
cb
marsh —- that is awesome. in many respects, your story and picture are more appealing to me than catching the 100 pound leviathans that reside in the everglades. kind of like albies or bonito on the fly or any fish for that matter. i have a specific preference for chasing, tricking and catching fish on the fly from shore.
don’t get me wrong – i enjoy being on a boat and the obvious advantages that a boat offers. however, i really enjoy my feet. i enjoy driving and walking from location to location and i enjoy the battle (me vs. fish) from shore. it is just sooo simple. no gas, anchors, backing the boat in, backing it out and all that stuff. also, after hooking fish in deeper water from a boat, many times the battle becomes a verticle battle. i much prefer hooking fish in shallow water and the excitement and challenges that are representative of a horizontal battle.
let’s take albies for example. of course they can be chased and hooked and battled in the deeper waters. of course, a boat is required. of course, it is fun. lot’s of fun. however, finding – tricking and battling albies or bonito from shore (in shallow water) is a totally different experience. mine as well be a different fish.
now, i understand that the flats boats of florida offer the unique opportunity for fly anglers to experience the thrill of a horizontal battle from the boat because, in that case, the boats mine as well be on shore.
anyway, the bottom line is that that 8 pound tarpon and the manner in which you found, tricked and battled him is sweeeet in my book. in fact, if i had the option of boat vs. that exact wading experience – i would certainly have a tough time deciding which one i would want to do. i guess because when i look at your photos and read your story there is something inherantly soulful. very low tech. nothing to your advantage other than your feet your fly rod and your fly. in today’s world, full of GPS, big boats, fast boats, fish finders, tournaments and the endless pursuit of “big fish at all costs” – i often find myself interested the low tech challenges. just because the playing field changes, does not mean that the rewards are any less satisfying.
i know you know what i am talking about. how many times have we taken drift boats together down the rivers of maine. of course, we have fun. but, in the end – we have no more fun than we do on foot. and sometimes – actually many times – we do better on foot.
marsh – i thoroughly enjoyed this story and pics – it served its purpose and did what all good art does. it made me feel like i was there and certainly made me wish i was. nicely done.
PS – I appreciate the fact that you participate in the fliesandfins.com community as a fly fisherman and DO NOT TRY to use this community as a resource for shameless self promotion. The internet is full of guides from all over the world touting how great they are and trying to sell their services. At flies and fins we are very cognicent of that and we filter all content accordingly. We simply do not allow guides to publish content through fliesandfins.com with the sole intent of pimping out their services. I appreciate your passion for fly fishing and your concious decision to submit pure content without any hidden agendas and your ability to take quality photos in the field. For that, and as friend, I will gladly recommend the affordable, personal and wading only trips that you offer in Southwest Florida. Here is Marshall’s home grown website. Certainly representative of Marshall and his passion for fly fishing.
http://www.flyanglersguide.com [www.flyanglersguide.com]
– Thanks Marsh – keep your Florida Fly chronicles coming – they offer a virtual break from the arctic realities in the northeast.
Thanks for the compliments, jeremy. Writing about a day fishing is reliving each moment and certain days are of course, better than most so I only feel the urge to write when a bunch of stuff REALLY comes together. This media is a wonderful outlet for artistic and photographic creativity. Plus, it’s a chronicle a visual, audible, history of all our fishing lives and a window to new adventures.
I have enormous respect for this site and for the attitudes you promote through fliesand fins.
Thank you.
Marsh
Looks like a typical situation of frogs = snakes = alligators = fish = Marshall 🙂
To bad we did not hit the trail when I was in town.
Let me know when you are going to hit the creek behind Lake Avalon.
Diamond Dave thinks baby tarpon are roaming there too.
What ever happened to Diamond Dave anyway?
Would like to know what he did with the pictures he had to send me, I guess in the digital eternal huntingfields by now.
Merry Christmas
I just saw your article Marsh and although it’s Christmas eve,( Merry Christmas), I would like to be there and casting at something! Congrats on your first Tarpon of the year. I will venture South in a month or so totry my hand.