Boca Grande, Florida: Tarpon, Bait Chuckers & A Busted Fly Rod

by | Salt Water

Tarpon Slide Show

If you want to get into a fight, come to Tarpon Alley! A good friend of mine took me and a few bait chuckers to Boca Grande, Florida for a shot at some Tarpon. Last year in a trip down in Key West I blew two great shots at Tarpon in the mangroves. The first fish jumped and spit the fly, the second fish I pulled an old fashion trout set. Lifting the rod tip up; hence pulling the fly away from the fish. What an idiot! That moment has haunted me for over year now. Seeking redemption, I hoped this trip would ease my pain. Fishing with three bait chuckers, you never know what to expect out of a trip. I knew I would not have a great deal of time with the fly rod, so I needed to make my shots count. The second morning of our trip the guys gave me the stage. Said they were not picking up a rod until I brought one to the boat. Amazing. I can’t begin to explain how nice it was to fish with three unselfish hardcore fishermen, whom were has excited as me to see a fish on the fly. Well, it did not take long. Three casts … three jumps. The first Tarpon came up ate, did a short run, jumped and spit the fly. I thought, “Damn; here we go again.” The second Tarpon ate, pulled hard and broke me off at my line/leader connection. I was pissed! I got re-rigged, and put a new fly on. Moments later we found a nice pod of Tarpon daisy chaining. I threw a cast in the middle of them … BAM! Fish on! Right away the brute jumps. I bow down, fish still on. I knew I had a pretty good hook set. I ripped him a few time hard; just to be sure. This joker was not getting away. He made some nice runs and some great jumps in front of the boat. About 30 min. into the fight I thought we had him beat. He rolled at the side of the boat and the guide grabbed the leader attempting to grab him when … CRACK! I thought a shotgun went off. No shotgun, it was my fly rod! Now my tip section of a four piece rod was making its way down to the poons head. He makes another big run. Comes up and half-way jumps/head shakes a few more times. The whole time I’m thinking the broken/jagged graphite is going to cut me off. Well, thankfully he did not. We got him to the boat. Got some nice pics then released the fish and the poon swam off to fight another day. Mission accomplished! The guide said the fish was over 100 lbs. We did not measure the fish, but as you can see in the pictures he’s as big as me. The fish of a lifetime, until next time anyway! Ended up jumping and landing a smaller fish the next day. Never thought I would down play a 60 lb fish. What fun! Can’t wait till next time!

6 Comments

  1. jeremy on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Ya man! Killer trip .. I knew you would get it done! Great fish tale … Most of my fishing buddies in the salt are “bait chuckers” and/or “Hardware Chuckers” … they also throw flies, and are very good fly fishermen when they need to be … but refuse to throw flies if it is not the most effective method of catching fish… and for them, it’s all about catching fish, big fish … and they rag on me constantly for “only using the fly rod” .. and i really get ragged on when they ask, “where have you been?” .. and i say, “trout fishing” … they say, “are you crazy, why fish for bait?” … For example … my good friend mike aka “striper mike” grew up in maine and started fishing with the fly rod for trout and salmon when he was a kid, so he has been fly fishing all his life … he quit trout/salmon many years ago and only fishes the salt for stripers, bluefin tuna, albies etc.. .. to him, fly fishing is just another tool … and when we are on the flats here in maine or on specific beaches/flats on the vineyard or rhode island chasing albies he throws flies because that’s what works best… whippa, kranefly and headrush have seen him cast and fish flies on the flats … and i am sure they would agree that he is an incredible saltwater fly fisherman … anyway, i have been fishing with mike and his crew for a few years now … and, quite a bit in the last couple weeks. to be honest, when it comes to saltwater fly fishing … except in a few cases … i prefer to fish with non-fly fishermen… trout/salmon species is an entirely different story and the opposite is probably true … but for me, when it comes to saltwater i tend to like to roll with good “fishermen” … as opposed to fly fisherman or not fly fishermen … maybe because most of my history of fishing the salt water involves commercial fishing … for sometimes 30 day trips out to sea in the gulf stream 200 or so miles offshore .. reading water, temperatures, wind, battling huge storms … setting 1,200 hooks per night for tuna, swordfish, mahi-mahi, etc… i also commecial fished on off shore draggers for scallops, cod and squid etc.. on the east coast and in commercial fished in alaska for salmon … point being, for me there is a clear distinction between freshwater and saltwater fishing. fly rod only in freshwater makes sense because flies are an effective tool for trout/salmon … but when it comes to saltwater i like to roll with a crew that is a bit more weathered and a bit more rough around the edges and fishermen who truly understand the salt and the tides, moon phases, bait and fish etc… .. not just a bunch trout fly fishermen with less than a couple thousand days fishing the saltwater. so, the irony for me is … the more that i “fly fish only” in the salt … the less i enjoy fly fishing with fly fishermen ….. so, i think it is killer that you did this trip with your “bait chucking” buddies and they let you take the bow with the fly rod for the morning …. that is cool! how did they do on the bait? hopefully they got some nice fish too? …

    ps… counting the days until i come down to north carolina and fish with you this fall … the albie meca of the universe … i can’t wait! … til’ then brotha….

  2. jeremy on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    hey .. one more thing … amazing photography … you guys got some killer shots.

  3. FatTire on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Thanks jeremy. I wish I was in Boca right now. Talked to the guide yesterday. Wednesday he and two other boats jumped 49 tarpon. He said they would have eaten a terd if thrown at them. Just shows how finicky these fish can be. One day they deny a live crab, the next day they eat the kitchen sink. Go figure.

  4. AlexisMT555 on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Very nice read Fattire, congrats.
    You got some amazing pics of this poon.

  5. hedrush999 on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    The most exciting moment in all of outdoor sports is a tarpon flying through the air with your fly in its mouth. Glad you got to come down in my backyard and leave your mark. Next time try a trip in the everglades, if the weather is good, you will not be disappointed. Big poons in the jungle!

  6. Shaq on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I need to go change my underwear…great pics!