I've just returned from my second trip to Canada with four good friends. The players this year were Louis Goselin, Steve Shamp, Bill Scott, John Holtman. The fishing was too good to put into words. All I'm going to say is 83 salmon; a 51 pounder; and a 58 pounders. The photo video above will tell you the rest.
My jetboat is for sale. If interested please give me a call. Click on the link below to see pics of the boat.
What's Coming Up?
Fall Run Kings on the Klamath River
August - September, 2010
CHRONICLES OF A TARPON JUNKY
Part II
Feeding The Addiction
Third Fishing Day
"The learning curve isn't steep, it's straight up! Presentation, speed and accuracy are critical, then there is the 'rattle factor', you must perform all of the above in a matter of seconds. After speaking with a few tarpon fishermen here, including John, it's obvious that the pursuit of these magnificent fish is highly addictive".
- Jake Iantosca
The fish didn't swim as well this morning as they have the past two days but they made up for it from mid-day on. I did have a shot at a nice string of fish on my the first cast out of the gate. I spotted the fish a little late, and they were already going away from us ~ not the best angle. Two long desperation casts produced a flash as though one at least made an attempt to grab the fly. A bit later I had another fish track the fly to within twenty feet, crack his mouth open right behind the fly, and then turn and speed off without it.
I guess it was around noon when we had a single, slow moving west-bound fish approach the boat. The cast laid out right in line with him, and he locked on. The tarpon followed a foot behind the fly to within twenty-five feet, rose up under it and engulfed it. Jake was into an extremely hot 65 pounder. After fifteen minutes and a nearly broken rod when the fish ran under the boat, Scott had a hold of the tarpon's jaw and Jake had landed his first ever.
My turn. I guess it was around 2:00 when a group of four came at us from the east. I laid the fly fifteen feet in front of them and waited for them to close the distance. When the tarpon got to within about five feet, I started to slowly strip the fly. The lead fish in the group, a solid hundred pounder, veered a couple of feet right and started tracking my fly. At no more than fifteen feet she opened that gaping mouth, sipped in the fly, and started to turn. I let her tighten the line and snugged the fly into the corner of her mouth. She made a couple of huge jumps and then ran off on a hundred plus yard burst. After we took up the slack with the boat, there were three or four more jumps and a ten minute tug-o-war. We popped the fly loose, and she swam away.
At around four o'clock I spotted another string of fish that had already passed us going away. The second long backhand cast produced a solid grab. I struck the fish and a forty pounder launched six feet into the air but the fly came loose.
That would be it for day three in Tarponville. Jake and I headed up to Islamorada to a little cantina on the water that I just love called The Lorelei. We ate fish sandwiches, had a couple of Coronas, rehashed the day's events, and watched the sun go down. Sunday will be our last day.
Second Fishing Day
Although the winds lightened up today making casting easier for Jake and me, the weather deteriorated somewhat. For sight fishing these tarpon you need sun to penetrate the water. When clouds block the sun the water gets a silvery glare, and the distance from the boat that you can actually see into the water becomes very limited. The second half of our day was exactly that way, massive black clouds and thunderheads surrounded us.
Jake's day was a tough one unfortunately. As I've said before, the learning curve is a sharp one, and when combined with the urgency of getting a cast off quickly and at the right distance and angle in relation to the fish, there is a lot that has to go right. Although he had some great shots, including one that I was sure was going to get eaten, the ball didn't bounce Jake's way today. Tarpon fishing with a fly is hard.
My day was nearly a mirror image of the first. I landed a fifty pounder fairly early in the day then had a fish pushing a hundred pounds eat the fly less than twenty feet away. For some reason the fifty pound shock leader broke cleanly just above the knot. Late in the day I hooked and got one jump out of a forty pounder before the fly pulled loose.
It's anybody's guess what we'll wake up to for weather in the morning. There have been some pretty intense cloudbursts along with occasional thunder and lightning. One thing's for sure, if we don't go because of the weather we have no chance to catch a tarpon. We'll be on the water in the morning.
First Fishing Day
"After spending just one day tarpon fishing with John, it is easy to understand two things: tarpon fishing Is the major leagues, and John has a passion for pursuing these amazing fish". - Jake Iantosca. For this tarpon chronicles I thought it might be interesting to share with you the thoughts or observations of a first timer. I'll be starting my blogs with these notes each day in hopes of sharing a perspective other than mine.
Now for the fishing. We had great sunlight today ~ better than there had been in days. The wind was still blowing moderately hard but was manageable. Since the fishing is done one angler at a time, Jake and I alternated in half- hour shifts. I took the first shift and stuck a ninety pounder on my third cast. After clearing line from the deck, the fish made one big jump and wore through the 60 pound test shock leader. The whole thing took about seven seconds. Not a bad start.
After a couple of turns each with nothing, I had a second fish gulp the fly, his mouth half out of the water as he ate it. I made the cast from the stern of the boat an awkard spot because the poling platform was between the fish and me. The fish didn't run right away, so all I could do was try to maintain pressure. The fish came unhooked before the fight ever really got started.
Jake was up next. From the south I spotted a group of eight to ten fish moving slowly into the current. Initially they were over grass which made them hard to see, but when they broke out over that white sand, they stood out like a sore thumb. The first cast was a little short. The fish were now less than twenty feet from the boat, and Jake's second cast was perfect. There was a flash of silver; I'm not sure it registered initially with Jake, but Scott and I were both yelling, "He ate it!" Jake's tarpon swam straight at us... not good. Finally the seventy pounder ran and jumped. After seven or eight minutes and several jumps, the leader broke. What was wierd was that the fish wore through the 20 pound class line, meaning that the fly and ten inches of shock line were inside the mouth. That fish REALLY ate that fly!
Later in the day I hooked and landed a small forty pound fish that jumped four or five times. All in all, I'd say it was a good day. Jake hooked one on his first day (it took me ten days), and I was one for three. Needless to say, we're both looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 1 - We Arrive
Unable to bear the thought of going a whole year without fishing for tarpon, I find myself back in the Keys for another go-round with the silver king. This time I have company.
Back in March, long-time client Jake Iantosca and I discussed the possibility of doing a trip together. The discussion went something like this: {Jake}, "I'll go!". End of discussion. At 68 years of age Jake is in excellent shape physically and is always up for a new fishing adventure.
So here we are, the first of a four day trip is today. From the sounds of it, the winds have kept the water pretty roughed up for a couple of weeks now and there have been a lot of clouds recently. The winds are expected to lighten considerably; the clouds I'm not sure about, but it looks pretty good so far this morning. Regardless, we'll have some opportunities, and it will be fun to see Jake's reaction to fishing for these giants.
Day 6 of Fishing
"An ice cold Corona or a fish"
The water was much calmer today, too calm really. I'd landed a fish of about eighty pounds at around noon, since that time the calm conditions and high bright sun had the fish bouncing away from the fly on even the perfect presentations. We had gone to a clear flyline and even that didn't seem to help.
Around 4:30 I asked, " Scott do you have any other ideas or is it time for an ice cold Corona . I knew the answer to my question.
"Take one more shot and if we dont get one we'll head in. It'll either be a fish or a beer."
Within five minutes a handfull of fish swam toward us. I lead the first fish perfectly and could see my fly the whole way as he locked in on it. With each strip the tarpon got closer until only inches separated it from my fly. The fish accelerated and gently sucked the fly in. I stripped into the resistance and the eighty-five pounder was in the air. After 20 minutes, several more jumps and a few photos the fish was revived and released. I caught a tarpon on my last cast of the trip. That Corona went down pretty easily.
Overall this was a really good trip for me. I hooked twelve tarpon and landed eight. Considering the rough conditions in the early days I think I was very successful. What I feel best about though is that I am developing a greater understanding of the movements of the fish in relation to the bottom and depth. That knowledge is crucial because it gives me a better idea of where to cast the fly as I lead them. I still have a lot to learn but do feel that I'm getting better at this game eath time I go and that is the most important part.
I've put together a short slideshow, complete with backgroung music, of the trip. Please enjoy the video! Click on the pic below.
Day 5 of Fishing
The "glory day"! I mentioned it yesterday. Everyone who fishes hopes for one. Occasionally one finds it. The way yesterday started out for me I couldn't help but think about the possibility.
My day began much the same today. On my fourth cast two tarpon broke from the pack and tracked my fly. Twenty-five feet from the boat the larger of the two ate it. After eight or ten minutes and a couple of spectacular big air jumps I had the leader in the rod rip, a landed fish by saltwater standards. Although I technically landed the fish, this battle was only getting started (sort of). The fish jumped at point-blank range off the bow and ran down the left side of the boat. Scott slammed the boat into reverse to keep her from getting around behind while I was still on the bow. At the same time I started to run to the stern to keep the line off the boat. Scott thought I was off balance from the motor thrust and reached out to grab me when he inadvertantly put his hand on the reel. That was enough to break the leader. That piano thing again.
Another fish hooked very early in the day, and again I was wondering if today would be that "Glory Day".
The winds remained very light all day - a welcomed change - and the tarpon continued to roll through us all day long. I made some really good shots and, on this day, would be rewarded. We got on a great roll around noon, and when It was all over, I had hooked seven tarpon landing four of them. They ranged in size from 70 to 100 pounds. A couple of them made such long runs that I couldn't even see my flyline, only my orange backing stretched out across the horizon. Two fish followed the fly to within twenty- five feet before they ate. When they did their mouths opened up as large as a five gallon bucke,t and I was literally looking right down their throats.
I've been coming to the Keys for nine years now with hopes of a day like this. I've had some pretty rough trips, especially in the beginning. It was three years before I hooked my first tarpon and people wonded why I kept going back. All I can say is that these things get inside of you. They grab my heart like few things in my life. I could probably write a book attempting to describe the feeling, but until you do it for yourself, it would only be words.
My sixth and final day if this trip is tomorrow and I can't wait.
Day 4 of Fishing
The morning started out a tad cooler, a result of a subtle wind change to slightly more northerly. The winds were also far more manageable.
After running to a spot simply known as "the point", we threw out the anchor. Scott proceeded to tie a leader on my new twelve weight flyline, the one that replaced my three day old flyline that was destroyed the day before. As luck would have it, while Scott was tying my leader, a long string of fish rolled past the right side of the boat. I grabbed Scott's 11 weight and made a quick cast at the school. A fish broke out of the group and lunged at the fly and missed. Tarpon fishermen call this a "feed". My second cast went un-noticed, the third cast did not. A seventy pounder slid over and sipped the fly. Four or five jumps, about ten minutes, and the fish laid over and was done. Like on the first day, the hook pulled loose as we prepared for the release. Perfect.
On days like this you can't help but have visions of the glory day, one where you hook several of those giants. The first one came so quickly and so easily. We certainly had the shot; we were in fish all day.
As the day progressed the wind cranked up again. Target casting from the bow of a sixteen foot boat in that kind of wind is really tough. Picture yourself jumping up and down on a trampoline, trying to hit a pie plate that is moving, AND don't forget to throw in that wind! When I got back to my room I felt like had been in a cage match. The final tally for this fourth day was five "feeds" and one tarpon to the boat.
The winds are supposed to be lighter the next two days. That would be a welcomed change.
Day 3 of Fishing
A few days ago I used a quote from Tom McGuane that aptly described what it's like when a tarpon gets hooked. Well... We kind of lived that quote today.
With the wind blowing as hard as it was, Scott elected to trailer the boat south to Big Pine Key and hopefully find a bit more sheltered waters. We started in a spot that I was familiar with. It's a place where the south bound fish run inside a small island and bump smack into a shallow bar that forces them to make a right turn. We were positioned so that after making that turn the tarpon would swim straight at us. The fish would be singles or pairs as opposed to the larger groups we see up near Marathon. Although we had a few shots, they were short range low- quality shots.
Late in the day we ventured into a famous tarpon haunt called Loggerhead. The light was great but at a bad angle (it's always something). We were seeing a few swimmers and had some good shots that went unrewarded.
Finally we saw a large, make that really large, black backed fish laid up in the shallow water about a hundred yards out. Scott poled me into position for a downwind cast. When a tarpon is "laid up" it's not swimming. They're high in the water column and just sitting there. Because they're not swimming there is no lead with the cast. It needs to be right on his nose. My first cast was short, strip in and hit him again. The second cast was eight feet left of his face. He didn't see it. Strip in and hit him again. My third cast was a gift from the tarpon gods. The fly rode the wind and floated in a foot from his face. When the fly landed I stripped once to tighten the line. That one strip was all it took. The tarpon exploded on the fly and I struck with one long, hard strip.
This is where it gets like pushing that piano. The whole sequence took place in about two seconds, maybe less. The tarpon bolted as soon as I struck and as the line came off the deck a knot formed and went through the guides and out the tip. No big deal. We'll get that when the initial chaos is over. As I way clearing the line with my left hand the wind blew the last of it in a loop arount the rod ahead of the reel. That loop caught the first stripper guide and knotted. Scott was yelling the obvious as I realized what was happening. I didn't even have time to reach for the line. It came tight and the flyline broke with a resounding crack. The 130 pound fish made one jump which I only saw out of the corner of my eye and was gone, along with half of my flyline.
I'd have loved to pull on that fish, touched it and taken a picture, but that two second adrenalin rush was awesome. "Like pushing a Steinway piano off a cliff." Shit flying everywhere.
Day 2 of Fishing
The daisy chain. From what I've been able to learn, the belief is that it's got something to do with getting ready to spawn. It doesn't sound like anyone knows for sure though.
Daisy chaining is an unbelievable phenomenon where the tarpon group up and swim in a very tight circle, seemingly oblivious to anything going on around them. It can consist of only a hand full of fish, which I have seen before, or several dozen or more, which I witnessed for the first time today.
The wind had really cranked up making everything difficult: casting, standing on the bow, you name it. We had only seen a handfull of fish until about 1:00, at which time they started to come until we quit at about 5:30. At one point I saw some tarpon rolling about a hundred yards out.
"There's fish, out by that dark spot."
"That's a daisy chain!" was Scott's reaction.
Scott poled us through just a bitch of a wind and a two-plus foot chop for a hundred yards. He held me on that ball of fish for over twenty minutes and at least a hundred casts, some from only 30 feet away. We even changed flies once in the middle of it all. No bites.
That was the day in a nutshell. An extremely frustrating one for me in that I truly felt I let Scott down (I really fought the wind today with my casting).
Scott just kept reassurring me that conditions were just tough and nobody lit 'em up today. He's right, and what really impressed me, was that he realized the situation and never got frustrated.
That's just tarpon fishing. It's even tough on a good day. I can't wait for tomorrow!
Day 1 of Fishing
"Grab some pine, Meat!"
-Giants announcer, Mike Krukow
That's the tag line I was thinking I'd be using for this evening's tarpon report. The day started out about as I expected; a pretty good wind chop, limited visibility due to glare caused by the cloud cover, and a pretty rusty fly caster on the bow. What surprised me a bit was the lack of tarpon swimming, at least those that we could see. As the day wore on, we did start to see more fish. Tarpon's movements or lack thereof are really triggered by tides.
The visibility had also improved slightly, along with my casting. At about 4:00, I finally had a fish attempt to eat my fly. The fish struck so aggressively, however, that he pushed water and fly away from his mouth and missed. I remember looking at my watch and thinking, "5:00, I'm running out of time." Shortly after, the largest group if fish of the day, probably 40 or more and moving slowly, came, and we had at least 8 or 9 casts at them. The strike came as a suttle "tick" of the flyline. I made one long, hard strip and a 70 pounder launched 6 feet into the air, his gill plates rattling, and then burned off my fly line and an additional 40 yards of backing. It was a short fight short, only ten or twelve minutes and eight or ten jumps, before we had the tarpon on his side next to the boat. As we prepared to release the fish, the hook pulled loose, perfect. Day one was in the books, not a bad start.
"When you first hook a tarpon it's a lot like pushing a Steinway piano off a cliff"
-Author, Tom McGuane
A pretty good analogy, I think - shit flying everywhere. My plane out of LA was delayed by an hour and, after getting lost and doing my annual tour of the most undesirable parts of Miami, I finally asked for and actually followed directions. I was on my way down US1 toward the Keys.
For a flyrodder the Florida Keys, specifically the Islamorada to Key West section, is the Yankee Stadium of tarpon fishing. Everywhere you look are old photos of Ted Williams, George Bush, Jack Nicklaus, and countless others posing with the most prized gamefish our sport has to offer. You can't go anywhere without seeing a picture or the replica of the world record on a fly ~ just a little 202 pounder. Welcome to the big leagues kid!
I arrived in Marathon after 1:00am this morning. Thankfully, I scheduled my first day for getting my gear together and gathering lunch materials rather than fishing. The weather forecast for my six days of fishing is not a favorable one, scattered thunderstorms, winds 10 to 20 mph, and clouds. So, like facing Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, or Mariano Rivera, I'm really going to have to bear down and earn every tarpon that eats the fly. First pitch is at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Welcome to the big leagues, indeed.
