This time of year guides are as busy as they get all year and I'm glad of it. Reports get neglected when you're up and down the road both day and night. One week it was Everglades City one day, Flamingo the next, followed by a night trip the next day.... as so forth. Spring weather has finally ended a long difficult winter and the tarpon have been biting both in the daytime out in the 'Glades and at night here locally in Biscayne Bay. This past week we've had high winds almost every day and night but that hasn't slowed us down a bit. On Saturday night a week ago we went after the small tarpon around local bridges and dock lights with fly fishing gear, lightweight 8 and 9wt. rods and the fish were just on fire. My angler, James Banta, hooked at least ten fish from 30 to over 70lbs in less than five hours. The only trouble was the fish were just too hot for us that night. Every one of them took us to school, jumping off or breaking off. We lost two fly lines to fish that behaved much more like really large snook than tarpon, dragging our gear under, around, and over every piling in sight. At the end of the night we made plans to go after bigger fish out of Flamingo.
On Monday we made a long run out towards the Gulf coast to a small river that was just loaded with big tarpon, some well over 100lbs in a river less than sixty feet wide. Dr. Banta quickly hooked up with a small goliath grouper on fly. A bit later he hooked up with a very nice tarpon, nearly 80lbs on an 11wt rod and the fight was on. He beat that fish in less than 20 minutes without needing to leave where we were. A few photos later the fish was released in good shape and we set about getting another. His next fish was a bit larger, nearly 90lbs, and once again it was close quarters combat. That second fish tried several times to get in under a downed tree or log but we managed to bring it to hand for another photo and release. That day we found big fish in more than one river, they're definitely inside out of the Gulf for the spring.
A few days ago it was back to the 'Glades with light tackle anglers from Carolina and the targets were still the big fish. We hooked, jumped, and lost big fish that first day in several locations- all on light spinning gear with small plugs. The second day was the charm, we had our first fish, a 60lb tarpon hooked, fought to the boat and released before 8Am - and that was after a run of more than 20 miles from boat ramp to get there. The second fish that day was caught and released by Erich Weikel, and was nearly 80lbs on a 4000 series Shimano reel... Our second and last spot that day was another river that had so many big fish in it that you couldn't count them all. Many were quite a bit larger than 100lbs, but not interested in our lures. We left, loaded up with live baits and returned to get a few bites but no hookups. I'm sure those fish are still there waiting for a return match.... All week long wherever we went out of Flamingo we hardly saw any other boats at all. That's my idea of tarpon heaven.... now for some photos.
Dr. James Banta with a very nice tarpon on fly, this was our second fish of the day... but the first tarpon.
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the first was this little goliath grouper who just had to eat a tarpon fly...
This fish ate a small plug on spinning gear and really put on a show, note the size of the rod and reel being used by Erich Weikel.... an outstanding catch on light gear, nearly 80lbs of healthy tarpon, just in from the Gulf. She was carefully released and sent on her way.
While the focus this week was on the tarpon we've got lots of big trout feeding heavily every day now along with snook, redfish, gag grouper, etc. Things are about as good as they get out of Flamingo...
Tight lines
Capt Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666