Tarpon Fishing Trip & Review With Captain Bouncer Smith

Filed under: Guide Reviews

Every now and then our staff likes to get out and fish with the guides of ReelReports.com and provide our readers with feedback. This time we were in Miami Florida and choose to go out with Captain Bouncer Smith (www.captbouncer.com) located in Miami Beach Marina.

The trip included myself, Todd and Matt to fish with Captain Bouncer and his mate, Sherman. We originally had planned on targeting blackfin tuna as they come through the South Florida area from April through June pretty well and Capt Bouncer really likes targeting them at the end of May. Instead we decided to tarpon fish and see if we can get into a triple digit fish.

We got to the dock around 4:45pm and were off instantly. The captain already had bait waiting for us which included live blue crab and shrimp. We got setup just outside the inlet and had slow action to for the first couple of hours or so. The fish were rolling around the boat, but apparently were not interested in our baits.

While talking fish stories with the Captain and getting tips from his mate for other types of fishing, the bite was about to turn around for us. Right then we had a strong bite on the rod up in the bow. The massive tarpon took the crab on a circle hook and was running strong. I stepped up to the plate and pressed the drag up to strike and the fight was on. Thanks to some expert coaching by Sherman and AWESOME boat maneuvering by the captain, we were able to keep the fish clear of the channel markers and get the fish to the boat. Sherman was on the leader and made a clean release in just about 30 minutes of fight time. While estimating a tarpon size is tough for me, the experience captain and mate said she went about 85 pounds.

We reset and on the next fish we had another fish on. This time it was Todd to battle the fish. While Todd has had his share of back problems, he decided to give it a try and could always pass the rod if he intended. Captain Bouncer explained to us that he fishes short rods and the strain on the back is very minimal. He sure was right, even when fighting my much larger fish, I felt no resistance on my back and it was all in the arm.

Todd shortly made work of his fish and Sherman brought the fish up on the leader for a quick tag and release.

Overall, we are very impressed with the entire operation that Captain Bouncer runs. Even though the bite was not exactly on fire, we still had a great time and were able to learn a bit from a pro while being on the water. I highly recommend you try this trip if you are only in town for a few days or if you are a local. It is always a good time and if you split the cost with your buddies, it could even be cheaper than going on your own boat, considering gas is over $5.00 per gallon on the water!

Interested in having a representative of ReelReports.com fish with you and write a review? Send us an email.

Leave a Reply