The tarpon season has finally kicked into gear like it should be for this time of year. The fish are feeding both in the Bay and at Government Cut. The ones at the Cut are of the large variety in the 90+ class. Live shrimp is the bait of choice and it's just a matter of waiting them out till they flood into the area and turn on the feed bag.
Don Eichin and his two sons Eric and Randy experienced both the Bay and Cut tarpon action. In the Bay, we caught the very last of the tide and the tarpon were hungry. Before heading out to the Cut, we were 2 for 2. When the tide changed, the Bay fish shut off and the Cut fish turned on. We made one drift and in minutes were hooked up to a large tarpon. The fish found the deep water and Eric spent the rest of the evening pulling on the tarpon. We got the catch making us 3 for 3 for the evening. Eric wanted to get a better look at his fish and it had other ideas. Each time the tarpon came up to gulp air, it was just far enough away from the boat so we couldn't get a good estimate on its size. The fish finally found an obstruction and won its freedom.
John and Patricia Bragg picked a very windy day for their offshore trip. We found some birds working over a school of dolphin first thing and watched as they all ignored our live bait offerings except for one fish. After that it got slow and it wasn't long before the motion of the ocean took its toll. We called it after the second round of motion sickness and decided to do only the tarpon portion of the trip the next day.
Back again for a tarpon trip this time, John and Patricia Bragg were happy to fish the calm waters of the Bay. The fish cooperated and it wasn't long before John caught and released his first tarpon out of two hits. We moved to a second location and the wind kept blowing us away from where we needed to be. At the third location, everything went well with the wind and tide and John got his second fish of two strikes. That's the way the evening ended going 2 for 4.
Our goat the next night with Mike Larkin and Nathan Vaughn of the University of Miami was to tag a large tarpon with a satellite tag. When the tide changed, the fish at the Cut turned on and we had the large fish we were looking for hooked up solid. The tarpon made its way to the deep water of the main ship channel and proceeded to head out the channel. Nathan was on the rod while Mike prepared everything. The tarpon was large and stubborn, so progress in getting the fish to the surface was slow. We had to dodge two gambling boats heading out and two freighters coming in as the fish continued to head out the channel. We got a very good look at the fish (130# estimate) before it went straight back to the bottom. Once again we got the fish up only to have it gulp air and get a surge of energy. This see saw battle went back and forth until Nathan handed the rod off to Mike so we could have a fresh angler fighting the fish. Again we had the fish up to the boat twice only to have it slap its tail and go down. The next time it came up, the leader had taken its toll and when I touched it to test the fish, the leader broke. All this action took place over the course of 1 hour and 20 minutes. We didn't get to tag the fish, however, the anglers were happy with the experience and amazed at the power of the mighty Silver King. We'll get the next one.
The tarpon action that is normally hot and heavy for this time of year has finally kicked in. If you're fortunate enough to be out on a night when the shrimp run, you be in for a treat as you watch lots of tarpon busting and eating shrimp off the surface. They find the hooked baits quickly and then it's time to test your angling skills and stamina. Give me a call 305 965-9454 or email nkostyo@bellsouth.net to book your trip and get in on fun.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net