Good news for all tarpon fans. The winter tarpon season has started both at the Inlets and in the Bay. The cold front that just passed through has the shrimp moving and the tarpon feeding on them.
Mark Rubert and his friend Terry were the first anglers aboard Knot Nancy to welcome in the tarpon. We took advantage of the jetties at Government Cut to help knock down the large waves and swells that the strong NE winds were sending toward shore. It was actually quite comfortable. We marked several fish and finally had one eat our bait. This was Terry's first time tarpon fishing and he quickly learned about their hard mouth. The fish made a tremendous run and then jumped. It ran again and jumped again. The second jump did the trick and the tarpon threw the hook. When the tide turned, we went into the Bay and set up in calm water. It didn't take long and Mark was hooked up solid to a 40 pound tarpon. After a 10 minute battle, we got the pictures that Terry wanted and released the fish. The baits went back out and in about 5 minutes Terry was hooked up solid with a 70 pound fish. This time he got to feel the amazing power of the silver king. We went from one end of the boat to the other. Then back to where we started. After that, back and forth across the stern several times. A dash toward some structure and Terry turned the fish away from it. With the fish finally showing signs of weakening, Terry gave it a last bit of effort and we had the fish at boat side for several pictures. With his fish released, the baits went back out again. This time it took about 10 minutes before we had another fish on for about 10 seconds. An inspection of the line revealed that the leader was cut clean. This happens occasionally when the leader gets in the proper position in the corner of the tarpon jaw and as the fish closes its mouth, it cuts the leader like a pair of scissors.
Terry was absolutely amazed at the power and strength of the tarpon. If you'd like to experience this power and strength and match your angling skills with this awesome fish, now is the time to call and schedule your trip. There are a couple of good thing about tarpon fishing. First, you don't have to make a long run offshore. This allows for more fishing time. Second, if the weather is a bit on the windy side and the seas are up, there are places to hide and still fish in comfort. Third, you don't need to be strapped into a heavy harness and use large heavy rods and reels.
Don't delay, call 305 965-9454 today and get the date you want to fit your schedule.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
