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Posts: 299
| Well....I decided to skip out on some Fall Muskie fishing to get back down to SW Florida for some fat fall Tarpon. Boy did I make the right decision.....We spent most of the trip casting plugs or shallow running crankbaits. The great thing about fishing the Fall or Spring is the Tarpon that come in are massive! Average size is 140# and there's so many Tarpon you don't know what to do. Best part is absolutely zero pressure, even on the weekend. This is a different style of Tarpon fishing and not many know of some of the locations Captain Jon Sebold fishes. You will have more active Tarpon than you can dream of all to yourself. Anyway...I was able to hook, fight and land 155#er and 135#er. I also hooked a true beast at a conservative 185# and fight her for 6-7 minutes or so before she leaped boatside and spit hooks. Last drift before the trip ended I was able to hooked another 7 foot fish that hit so hard she cracked a nearly bulletproof crankbait in half taking the the rear treble hook with her! It was another amazing trip and any Muskie caster is absolutely nuts not to get down there and cast for these giants! I've forgotten all about Muskie and going back down in March for more giant Tarpon. March will also break up the casting plugs with sight casting laid up Tarpon with fly or soft plastics. This is a very unique style of fishing down there and it's not one of those put a mullet on and single circle hook and wait for her to eat. These are the most violent strikes imaginable in 4 feet or less of water with breathtaking jumps and great battles. All using a Shimano Calcutta D and TE. It's all visual when you see them strike. Get down there with Cpt Jon Sebold of SFP fishing outfitters. He's pretty much fully booked all year but days open here and there and he's got 2 guides in the SFP business who work for him that are just as good! Was lucky enough to do a little shark fishing as well and hooked 6 Blacktips and landed a 130#er. All in all I think I hooked 7 Tarpon, seen 50 roll or chase mullet. Not bad for a couple days of fishing! Muskie??? What is that? Get down there!!! |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | My wife,youngest,and I moved down to c. Florida in May and will be full blown saltwater fishing first part of 2014. Only thing that made my decision to move was the Tarpon,Sharks,Redfish. Planning to fish the PTTS in 2015.
So i take it you were fishing the Boca Grande area ?? That area is stupid busy for Tarpon May-July. |
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Posts: 299
| Not even close...I was deep in Everglades casting just like Muskie fishing for Tarpon. Monster Tarpon and not 1 other boat seen in 3 trips down there. It's remote fishing with ZERO pressure and more active adult Tarpon than you can dream of. Casting plugs, fly fishing and sight fishing. I will not fish Boca Grande. It's insane and too crowded plus those fish will eat anything. This is like fishing LOTW without sole around in middle of Everglades. 10 foot gators on shore, winding canals, bays, rivers, mangroves and giant Tarpon absolutely all to yourself. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | Good to know. Heard of the Marco area being excellent and south of there into the glades. Big area to cover and navigate as well. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Sounds like a Flipping Blast ! good for you.
Jerome |
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Posts: 299
| Yes, you don't want to attempt it yourself. So many tricks, islands, oyster bars, skinny water, tides and just it all looks the same. Plus most of the areas we fish you'll need a 17' flats boat. Anything bigger at certain times of the year and your in trouble. It's pretty cool to see a guide with 20 years of fishing the remote backwaters of glades not ever using a GPS or map. He knows every little depth change, oyster bar, bay and short cuts that would take you a lifetime to figure out. There's a reason why there is zero pressure and never another boat seen where I fish with SFP Fishing Outfitters. There's a million factors in saltwater/sweetwater fishing us freshwater guys will never understand unless you live it everyday. Every fish is well earned, challenging and totally worth it. I was stubborn and didn't want to catch my first Tarpon on a circle hook and live bait. I really wanted to earn it with light gear and casting a plug. Most Tarpon guys stop fishing for them come this time if year but the late Fall/Winter and Spring can be magical in remote areas and it sure has been magnificent! I'll be fishing with SFP Fishing Outfitters several times a year as I'm a loyal customer for life.... |
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| G-rome, you ever wanna do this you just let me know. I got you covered! Not quite as rare/remote as it seems. We get it done from Sanibel to Broad River and everywhere in between. Working on a cool new Bulldawg pattern too! I know you love that rubber! |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Benny,..!
I may take you up on that.... I see a sales trip to Southern Fla in jan, feb or March.....
You Sucked me in with that Bulldawg Smack ! Sounds like a Blast.
Jerome |
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Posts: 1828
| Casting big baits for tarpon sounds like about the funnest fishing a guy could have. I fished Boca Grande Pass one year with my two brothers and uncle. One day we hooked two, landed one, and missed a couple dozen. This was jig-fishing "deep" water, which was fun, but casting in active pursuit would be way better.
detroithardcore - casting for them seems to be the least popular method, and thus the least "publicized" with videos, etc. Do you happen to have good sources for tips and/or videos of this? I once saw some GoPro footage of a guy casting them in mangroves somewhere in Central or South America, and they were catching them on WTD topwaters. Looked like the funnest thing ever. But these were "only" 30 - 80 lb fish.
My aforementioned uncle has a place in Punta Gorda and has a nice 17 ft flats boat. He is a good fisherman and ambitious, but doesn't spend enough time down there to master all the techniques. I'd like to dig into the flats/mangrove casting stuff, and direct him toward the info, and see if we can figure something out down there next time I go. |
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Posts: 315
| Jerome,
I went down by Benny O last April to fish tarpooooon and it was the DEAL!! Ben and I had a blast fishing and from what I understand it is quite the feat to catch a poon on a crank bait. It you think it is sweet catching a muskie on a crank you need to experience a tarpon!!! They launch directly into the air...all 6 feet of them! I recommend it!! Great way to pass the off-season. I wanna try to get down there this winter also! |
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Posts: 299
| Jaultman,
Sent ya a PM on some ideas and tips |
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