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Bow to the King - Fishing for Tarpon in the Florida Keys
(continued)
 
The next day I would get my third and final shot at landing
a Tarpon with Captain Steve Nagy, and he knew an area where the Tarpon were
chewing on crabs versus mullet. We head to the bridges and set up anchor about a
hundred feet behind the bridge, allowing the crabs to drift at varying depths
below the surface with a balloon acting as a float. The key to this technique,
similar to bobber fishing, is allowing the bait to drift naturally with the
current through the strike zone. When the tarpon hit the crab the balloon
immediately acts differently. Sometimes the balloon can pause or dip, and other
times it could surge around erratically, as it all depended on the fish’s
initial strike and behavior once hooked.
The
next day we head out with Captain Steve Nagy
Similarly to Marko’s instructions the evening
prior, keeping the rod tip down and putting pressure on the line versus trying
to set on the fish was key. We worked the drift all afternoon, repositioning the
boat three times to maximize the drift depending on the direction, and speed, of
the current. There were times that we could see the Tarpon surfacing right
around the drift, but they really were not in a feeding mode. It seemed that on
this day just getting a strike would be a challenge.
Captain
Steve explains how we will be working the current through the bridges on extra
long drifts
Changing
out the leader with some fresh Hi-Seas fluorocarbon
We finally got that one strike towards the late
afternoon, and Scott made sure to make it count, by pinning the fish perfectly
and keeping proper line tension on the fish. Once the
Tarpon was hooked it immediately changed direction and went straight towards the bridge and
other boats, causing us to have to release anchor and aggressively pursue the fish. Scott got
in fighting position at the front of the boat, keeping pressure on the tarpon
and skillfully bringing it up to the surface. What I saw next took my breath
away.
Scott hooked up and observing that the fish is behaving a little
strangely
We soon learned that the fish was being pursued by a hammerhead shark while it
was still hooked!
As the tarpon leaped out of the water a large
hammerhead shark was in hot pursuit just a few feet behind. The next five
minutes were frantic ones as the Tarpon headed straight for our boat, possibly
to use us for cover, or simply trying to avoid getting shark-bitten.
Scott had
the fish a few feet from the boat, and as Captain Nagy reached for the line the
Hammerhead finally t-boned the tarpon, and as the line severed all we could see
was the flashing of loose tarpon scales sinking into the abyss. The taxman got
his cut, and while we lost our last chance at a tarpon it was also one of the
most incredible things that I have ever experienced while fishing.
Meet the taxman! Seconds
after t-boning Scott's tarpon the hammerhead shark descends into the depths
Long Live the Silver King:
While many anglers come to the Florida Keys focus primarily on catching a
particular fish, like the elusive Tarpon, the region has so much more to
offer. The Keys are rich not only in gamefish but also in history, friendly
people that are eager to share their love for archipelago life, and some
exceptional seafood. Not to mention the only raw Lionfish Usuzukuri that I’ve
ever enjoyed!
Over
the two and a half days I landed numerous inshore fish including barracudas and
was able to jump numerous tarpon
There are many ways to fish for Tarpon, but one of
the things that I learned is that these fish are wily, and having access to the
local knowledge that these guides possess greatly increases your chances of
successfully locating, and landing a Tarpon.
Landing
a tarpon is difficult, and while I wasn't able to check it off my personal list
I was able to experience just how incredible these fish are
I may not off crossed Tarpon off my list on this
particular trip but I had numerous opportunities, and can say that I jumped my
first tarpon. All it took was a few days in the Florida Keys for me to
understand just how special region is, and it is easy to fall in love with the
many attractions, cool vibe, and countless fishing options that the Keys offers.
The
Florida Keys is really a special place, a true fishing paradise, and I'll
definitely be back to try and finish my personal list. Long live the Silver
King!
It took me three trips to successfully land a
Goliath Grouper in Florida, and while I hope that it won’t take me as long to
get my first Tarpon, I know that I’ll be back to the Florida Keys with my list
in hand. The battles that I personally enjoyed, and the vision of that
hammerhead shark ripping the tarpon off our line will be forever engrained in my
mind, and all of which have only whet my appetite further for landing Megalops. Long live
the elusive Florida Keys Silver King!
Thank you to Paul Michele, Andy Newman, Garmin, Navionics, Okuma, AFW, Engel
Coolers, Sawyer, Maui Jim, A Band of Anglers, and the Florida Keys and Key West
tourism council
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