# Tarpon Tournament Winning Pix



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Here's the evidence as turned in for the tournament.

First two pics are of our two fish. Last one is of Dana Bailey's fish in the Pro Division.


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Wow, that is awsome thanks for sharing those with us.


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## Brent (May 26, 2004)

WOW, It really got rough out there! Look how steep and tall the waves are in the last two photos......


Congrats again.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Yea well, you should have seen it at 9:00 a.m.!!!! There were still some rollers around but the whitecaps died down for the pictures...


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## Goags (May 28, 2004)

Nice 'poons and congrats on the win!


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## Brent (May 26, 2004)

_Aug. 10, 2004, 11:04PM

_

*Gathering of tarpon produces world-class fishing*

*By JOE DOGGETT*
*Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle*

The tarpon is a strange fish, and nowhere is it more unpredictable than along the upper Texas coast during summer.

Other warm-water migrants such as king mackerel, jack crevalle, cobia and the various inshore sharks show in predictable and consistent numbers off Galveston and Freeport beginning in late April/June and running through September. The influxes are dependable each year.

But the tarpon swims to a different drummer.

Some years, yes; some years, no â€" it's always a question mark. But when the big schools congregate off the beachfront, the fishing can be world-class. It happened last week.

*Best run since 1997*

"It was the best run of tarpon since 1997," said veteran guide James Plaag of Galveston-based Silver King Adventures. "We found the fish last Tuesday. We had five captains working them â€" Darrell Skillern, Dana Bailey, James Trimble, Robby Mielsch and myself. During the week, we put at least 70 fish into the air.

"Most of the tarpon were in the 70- to 90-pound class; the biggest was about 160 â€" not many monsters but lots of good, solid fish, the size that are fun to catch."

A handful of boats jumping 70 tarpon within a week ranks with the best the sport has to offer â€" as good as Boca Grande, Fla., or Key West, Fla., or Rio Colorado/Rio Parismina, Costa Rica. Add to that the favorable "slick calm" conditions that make spotting and fishing the rolling tarpon such a pleasure; indeed, the run of stable weather was a critical element for success.

"You need several weeks of calm weather and clear water to allow the fish to school up in predictable patterns," Plaag said. "Some summers, we get too much south and southwest wind â€" that chops the Gulf and turns the nearshore water sandy. That makes it hard to stay on the fish.

"This time, it was perfect. There was a huge school of fish working a five-mile stretch off the Galveston beachfront. You could run to the area and shut down â€" and there they were."

*Effective methods*

The tarpon were so plentiful and so "happy" (ready to eat), that most of the fish were hooked on lures. Natural baits such as dead shad were snatched by undesirables such as sharks and jacks. Nothing against either species, but when five- and six-foot silver kings are rolling left and right, nobody wants to be laboring over a blacktip or jackfish.

Plaag said the two most effective methods were drifting with **** Pop jigs, and casting with heavy plug rods rigged with fast-sinking Coast Hawks or slow-sinking 85 Series MirrOlures. The plugs often were chunked at rolling fish.

No reports of fly-rod action were available, but the tarpon were there for the taking, often at close distances.

"The first few days were as good as I can ever remember," Plaag said. "Wednesday, my boat went 8-for-8, and Thursday we went 7-for-11. It was red-hot all the way through Friday, then that weird norther hit â€" just in time to upset the tarpon tournament."

*Tough tournament*

The ninth annual Texas Tarpon Pro Am was held Saturday, headquartered at Teakwood Marina in Galveston. At dawn, northeast wind was topping 20 mph â€" a terrible stroke of luck that reversed the stable pattern and put the fish down.

Tournament coordinator Jim Leavelle said more than 50 boats fished in the tarpon and offshore divisions, but only three tarpon were landed. Guide Bailey won the pro division with a 120-pounder caught on a **** Pop by angler Rod Rodriguez. It was Bailey's second win in the event.

The amateur division was topped by Scott Alford. His team of Sally Farley and Jim Farley caught two fish. Both reportedly struck during afternoon, as conditions began moderating. Had conditions remained stable, the field of boats might have jumped several dozen fish.

"I think six or seven tarpon were jumped Sunday," Plaag said. "The wind has been holding from the northeast, but the Gulf is calm again. Unless we get a big storm, this might have been the tip of the iceberg. September statistically is our best month for tarpon."

But, with Tropical Storm Bonnie edging across the Gulf, and another unseasonable norther taking aim at the Texas coast, the late-week forecast is anything but stable. It seems as if the weatherman, as well as the silver king, has his quirks._

Joe Doggett covers the outdoors for the Chronicle. He can be reached at: __[email protected] chron.com._


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

Congrats guys and gal!

It takes guts to do things different in Texas like you do Scott. But, I am guessing that is the reason why you guys won.

Smart thinking.


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