# Need some advice - tarpon



## ctsa (Sep 21, 2015)

Ok, newbie (first born) to the fly fishing world of tarpon. I've put a 110 on the boat (well, pics in the water BC that's what you do) on rod and reel. Here's the delimma, I'm heading to key west for 5 days with my family tarpon fishing - which they love and are all about - but catching a tarpon in the fly is my holy grail. 

I have an 8# rod, don't know if that's enough. Can this survive the Titans of the flats?

I've never fly fished for tarpon so don't have a clue on best retrieve and how to entice them to bite. I do have respect for them.

If they do bite, outside of immediately ******* my pants, how do I fight them intellectually and result in a leader or land?

What flies should I be throwing under the assumption my 8# is enough to get the job done.

Where? We are mostly fishing marina fish but I want to be on the flats.

May look for a guide to desperately take me out on my quest, any recs?

I have to make this happen. Not to downplay the toughest fish I've fought but rod and reel just won't give me the thrill I seek.

What say you oh wise 2cool fishing ones? Am I crazy to chase on an 8# or just more sporting? I've got one shot to make this happen, how do I maximize?


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## TXyakker (Aug 18, 2005)

For the keys tarpon, I would say it probably is pretty crazy to try and land one on an 8wt. If you were fishing somewhere like a lagoon, that was known for juvenile tarpon, then I'd say go for it and have a blast with the 8wt. On the flats down there, you're likely going to be seeing bigger fish. I got my first **** on the fly down there. I brought a 10wt that I have, and the guide I was with wanted to stick with the 12 he had just in case. 

As far as flies, there are tons of them out there. The tarpon bunny flies are great as well as toad flies, but there are tons out there that work. You asked how to maximize your chances, so I would go with a guide if I were you (but i dont have a recommendation, so my bad!) Plus going with a guide will take away a lot of the guess work, and you can ask them tons of questions to build your knowledge faster than trying to search all this on your own.

If and when you get a hook up, strip set multiple times. I've hooked and jumped quite a few fish on the jetties here down on PINS, but I've had a lot of lost fish on that first jump - its just part of tarpon fishing! There's the saying of "bow to the king", so when they come out of the water you want to point your rod at them (and kind of lean towards the fish) to give them slack so that they dont land on top of the line and break you off.

Good luck!!


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

Ok, newbie (first born) to the fly fishing world of tarpon. I've put a 110 on the boat (well, pics in the water BC that's what you do) on rod and reel. Here's the delimma, I'm heading to key west for 5 days with my family tarpon fishing - which they love and are all about - but catching a tarpon in the fly is my holy grail.

I have an 8# rod, don't know if that's enough. Can this survive the Titans of the flats? Not unless its Juvie poons. You'll need at least a 10wt but 12 would be better

I've never fly fished for tarpon so don't have a clue on best retrieve and how to entice them to bite. I do have respect for them. Tick, tick, tick tick! you want to keep the fly in front of the poons face for as long as you can. Don't fish the lead ****, fish the poons behind the lead fish. The lead fish can pull the school with them if you muck it up. Pick one fish and cast to it. Do nto cats in the middle of the school. If you can pick up a copy of Andy Mills book. Ive heard him speak and these are all things he says during his speeches. 

If they do bite, outside of immediately ******* my pants, how do I fight them intellectually and result in a leader or land? Carefully, Keep pressure on the fish, fight the fish with the butt end of the rod. Watch a few Andy mill vids, you can see the bow of the rod just above the handle. 

What flies should I be throwing under the assumption my 8# is enough to get the job done. Go to a fly shop and ask

Where? We are mostly fishing marina fish but I want to be on the flats.
Get a guide, or fish the beaches near the bridges. 
May look for a guide to desperately take me out on my quest, any recs?

I have to make this happen. Not to downplay the toughest fish I've fought but rod and reel just won't give me the thrill I seek.

What say you oh wise 2cool fishing ones? Am I crazy to chase on an 8# or just more sporting? I've got one shot to make this happen, how do I maximize? Yes, that's crazy with an 8wt for a mature fish! Consider the Keys the SUPER BOWL of fishing. Clear water, big eye fish, constant wind and tourists. Your best bet to land one will be with a guide but they are expensive. About $700 including tip.


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

I forgot to add that Andy mill recommends that you hold the rod out in front of your body during the feed. The thought process is the fly lines stretch up to 10%, I think. So if you make a 40ft cast and get an eat, if you are holding the rod close to your body, your strip set may not be forceful enough to pierce the mouth past the barb of the hook. he also recommends filing down the hook point so its closer to the barb.


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## 8weight (Mar 24, 2016)

It's gonna be tough to find a guide but hey you never know...just go for it!

I might suggest:
Capt. Brandon Cyr: (305)797-5076
Capt. Ryan Erickson: (305) 433-1267

Be sure to let us know about your trip!!!


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

I jumped a couple tarpon on fly off Key West with a 9 weight rod and little Valentine reel. I landed the 30-pounder and still have the fly and corkhead (mullet imitator) on my desk here. But then a group of 5-6 foot tarpon approached, maybe a dozen fish. I used a brown and orange streamer and actually hooked up, my wife was poling the boat. I didn't set the hook right (rared back on him) and he jumped three times and got off. This was about May 26 one year. The outside flat at Boca Grande Key. You could see schools 100 yards away, they looked like a bunch of ling. All were headed from west to east. If you're serious about tarpon, a 12-weight with a short butt is the way to go. You don't want to fight them with a buggy whip until they're dead in the water.


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## Ripin' Lips (Jul 3, 2012)

I'm not sure when you are going, but if you want a guide, start looking now. A lot of guides tend to book several months in advance. My fl **** guide books up close to 9 months in advance of the season.

Here are a few excerpts from Mills' book.

_The best analogy I can give you relating to force-feeding a tarpon is to consider how a kitten reacts when you dangle a string in front of it. If you hit the cat on the head with the string, itâ€™ll turn and run away. If you donâ€™t get the string close enough. It wonâ€™t pay any attention to it. But if you toss the string out in front of the kitten in the right spot-bump it, shake it and slide it-the cat will reach out and grab the string._

_Itâ€™s critical to avoid the key mistake many inexperienced tarpon anglers initially make: mindlessly stripping the fly at a fast pace, hoping the fish will race over and eat it. Thatâ€™s no way to seduce this fish. Instead, learn to dance._
_When a young man first asks a young woman to dance he doesnâ€™t race over, grab her and start an aggressive fast-paced two-step body bump. That is if he has any smarts or style._
_Itâ€™s the same with trying to get a tarpon to eat your fly. Soft and gentle is the best approach. Speak with whispers and silky wine. First, get the fish to see your fly-take her hand-let the fish to slide up in perfect alignment and allow the dance to begin. Think of it as just that, a dance, where each and every move you make is determined by what the fish does in response to your previous move._
_A prerequisite to this â€œcourtshipâ€ is what we spoke about previously: a culmination of a correct reading, casting and presentation to the fish with the fly ultimately ending up in the right depth in the water column in perfect alignment with the fish._
_Once the fish sees your fly and remains happy, staying in line with the fly, a soft, smooth slide should get this happy fish to move toward your bug. Remember, you want to close the gap between your fly and the fish without stopping the fly. Once the fish starts to elevate and begins to accelerate toward the fly, you know youâ€™re about to get a grab._
_The cat and the string are at play!_
_Keep the fly moving while continuing to allow the fish to close the gap. Small, quick bumps should close the deal. Another very important thing to remember is to try to feed the fish as far away from the boat as possible. If the fish gets too close, even though he wants to eat your bug, heâ€™ll feel the boat and bolt_


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## davidb (May 10, 2006)

Call these guys http://www.floridakeysoutfitters.com/. Sandy Morret himself will answer the phone sometimes. They can set you up with a guide or gear. Save the 8 wt for the glades for baby Tarpon. The top guides are already booking for next year but you never know someone could cancel.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Just for the sake of argument, I do not bow to tarpon. Never have, never will. Also never broke a tippet because a tarpon landed on it....mostly because with my technique, the fish almost _can't_ land on the tippet. Keep light pressure with the rod bent (NOT pointed at the fish, as is what happens when one bows.) The rod and line will absorb all the shock from those violent head shakes but the line and leader always stays out and away from the fish.

Another reason for not bowing, is that you have much less slack line to recover when the fish finally does stop jumping. Many don't know this, but an accomplished angler can get back a lot of line after a jump. It is theorized that when the fish hits the water it is confused for a few seconds, not knowing which way to turn....or maybe it just needs to rest. No one knows for sure.

Trouthappy has seen me fight tarpon......Not to brag but we went 2 for 2 that morning and were back at the dock by about noon.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Here's a couple of pictures from that day off Key West. Not bad weather, for late May. Permit Rat made it look easy. Lots of fun swimming along with this tarpon in bare feet, taking pictures. Didn't bring the flippers that day.


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## blue dolphin (Feb 9, 2010)

This is tarpon season in Key West with migratory fish now showing up. When the tarpon show up, the Sharks move in. Using an 8wt on these fish guarantees you will get broken off or you will wear the fish out and a shark will get a meal. Use a minimum of a 10, prefer a 12. Wednesday evening had a 150+ fish roll on a live mullet in the Boca Chica channel Oceanside. In the harbors you may find smaller fish, but most will not allow dock fishing. Get a guide.


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## hooknbullet2 (Jan 17, 2006)

I'm on the airplane headed back from Key West now. Fished the last three days and only jumped 2 tarpon. Tough times. Did land a 24 lb permit though that saved the trip.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

hooknbullet2 said:


> I'm on the airplane headed back from Key West now. Fished the last three days and only jumped 2 tarpon. Tough times. Did land a 24 lb permit though that saved the trip.


Was it windy? Good job on the permit...I think I know exactly where you (could have) caught it. Some pretty good sized fish cruise that sand on the low outgoing tide. We have caught them on our tarpon outfits, usually using the orange/yellow Apte fly. But that was over 20 years ago...maybe something else works better now.

OH....forgot to ask.....has a worm hatch come off yet? Possibly could have been one last week.


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## hooknbullet2 (Jan 17, 2006)

Not windy. Permit was on the rocks in the sand. No worm hatch yet.


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

Jumping two tarpon on fly in three days of fishing in the Keys is certainly not bad, particularly if that's the first time you've gone after them. Keys tarpon can be notoriously tough to feed even if you're making lots of good casts. 

Sometimes it seems like just a game they're playing with us. "Okay you guys - let's get a hundred of us to line up and swim right past that boat - but nobody bite! Got it? Let's see if we can get him to break his rod over his knee!"

I can't imagine a more frustrating but also thrilling sport. You have to be willing to withstand lots and lots of rejection for a few moments of exhilaration. You know, just like with women!


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## txtroutbum (Dec 13, 2015)

*Keys Tarpon*

I second getting a guide, a least for a half day. I went with a guide for a half day last summer and got into tarpon less than 20 mins from launching the skiff. We landed two smaller ones, jumped some more, and were back at the dock by noon.

I suggest launching your boat and heading to any of the small islands on the gulf side and going around to the leeward side, poling up by the mangroves and finding some small ones before you hook into the 100+ lb ones. You will quickly get used to keeping your rod tip up and bowing when they jump. Good luck out there, keys are my favorite place to visit.

Also, I highly recommend Capt. Scott Collins for lower and middle keys fly fishing.


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