# Tarpon Feeding at Robbie's in Florida Keys



## paver (Mar 5, 2006)

Has anyone ever seen the Tarpon feeding at Robbie's Marine in Islamoroda Key in Florida?


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## fred heyne (Feb 24, 2008)

Worked for Robbies fishing on the Captain Michael when I lived down there. The number and size of tarpon at the boat rental dock are pretty unbelievable. Incredible that something this cool hasn't been spoiled.


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## paver (Mar 5, 2006)

Amen to that statement!


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

The keys are like no other place on Earth....


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## wooman (Feb 26, 2008)

Feeding the tarpon at Robbies is an awesome experience - spent 2 days of my vacation on that dock


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## mallardslayer77 (Aug 3, 2006)

Amazing!


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## outdooraggie2011 (Nov 24, 2008)

wow


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## Poon Chaser (Aug 22, 2006)

miss fishing down there... used to tear the pooons up around 7 mile bridge


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## trio-assassin (Nov 4, 2008)

amazing!! id want to retire in the Keys but id feel so spoiled


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## 100% Texan (Jan 30, 2005)

Is it legal to throw a bait with a hook off that peir or is no fishing allowed I got the truck gased up and ready hooks are sharp lol


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## 2muchjuice (Dec 28, 2008)

noo-noo said:


> Is it legal to throw a bait with a hook off that peir or is no fishing allowed I got the truck gased up and ready hooks are sharp lol


What about a 12ft cast net? Only kidding of course


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## Bonito (Nov 17, 2008)

Dang, I miss Florida. Great Pics. I'll bet there's a cuda under that dock too.


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## WAHOOLY (Sep 7, 2008)

Wow. Wouldn't want to go skinny dipping over there.


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## mozingo1952 (Sep 29, 2004)

I started going to the Keys in the mid 80's, I have to stop in every trip. 
this year I am going to this place ,

http://www.marathonaquaranch.com/index.html

check it out

MO


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

I can't remember the name of the restaraunt but it's in Hollywood Beach, Fl. along the intracoastal. They have the best blackened mahi sandwiches there! anyway, they have a pet tarpon, if you sit on the deck by the waterway you'll see him. He's easily a 6 footer and he loves eatin the french fries. Owner said he had been there for years and years.


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

Found it! this is the place, Le Tub Saloon on A1A in Hollywood, Fl. http://www.theletub.com/


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## gater (May 25, 2004)

*Tarpon*

Been there once and it is truely an awsome thing to see. When we stopped the marina was closed so we could not buy any bait to feed them. Had some chocolate chip cookies in the truck and they just hammered them. Gater


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## Autco (Jul 2, 2008)

http://www.marker88.info/index.htm

Marker 88 is a great place to eat!


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## Herron (Oct 17, 2005)

Going to the Keys in March and planning on swinging by Robbies. We're thinking about going out on a party boat. Any recommendations? 

Charters are looking a little too expensive but might consider something between party boat prices (3 people) and charters. Again, any recommendations?

Thanks!


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## flatsprowler (Jul 1, 2008)

*Rent a boat*

I would recommend getting a map and renting a small boat with a chartplotter......just do it yourself. Go find a nice looking reef, start chumming and catch some ballyhoo with the cast net.......you be in business. Most of the party boats are only going to catch small reef fish with the occasional nice fish thrown in. You wont find a guide for under 350 a half day and you'd be lucky if they were'nt booked already.

Maybe try going to Flamingo and doing some back country fishing.....they rent canoes and kayaks at the Flamingo marina and the surrounding flats hold tarpon, snook, trout, reds, sharks.....heck you name it.

A really neat trip if you could swing it would be to rent a small power boat and a couple kayaks......head into the backcountry and just work the mangroves.......nothing like that big snook bite.. Just get some bucktail jigs n assorted colors and tip them with shrimp......nice easy twitches in your retrieve and baaam!!!

Good luck....hope you have a good trip.


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## Amstel (Dec 19, 2006)

*Great picture*

Thanks for sharing the picture with us. Brings back a lot of good memories of fishing in the keys including one experience fishing with shrimp off one of the bridges and catching grunts. After catching multiple grunts and throwing them back, I noticed this large tarpon would come up to grab the grunts I just threw in the water. You can quess what I did next. Grabbed a larger outfit, put a hook on the next grunt I caught and threw in the water. Hooked up almost immediately and had a nice fight for a couple of minutes before the hook came out.

Thanks again for the picture and bringing back many fond memories of fishing in the keys.


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## LBS (Sep 2, 2004)

Aw man that is awesome. It would hard for me to not just throw off the shirt and go "CAAAAAANNON BAAAAAAALL" right in the middle.


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## Mike in Friendswood (May 21, 2004)

*Up close and personal*

This is my good friend Gary, hand feeding them.

Mike


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## Miles2Fish (Dec 2, 2008)

Lots of places in the keys you can find a place to feed the Poons....I liked The Red Snapper on Tavenier Key. Great bar, good food and lots of tarpon to feed. I'd rather stand on the front of the boat and feed him a crab and a circle hook though....Even better catching juvenile poons from the kayak in the canals and watch them launch over your head like the space shuttle.....


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## fred heyne (Feb 24, 2008)

Herron said:


> Going to the Keys in March and planning on swinging by Robbies. We're thinking about going out on a party boat. Any recommendations?
> 
> Charters are looking a little too expensive but might consider something between party boat prices (3 people) and charters. Again, any recommendations?
> 
> Thanks!


Captain Michael is the best party boat down there. Fast boat with a good crew. Make sure and secure a transom spot, they are numbered. We used to hammer the snappers (yellowtail, mutton, and mangrove). Fish at night if you can, less people, better fishing. Give the head mate 10 bucks when you step on the boat, they'll make sure you are taken care of. Captains Chris and Walter, I believe, are still running the boat. Fresh bait (ballyhoo or cigar minnows) is key. Bruce Anderson and John Reynolds run the Captain Easy which is a less expensive charter boat out of Holiday Isle. Boat is smaller but has a new engine, runs fast, and catches as many fish as the other top boats. If you don't mind fishing with strangers you can always go on a split charter. Check will Bill at the booking office at Holiday Isle.


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## myprozac (Feb 7, 2006)

Iv fed them a couple times. Sure is fun having them take the fish out of your hand.


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## mozingo1952 (Sep 29, 2004)

I've got nothing but bad memories of the headboat buisness down there. fishing with a bunch of drunk tourists for yellowtail snapper, most of which were eaten
by baracuda before they could be landed. 

I hear good things about the " yankee captains" boat out of key west , it
make overnight trips to the Tourtugas , and is done for fishermen , not tourists.

good luck 

MO


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## fishkillr (Dec 31, 2008)

I used to get in so much much trouble at the A&B in Key West for catching those tarpon around the cleaning table. The guy would come up and say "HEY YOU CANT TARPON FISH HERE!!!" and I would tell him "I'm not!!!! I'm fishing for those nurse sharks but all these **** tarpon keep taking the bait!!!" LOL Man that was a good time. Once I jumped one in somebody's boat across the slip. My bad!


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## Herron (Oct 17, 2005)

Thanks for the recs. above guys.


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

One of the coolest things I have ever done.


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## capt mullet (Nov 15, 2008)

When it comes to poons there is no place like Florida. I started guiding in the Tampa bay area and poons were my main target from April to November. The dynamics of the different species to fish for in Florida is awesome. In the mornings you would chase poons then as the sun came up you switched to a different species. Reds, Snook, Trout , mangrove snapper, grouper, bonito, and all located inside Tampa Bay and in the winter the big species is sheepshead. Yes sheepies. Those florida boys love sheepies!!! I just got back from a trip to Florida visiting my old friends a few days ago and of course when I went it wasnt warm and sunny it is was freezing cold. My luck of course but we did manage a few nice reds and a few nice sheepshead. But the fishing was definitely tough because of the cold temps! Now I am all fired up thinking about poons unfortuneately around here you have to wait to June and that Sux!!!!!!! I guess livin in Florida will spoil you badly!!!


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