# Tarpon on Fly in the Old Days



## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Here is a pretty outstanding video for anyone interested in Keys tarpon fishing. Made in the 70's, just before I moved permanently to the keys, the film shows several things, not to mention the huge numbers of fish back then. It was produced by Guy de la Valdene and might be available, either through Amazon, or Midcurrent. (Marshal Cutchin)

Note also:

_Skiffs without poling platforms_...That is one of the 16 ft. prototype Mavericks, owned at the time, by the film's maker, Guy de la Valdene. Jimmy Buffett bought it from him at some point and I actually guided out of that boat, when mine was down for some reason. (By then a poling platform had been added.) Jimmy and I fished together on occasions.

_Fiberglass rods..._look how thick they were at the butt end.

_Fin Nor wedding cake reels_. Those and Seamasters were all that were available back then.

_All floating fly lines..._I don't think intermediates were even available in line weights more than a 6 or 7. The next evolution in lines was the 10 ft. wet tip, for 10-12 wt. lines.

First time I watched this (c. 2012) it brought tears to my eyes, just remembering.


----------



## Gladesgator (Jun 29, 2015)

You do a great job of describing the good old days of fishing the Keys.

I just had a Pflueger reel and a big clunky rod, but it sure was fun, but we had poling and casting platforms even then.

Acres of fish behind Palm key, Nine mile not covered in boats, Oxfoot bank all by yourself, huge summertime singles in Garfield and Santini....

Key West wreck fishing before Loran, lol


----------



## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Oh yeah...there were other reels. I think my back-up was a Pflueger Supreme, but it might have been the Shakespeare reel also, (never had to use my back-up) because starting out, I could not afford more than 1 Fin Nor, and I bought mine at wholesale for $140 a pop. Both those back-up reels had drags. But a lot of BIG tarpon were caught on the old Pflueger Medalist, with almost no drag at all.

Interesting about the poling platforms. The first one I ever saw, was on Steve Huff's new skiff, that was made from the Sidewinder hull (same as the Shipoke and later the Dolphin Backcountry models). I happened to be on the dock at Sugarloaf Lodge Marina, when he debuted the boat. My 17 Mako and Tim Carlile's tri hull, didn't have platforms, and we had never heard of them.

Please don't get me started on the Key West wreck fishing, before Loran-C. My very most favorite day to be on the water, was when I could go to those wrecks and tease fish for someone. I will never forget that and consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have been able to experience it.


----------



## Gladesgator (Jun 29, 2015)

Key West before loran was a paradise, if you found the wreck or rock pile with the stop watch and compass, lol. The Luckenbach was some time marked, unless someone had cut the CG buoy loose that they put there for a little while.

Some of the "Master anglers" could only catch something on Fly if it was teased up for them.
Getting soaked from teased up fish strikes is sure fun tho.

My Dad was born and raised in Davie and they went to Flamingo with a boat and a buggy, the buggy was to pull everything out if the road got flooded.

He would drop me off in a 12' jon boat and a 3hp weedless Johnson, I could pick Frank, Palm or Snake bight channel area, they would go fish and pick me up in the afternoon. You sure learn about tides, time of year and fish movement cause you were out of luck if you picked wrong. lol


----------



## Gladesgator (Jun 29, 2015)

Yeah, mine was a Medalist, think I bought the fly rod from a shop going out of business for $3. I can't remember for sure but think it was a Hurricane rod.

My first Tarpon on fly was in the South New River Canal in Davie, where I lived, caught it on a white bucktail fly from a deer I shot. The fish weighed about 30# and I was a proud kid.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That's a good story, Gladesgator. What a privilege to live in an area like that.


----------



## Gladesgator (Jun 29, 2015)

Meadowlark said:


> That's a good story, Gladesgator. What a privilege to live in an area like that.


How are your ponds doing? Still have Hybrid Striped Bass in the bigger one?


----------



## Gladesgator (Jun 29, 2015)

Meadowlark said:


> That's a good story, Gladesgator. What a privilege to live in an area like that.


I was so blessed to live on the edge of the Everglades and have a Father that was an excellent fisherman both freshwater and saltwater.

He took me from wading for bass in the 'Glades to offshore, the 10,000 islands and of course the Keys and Flamingo. Those, were magical times.


----------

