# Islamorada ****!



## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

The first **** I've grabbed. Fished with Drew Moret out of Islamorada. He said it was a 120# fish.

Nothing else to report but this made the trip worth it.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Nice job!!! Where were you fishing......Up towards the Everglades? My Keys reports have been saying the water is still very warm down there. Good for tarpon, but the stone crabbers are drawing blanks.lol


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Nice fish. What fly did he go for? Was it a long battle?


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## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

This was up closer to Flamingo than Islamorada. The weather is still a bit warm for them to lay up much according to my guide. He said that normally it's cooled off enough but they've been a bit warmer than usual. Said he's looking for lows at night of about 60-65 and warming up to about 80 in the middle of the day. That will generally trigger the **** to go deep overnight and get up on the flats to warm up as the sun warms the shallow water.

This dude was laid up with another **** near a channel edge off a flat. Both went for the fly and this one got there first.

karstopo- I was using a 1/0 black & purple tarpon toad. Took about 15 minutes to get the leader but it was another 15-20 to be able to grab the fish.

I've leadered a couple of tarpon before this one but this was my first face grab and photo op.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Great fish!! Well worth the effort!


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Finn Maccumhail said:


> karstopo- I was using a 1/0 black & purple tarpon toad. *Took about 15 minutes to get the leader* but it was another 15-20 to be able to grab the fish.
> 
> I've leadered a couple of tarpon before this one but this was my first face grab and photo op.


Kudos (and green) on the time you fought that fish. She was no doubt released in excellent shape. I've had clients who took over an hour on a fish half that size.....drowned it on the end of the fly rod. You obviously know what you're doing.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

Permit Rat said:


> Kudos (and green) on the time you fought that fish. She was no doubt released in excellent shape. I've had clients who took over an hour on a fish half that size.....drowned it on the end of the fly rod. You obviously know what you're doing.


Thanks.

I'm just good at following directions. The basic direction is that you can't fight a tarpon like you're afraid of losing it. You don't try to horse them because you can't but you've got to keep constant heat on the fish.

She definitely swam off in excellent shape. I held her while we motored slowly to get some water/oxygen over her gills and in just a minute or two she was revived enough to bust loose out of both my hands and power away. I couldn't have held her if I wanted to and I'm a big dude.


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## sjrobin (Oct 1, 2009)

Great news Finn. May be heading down there before the end of the year. Other than your tarpon did you cast to many other fish?


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