COLUMNS: VAN HUBBARD
Stealth the secret, let it enhance your ‘richest’ odds this tarpon season
It’s tarpon time here in Boca Grande. Enjoy the action.
While silver kings are not the only game in town, it’s tarpon season. Our tournament season kicks off with the Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament on May 10. Please enjoy Mother’s Day on the 11th, make your reservations in advance. The next week we enjoy the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament fishing on May 14th and 15th. We have lots of entertainment and an art show tied in with the event. We also have several other events to enjoy through the summer.
Boca Grande Pass and surrounding waters are world famous for our fisheries. Big-game fishing literally started here because anglers saw so many big tarpon they had to invent the gear to tackle them. Fishing helped put us on the map. Our backcountry fishing was awesome but the giant silver kings were world news.
We have two distinctly unique styles of tarpon fishing here. Pass fishing with stout gear, live baits and precise drift fishing in Boca Grande Pass. We cruise out to the Big Pass, then set up tide, ahead of the fish and drift at prescribed depths enticing the bite. Boats swing around the drifting boats idling upstream, then reset lines and drift back through the schools of fish. We mark lines at 42 feet with green thread and red at 60 feet. Captain will tell you green on the reel in shallower areas. Then drop down to red at 60 feet in the deeper holes. It’s simple, efficient and productive. It’s the most efficient fishery for fish and fishermen.
Beach fishing is when we scout out schools of tarpon along our Gulf beaches. It requires us to locate, then stalk the happy schools of fish. We try to set up far enough away to allow the fish to continue their normal patterns, but close enough to allow our cast to reach them. Most use electric motors to stay off the fish, but close enough to work them. Even the electric motors DO scare fish. Stealth enhances your odds of a bite. Outboards are not recommended for working beach fish! Stealth is the secret. Happy fish feed and scared fish run.
It is important to subdue your trophy ASAP. This allows it to swim away and recover from the battle. These fish are fighting for their lives and have strength that is extraordinary. They jump, exhibiting spectacular acrobatics. You need to video and replay it in slow motion to actually see the amazing gymnastics. Their strength will test your gear and stamina. It’s best to listen closely to your guide and learn to work your fish instead of it working you! Acclimate yourself with the gear and use your strength to gain line as the fish tries to rest, and just hang on as it runs. Always remember to bow to the king, bow your rod tip as fish jump to stay connected. Immediately raise the tip as it reenters the water and be ready for another jump.
Many people think they don’t need a professional local guide. Besides the information learned from the local guides’ experience, just look at the recent boating accidents. Fishing in congested areas with big fish and huge sharks requires keen awareness and remarkable concentration. Your time here is valuable, have the most fun by hiring an experienced local tarpon guide. Go to Whidden’s Marina, the local outfitters shops, or the Boca Grande Fishing Guides Association and choose the captain that matches your desires.
Your safety and enjoyment are our mutual desire.
