Anyone for Tarpon Fishing?

[Vagabond]

Something I had not tried before, but always wanted to. So after visiting my daughter in Texas we went down to Belize (just south of Mexico on the Caribbean side)

 

The weather was bad (strong unseasonable winds), so out of the four trips booked, we had just one tide on the Belize barrier reef - went out there by panga with Wyatt Cabral, one of the top guides at Placencia, a small village on a sandbank connected to the mainland by a twenty-mile well-pot-holed track. The reef is about fifteen miles out.

 

Using a 7-weight fly outfit, I got out of the boat and went wading on the flats for permit. Only one bunch was visible, their dorsal fins and tails waving like periscopes. I stalked them as if after trout on a wide shallow river, got within 30 yards of them, and put a size 2 crab fly in front of the shoal four times, but they refused it. Wyatt said that because permit are so wary, many of his clients never got within casting range. So, even with no fish caught, at least I felt good about my approach – it meant that anyone who can stalk chub or trout successfully is in with a chance.

 

As the tide rose it became too deep to wade, and the permit left the area, so I got back in the panga and went to a small islet with trees hanging over the water and teeming with small fish. Every so often there would be a massive swirl as a tarpon came in from deep water and grabbed a mouthful. I changed the crab fly for a size 1/0 fry imitation ("Chartreuse Clouser" for those that like fancy fly names).

 

I could see tarpon from time to time (about 10 to 30 pounds most of them), but as Wyatt pointed out, if I could see the tarpon, then they could see the boat, and tarpon are easily spooked. So sight fishing usually meant the fish would follow my fly but not take. That happened a dozen times. Casting beyond visual range was just a matter of “chuck and chance it” but seemed the only other option. However, I spotted a couple of tarpon cruising the far side of some weed, and sensing that they had not seen me, got the fly across the pair of them.

 

For once it was the larger of the two that took. Then all hell was let loose. Having caught marlin, sailfish, salmon and white sturgeon, I am no stranger to fast-running fish that jump.

 

However, this was something else - all the fly-line and ninety yards of backing were gone in about three seconds. At least when a marlin runs on a multiplier only the drum spins. On a fly reel, not only does the smaller drum spin faster, but also the handle becomes first a blur, then invisible!

 

With half a dozen crashing leaps as the tarpon went berserk, it was vanishing into the distance. I realised if I didn't stop the fish soon, it would get past the end of the islet, and might try to go round it. So I put the heel of my palm on the reel rim – which burnt a bit, but stopped the fish. I regained some line, but the tarpon responded with another long run with a lot of head-wagging leaps thrown in. This pattern was repeated many times, with Norma getting much of it on video.

 

During the fight the wind had pushed the panga away from the island into deep water, and after many lateral runs the tarpon changed tactics and went deep - straight down in fact. The fly rod bent to a half-hoop, with the fish sounding in the same manner as a skate. I had read about the first stages of a tarpon fight, the electrifying runs and the crashing leaps, but this sulking tactic had not been mentioned. Wyatt said such behaviour was fairly common.

 

No way would a 7-weight rod lift the fish straight up, so I kept changing the angle of the line by walking up and down the boat. The oblique pull got the fish to move, and very slowly the fish spiralled its way upward. At last it became visible, and apparently had little fight left in it – until Wyatt tried to gaff it! Then it sounded again. Three times this happened until at last the fish really did have little energy left. Tarpon need gaffing in the bottom jaw if they are to be returned, but this means they have to be played almost to a standstill to avoid accidentally injuring the fish if it makes a last-minute lunge. The result of this prolonged fight means that tarpon need to be put back quickly. So, once aboard, a hasty couple of snapshots were taken, and back she went.

 

Wyatt estimated the weight at 25 lb., but after looking at the length and thickness in the photos and making some calculations based on some published weights and lengths of tarpon, I put it in my log as 23 lb., which seems a more realistic estimate.

 

This is definitely one of the hardest fighting fish I have ever encountered, bar tuna. However, this was much more spectacular, as tuna do not leap, just pull and pull and pull and PULL! I would say this fish ran at least as fast as sailfish do, and very much faster than salmon.

 

The nearest thing in stamina and speed, weight for weight, that I can compare it with in the UK is mullet - imagine how a twenty-plus mullet might go on a fly rod!

 

We are going back to Belize for sure.........

 

TRYING to put a picture up, but not succeeding - will try again.

 

[ 13. March 2005, 08:24 AM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[Vagabond]

YUR TIZ

 

[Brid Chucker]

That's a cracking fish vagabond well done using the light tackle to land it, hope I have as much luck with the pollack later in the year.

[n4lly]

55 mins

[Norm B]

Originally posted by Vagabond:

[QB] Something I had not tried before, but always wanted to. So after visiting my daughter in Texas we went down to Belize (just south of Mexico on the Caribbean side)

 

:cool: I fished Belize at night and lost many huge tarpon on 20lb class gear. The problem was wind over tide, the boat was lying into the wind and the fish were drifting under the stern which meant that the line was cut on the props. I did manage to get a small one of about 80lb into the boat but, oh, what sport I had.

[Elton]

I once stayed in St. Kitts.

 

As luck would have it, we had a room with a balcony on a lagoon. I'd never even heard of tarpon until then.

 

In my case, I had two cheap telescopic rods and two browning fixed spool reels (which I still use to this day!).

 

During the day, I'd grab one of the free bicycles from the hotel and bike down to the shop to grab a tin or two of luncheon meat.

 

At night, I'd dine, have a laugh and have a drink. When the wife got tired, I'd grab a few more drinks to take back to the room.

 

The rods would go out, with the clutches set low and the butts jammed under the table. I'd sit back, drink rum and read a book.

 

I kid you not, when those fish hit, by the time the book had hit the deck and I'd grabbed the rod, the fish must have done the best part of 100m.

 

I'd strike and all hell would break loose. The fish would be tearing line off, jumping in the air and I would be hanging on for dear life.

 

There were a lot of rough edges in that lagoon, so I only ever managed to get one completely back to the balcony. It was probably nudging 40lb. That, in itself, was satisfying enough.

 

What was even more satisfying was bumping into a 'proper' angler the next day - one with loads of kit who'd visited before and knew the score.

 

He asked if I'd caught anything and, when I told him about the previous night, he looked at my feeble kit and said, "Not on that, you didn't."

 

He probably still thinks I'm a liar to this day

 

[ 04. February 2005, 01:11 AM: Message edited by: Elton ]

[Snatcher]

I am NNOOOOTTT jealous! Well done bitch

[severus]

Sweet!

[chappers]

Nice one Dave good write up too.

 

Love to Norma

[Vagabond]

chappers:

 

 

Love to Norma

"Good for him" said Norma