Islamorada Daisy Chain, Tarpon on a Roll!

Rick & Mikey Mandrel Angling for Tarpon

The crisp morning westerly breeze slipped across our faces, as we headed out of Islamorada in search of the annual migration of the Silver Kings, Florida Tarpon! Rick & Mikey Mandrel, his son age ten, were eager to get out on a father, son fishing trip and experience the thrill of angling in the Florida Keys together. During April through May, Tarpon can be found migrating both north and south along the banks off the coastline, throughout the Florida Keys. Tarpon fishing really begins to heat up in April, as these migratory fish show in increasing numbers. Crabs and live mullet are the baits of choice. Yesterday, we were using live crabs as our offerings to the Silver Gods. Up on the flats, there too are plenty of tarpon, bonefish and still some permit being taken but our sights were on the Kings. These overgrown, herring-like fish, show up in good numbers, this time of year and as the waters warm up, so too will the Tarpon, both in bites to numbers. READ MORE..........

Tune in on Channel 2 for Tarpon, Florida Keys Style

By Greg Poland

Greg & Harry looking for Kings

At Mile marker 73, is the famed Channel 2 Bridge, as one from atop can claim everything from Yellowtail Snapper to the famed Silver Giants of Florida, the Tarpon. If on the other hand you happen to be in a boat, your chances of big Tarpon increase with your hours out on the water, understanding the tides and knowing the fish, the baits, their habits and the best way to hook'er up! Added to this, you acquire a guide, who has this knowledge and has lived there, most his life, your in for a rocking good time out on the water with a hook set guarantee, if its Greg Poland at the helm! 

 

Harry & Cristy Kirk from Austin, Texas chartered me out in finding him the biggest fish he could muster, in saltwater and one to which he could not only have bragging rights on but be proud to have caught too. Christy was along for the ride, moral encouragement and to take the pictures of our prized catch of the day. We set out for the historical old Flagler bridge or as us locals call it, the channel 2 bridge which offers some great catches from tarpon, snook, snapper, permit, shark and numerous other types of creatures with fins. 

Live-well with Mullet

Our quarry; the Silver King, our Famed Florida Tarpon. The Channel 2 bridge is an older structure and as such offers vertical structure, along with an accumulation of bottom debris over the years, giving the area not only a hiding place for baits but ambush predators, like tarpon on the outflow can take up position behind anything that blocks the current. Armed with all our equipment, compliments of OHERO, we fished free-lined mullet on circle hooks attached to OHERO 50 pound Fluorocarbon attached to OHERO Blue Braid in a true complement to any hook up from sharks to the Silver Giant. Upon the first cast, the mullet changed its direction in swimming up, against the current, behind a block of the bridge and in a beeline to the structure below when that all too familiar sucking sound echoed from under the bridge and this silver streaking locomotive of pure energy exploded next to the boat in the first of many a run to safety. A good twenty to thirty minutes of to and fro as Harry played the game of Fish on! 

Harry Fights the Tarpon As Cristy shoots the shot!

Harry, stated it was the time of his life and he was happy to have shared it with his wife Cristy and Greg, stating it was the biggest saltwater fish he had ever caught and impressive it was too, I exclaimed at about one hundred and twenty-five pounds is nothing to sneeze about for a first timer or pro alike! Later, that evening, celebrations were in order at Ziggie's, where it was martini's and the best steak in town, along with pictures and a fish story to die for. 

Practicing CPR on this 125 pound Silver King

 

 

Greg Poland, "Come fish the Keys with me!"

Dick's Tarpon Challenge Palm Island, the Florida Keys

Captain Greg Poland Charters

Large or small Tarpon is a fantastic fly rod challenge, know matter what time of the year it is but when your angling just off of Palm Island, in the Florida Keys, it is a gem on both counts. Little Palm Island, in the Keys, was once used as the exclusive fishing retreat of President Harry Truman. Accessible only by boat or seaplane, the island's hospitality has drawn an impressive guest list, including the late President Kennedy, Al Gore and Ivanna Trump. It is known as the south Pacific of south Florida. This island, in the Florida Keys, can be found at Latitude 24°37.11, Longitude 81°24.42, just four nautical miles north of Looe Key Light (marker 24). The Loran coordinates are 13981.6 and 43530.5 at Flashing Red #2, which marks the entrance to Newfound Harbor. This paradise exists, lying discreetly off the fabled Florida Keys coastline. Little Palm Island is not only an escape of choice for presidents, high profile celebrities and savvy travelers alike but a hot spot in catching many a species on a fly.

On the last day of 2010, I had probably the best day of my entire last year of fishing today in fishing with a new client, as we were in pursuit of fishes on the fly off Palm Island. Pam Wilson booked the trip and before actually getting it on, in the water, I was teaching Dick the techniques of saltwater fly fishing. Armed with an Orvis fly rod and matching reel, Dick was doing extremely well in putting my hand tied, white Deceiver, out on a lay of the water. Seven Weight line and a twenty pound tippet, on Dicks third lay, he had a fish on! The excitement of seeing him hook it up was no more than if it was watching my first hook up ever as the air was electrifying. The fish stripped out a number of feet and then spit the hook, as from the corner of my eye, I noticed a roll of a silver King and blurted cast it over there; tarpon on the move! Dick, swinging around, like a pro-angler made three false casts an laid the fly just to the nose of this rolling beauty of majestic size. At the swirl of a tail, again 'Fish On!' and the fight ensued. Angling on the leeward side of the island, this fish too was getting out of the 20 knot wind a blowing from the other side while rolling and feeding in the sea-grass of the shallows. As this happy fish stripped line off the reel, it finally decided in giving a show of presentation as it danced on its tail across the water. Dick raised the rod tip, as one would do if flying for trout or reds in keeping a taunt line, when he should have bowed to the fish in hopes of no shake off but shake off it was with a fish on, fish gone. What a spectacular feat and a few moments of greatness, as the adrenalin was still in full flow in knowing it was a good fish. The funny thing was, Dick had reeled the fish in all the way to the beginning of the leader, which was at the tip of the rod and had the leader made it to the last eye, with a touch of his fingers, it would have been an official IGFA landing. Oh! Boy was that a close one. This trip was in full steam ahead! I told Dick, he was hot and to get that fly back out on the water because, who knows to what else may be feeding in this lee of the island. Dick again lay the fly out and Wham, bam, thank you mam, another fish was on. Though it seemed different but it was stripping line, like no tomorrow. With a straight run back to the sea-grass, up it came to dance on its tail, too, like a miniature minaret, splashing back with another run to the bottom. After a struggling fight on this fishes part, Dick raised a small, fingerling Tarpon! It had as much fight and spirit as did the big boy that got away, only much, much smaller; the fly was only slightly smaller. “Hungary appetite,” I exclaimed, as we both laughed in a brotherhood of togetherness. Dick suggested he was having just too much fun and that I ought to get into the action. I joined in for a little while and hooked it up with a tarpon just before heading in. In all my days, this rates up there with one of the best because that is what it is all about; having a good time while catching fish and the catch to release of that baby tarpon made this the best day of the last day of the year 2010.

THE ONLINE FISHERMAN

Tied Flies

And we do not mean a pesky little fly caught in the act of eating my sandwich, arrested and tied up for execution.



We mean Hand Tied Fishing Flies for catching Fish. For a number of years I spent time in Central and South America, then later all over Africa. There wasn't much to do out there, besides my work, so I gathered hairs to feathers and tied flies to pass the time away.



Later on, when living here in Florida, I found a couple of my Tupper-ware containers, to which contained all these insects I had tied many moons past.



Some, the hooks had rusted away and I had, Ha-Ha-Ha, barbed-less hooks on rather beautiful flies with an eye to tie but no hook. I put them aside until of late, as I pulled out my late father’s old Cortland center pin reel with its St. Regis Bamboo fly rod. Together, I was matched to catch fish, saltwater to freshwater.



Being older now and my fingers are not as limber, not to mention I can spot a pod of Tarpon at 200 yards away but cannot for the life of me see what I am writing without my glasses; hence, no more new flies.



Here are but a few more unnamed little guys you might like to see, that is if you too are into tied flies.




These others were tied while attending University at USF in Tampa; making them a bit newer:
















There are a bunch more, but I have not the time to show, I got to Fly.

"FISH ON!"

Chrome Cruiser: Megalops Atlanticus aka Tarpon

Above Photographed Tarpon with half ounce white tailed jig in mouth caught on a Bluerunner under an AKA kite Casey Key beach.
Imagine150 pounds of a chrome rocket launching out of the water and then taking off on a 200-yard run, while dancing on its tail to the tune of your screaming drag; welcome to the world of tarpon fishing. Megalops Atlanticus aka Tarpon, Silver kings, the Silver Bullet, from the upper Keys to the Venice Pier, Sarasota Bay, the Sunshine Skyway and Egmont Channel, The tarpon fishing has been pretty consistent for the month of April and it is only going to get better with May and June around the corner. This is prime time for migrating fish. Some people prefer to fly fish for ocean cruising fish, or laid up fish in the backcountry, and others rather catch them on bait. It really does not matter how you catch them, they are one of the most exciting fish to catch on any tackle heavy to light with light being the bear of them all and not recommended unless you possess a permit because the lactose build up in the fish is a sure killer on light tackle landings. Tarpon have an affinity for points, bridges, rivers, channels, hard bottoms and cuts while alluring itself into areas of stagnant water devoid of all others with the exception of any large pod of baitfishes. Engorging food with minimal effort to its maximum affordability.