Saturday, July 2, 2016

The Pinnacles of Tarpon on the Fly





This is either a passion or totally crazy; maybe both.  My alarm went off at 3 a.m.  By 3:30 I was on the road to meet Carey Theriot, fly fishing manager of Flint Creek Outfitters of Ocala.  After hooking up to Walt’s skiff, I arrived at RaceTrac in Homosassa Springs to meet Cary.  He followed me to the boat ramp and by 6:00 A.M. we were underway.


As we plied west to our destination, a light chop was chattering under our feet signified a great day to come.  It was light out now and at pre-sunrise the white deck of the skiff turned a flamingo pink.  Only certain days does the light and sky match just right for this to happen.  First time I saw it,  I could not believe my eyes.  It was so surreal.


Tarpon with a fly rod was the plan today.  The season is nearly over as many fish have left and migrated on.  Some go into the rivers.  Some spend the entire year in the rivers.  Who knows.  It has been proven that tarpon head offshore 100 miles to spawn.  




For this morning, we will settle for whatever fish came by as it did not much matter to Cary and I.  We were both were mesmerized by the sunrise for a few minutes.  Cameras’ out and shutter sounding.  Another masterpiece by the Master with orange, red, yellow and clouds reflecting those colors. What a sight to make you appreciate living another day.  There is something special about breathing in salt air and unique to say the least, reading the water surface for tarpon.




Well, Cary and I are talking away as we ready our lines for the silver king.  We  had several pods come to us.  We casted the fly into the school on mark feeling nothing. You can’t see your fly early in the morning but the rollers are exciting.  This is the one of the pinnacles to angling for tarpon.  


Other pinnacles is seeing the tarpon’s black back in contrast to a white sandy bottom and begin tracking the fly, sometimes giving the angler plenty of time for surreal excitement before watching its huge black gallon bucket size mouth open eating the fly.  They are usually lazily slow but in some cases moving fast.  With fly line in hand and feeling the bite and then pulling it hard is so awesome.  Like a greyhound bus.  The rod has nothing to do with setting the hook as many beginners will try to strike it with the rod like a trout fisherman, pulling the fly out of its mouth.


Still in pinnacle lands, the jumps a tarpon and height of the leaps,  twisting, somersaulting, gill rattling and white water cascading is the highest peak for me.  It’s like the Tetons, the full view of those peaks that make up the beauty and excitement.  Homosassa’s tarpon are from 4-7 feet long. That’s 30 to over 200 pounds.


I had to have Cary back in by 9am to the ramp.  It was a good morning.  We exchanged pleasantries and I headed back out alone.  By now the sun was up high enough to have some visibility to see the poons under the water’s surface cruising.. The plan is to put the fly in front of the mouth and not the tail:-)


Well, a buddy said, Mike here’s comes a school of 50.  I laughed and thought, I only want one.  They passed out of ranged and the glare was bad, so I only saw a few rollers.  So heck, I pulled the anchor and decided to use the iPilot trolling motor.  On low speed, here’s comes a string of 3.  I shut the motor off and they were going to pass in range, about 40 feet.  I missed the sweet spot and off they went.  A couple of hours went by without an eyeball, so I just soaked up the beauty of the flat.  I had it all to myself.  I was about to call it after 5 minutes.  But, here’s come an unmistakable push of tarpon swimming very fast.  I hit the remote to “Rabbit”(full speed) and turned 180 degrees for 20 yards, shut it down and made my cast.  It was those same three fish, to myself.  Would you believe my fly snagged a blade of turtle grass,  End of story, that’s tarpon fishing on the fly.

Friday, July 1, 2016

1st Tarpon On the Fly

Learn to catch your 1st Tarpon On the Fly 
I've made thousands of casts to tarpon with fly rods in 10-11-12 weights before becoming the fly guy at Flint Creek Outfitters in Dade City recently. When I picked up the fly rod for the first time 25 years ago, my fly line and rod simulated like a buggy whip. My dopey buddies were just as bad and we were busting out laughing at each other because we did not have a clue how to do it, much less the right way. 
Then as fate would have it, Freddy "Fearless" Archibald came into my life. He gently harassed and introduced me to fly fishing. The quarry was giant Homosassa tarpon. He promised it would help my guide business monetarily. Mainly though, becoming a fly fishing guide would become a passion. Reluctantly, I decided to give it a try. He gave me a fiberglass 12-weight rod/reel built by Shakespeare and named a wonder rod. I began practicing my cast every chance I got.
When the season arrived in May, Freddy invited me to go fishing with him. I had guided for over 10 years at the time and caught plenty of tarpon with my clients using lures and spin tackle but none on the fly rod. This was an exciting day for me.
It's hard to fathom why a tarpon is eagerly willing to take a 3" long rooster feather fly. Freddy use to attend cock fights in New Orleans and would bring home a cape or two and stick in his freezer.
Here I am standing on the bow of his Shipoke, when a school of slow moving daisy chaining fish with their fins breaking the water surface. There was a light wind creating the perfect chop on the gulf's waters. Perfect conditions to cast into the 5-7 foot long fish. Somehow, I managed to chuck the fly into the center of perhaps a dozen fish. They continued their pre-spawning ritual without spooking from my flinging cast. 
My heart was pounding and the adrenaline was at its peak. I stripped the fly in and Freddy instructed the speed and length(I think I heard him). Then the line came tight and jolted instantly. The huge tarpon came only half way out of the water. This was a big fish. i was clueless how to strike a tarpon properly, she came up with power only a tarpon can portray. Because I did not point my rod to the fish aka "bow to the King", the 5-foot fish shook the fly loose from its head frolicking side to side. 
To overcome from spin fishing to fly fishing or from fly fishing the mountain streams, to the flats of Florida, for silver king tarpon has to be paramount, whether a beginner or one who has not big game fished. Overcome is a good word to define the use of a long rod; to defeat the difficult purpose and successfully gain control and be affected very strongly. You need to become a sponge for knowledge, apply it and practice daily for 20 minutes each day. You have to have a double-haul to propel the fly to the target to longer distances than most types of fly fishing before you step on a guide skiff. Have confidence. It is ok to begin at the top of the field to pursue big fish.
Fly rods have evolved since I started using Fiberglass some 30 years ago. I've owned the best fly rods on the market from over a half dozen top companies. I still have and use fly rods that are over 20 years old. That's one reason Orvis has so much faith in their fly rods and warranty.
The industry continues to manufacture the strongest and sleekest with the lightest materials available. The Orvis Helios 2 rod family is one of the top fly rods in the country and built in the USA. Their 25-year warranty proves their confidence of the product. 
Do you want to catch a tarpon on the fly? Get the passion and tell me you want to get started by looking me up at the fly shop in Dade City.
Capt. Mike Locklear