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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida

Capt. Mike Locklear
April 20, 2001
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report

Fly Fishing For Tarpon - Homosassa Style

Ten more days and the month of May will be upon us. If that statement holds true, by the time your read this our gulf water temperature will be between 78 to 84 degrees. It is in this range that we start to have schools of super large tarpon grace us with their presence.

However, the water temperature dipped below 60 degrees which will cause the tarpon to be later than usual. Meantime, I will give you a little fact about fly fishing for tarpon.

Catching one of these giants will sure make a lasting memory. Usually, the process is thought out far in advance much like you would prepare for turkey or deer hunting. No corn is required, however, your gear must be in the best condition to catch a monster tarpon.

For the last 10 years, I have chose my weapon to be the fly rod. Many folks find it hard to believe you can land a 150 pound tarpon on the fly. Hooking a tarpon while casting the fly has no equal. Imagine casting in gin clear waters and watching a tarpon’s mouth open the size of a 2 gallon bucket around a tiny 3 inch carefully tied rooster feather configuration called a streamer fly. What happens after that is climatic.

Besides having an excellent rod that will hold up to heavy pressure, the reel must be capable of holding 300 yards of backing material. The drag of that reel must be super smooth and heat resistant, for a tarpon can rip out 50 yards in less than 10 seconds.

If you have ever fought a tarpon you would know that the big fish also put on one helleva show leaping out of the water with power and vengeance. Each fish is different but all are very powerful. One never knows what to expect from the tricky silver king.

Fly fishing for tarpon is the ultimate challenge and the quarry is usually pursued from a flats boat that is capable of being poled by a guide(or a friend if you are that lucky) for long distances. A stealth approach is the most productive form to hook a big tarpon. Reason is, that these fish along the Nature Coast are spooked by outboard propulsion and will not eat when being chased.

You are probably wondering how would you catch one of these rascals if you hook one and he is peeling the line off faster than you can reel. The answer is easy. You chase him with your trolling motors. I have two mounted onto my trim tabs. When you are out of range(about a half mile) from the other boats and the schools of fish they are pursuing, then you can crank up the big outboard and catch up with the fish.

When the fly line is back on the reel and you get eye ball to eyeball with the fish, then the angler begins putting on the pressure and captain begins slowing the skiff to the point where the fish has to pull the boat. It is from this type of effort that the fish will begin to give up. Sometimes it takes several hours before the fish will come along side the boat.

Because tarpon live to be 50-60 years old, most season veteran anglers will not fight a fish for longer than 30 minutes. A gentlemen’s rule is to get the fish up to the boat as quick as possible with maximum pressure exerted to shorten the length of the battle.

Another reason is so that a big shark will not make the quarry his meal.

When the first knot of the butt section is in the rod tip, the tarpon is considered a caught fish and then he is released by breaking the class tippet. Since there is really no point in killing a tarpon, the herd is considered to be in good numbers.

However, there are a few sportsmen who must prove there worth by recording their catch with the International Game Fish Association. In most areas of the world, certified scales are not handy enough to be used in release situations. A $50 kill tag which must be purchased before the catch to hang a tarpon for any reason. I do not know of any Captains or Guides who today regularly hang tarpon for publicity.

It is a great sacrifice to record a monster fish for the books, but how would people know how big the fish grow if such a system did not exist. The current world record for tarpon stands at 188 pounds and was caught near Homosassa back in 1982. The all-tackle record stands at 283 pounds. To land a 200 pound tarpon on the fly is nearly impossible.

But it can and has been done. Just last year my client, Yancy Stribling, Jr. put a 200+ tarpon along side only to have the rod break. The 84 inch long tarpon would have easily broke the record. A broken rod is disqualification for a record. We were happy for the fish, that she won. Our hearts were for the fish to live. Breaking the rod just made the decision very easy for the both of us. It would have been a large price to pay for a little ink in the book.

If you are looking to catch a tarpon but do not fly fish, I suggest you try Boca Grande. There are many qualified guides that travel to the area each year with the peak months being May, June and July. If you are interested in fly fishing for tarpon, I have a few days open in July.

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