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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
June 21, 2001
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Tarpon Eat Fly(s) in Homosassa
So far June has been a pretty good month for numbers of tarpon biting the fly. First timer, Steve Ferrell of Oklahoma came to Homosassa to catch a silver king. Before Mr. Ferrell arrived, I sent him 2 instructional videos by Billy Pate on how to catch tarpon on the fly. After watching the videos several times, Ferrell felt he was ready to tangle with Mr. Poon.
About 8:00 am, we spotted a nice school of tarpon. The big fish were milling around and I knew they would be eager to eat the fly if properly presented. Even though Mr. Ferrell was a beginner with the 11 weight Sage fly rod, he was able to deliver the fly with power and motivation.
Perhaps, a 6 footer abruptly ate fly and took off like a scalded dog and jumped with such force that the fish broke the 20 pound test class tippet. There was no time to bow the rod to fish and this is why we figured he broke the line.
Just a few minutes later, Ferrell put the fly among a good size herd of fish and got one to eat. This fish blew the fly out. Then very suddenly another large tarpon took the chicken feathers like it was fried chicken and run with it. This tarpon was nice for a little bit before taking off with us following for a solid hour without shutting the Mercury Opti-Max off.
The huge tarpon pulled the 18 foot Pro-Line flats skiff around like it was a bow mount trolling motor. Another 59 minutes passed when the fish submitted broadside beside the skiff. Against my better judgement, Mr. Ferrell wanted a quick measurement. I requested he get in the water and tape him since the water was only 3 feet deep. It was during this process that the fish passed away, perhaps the heart bursting. We tried for an hour to revive the fish to no avail.
A $50 tarpon tag was installed in the lower jaw and the fish was brought into MacRae’s Bait House for an accurate measurement and weighing. The fish measured 63 inches from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail. The girth was 39 inches. Poundage was 133. A really nice first fish for Mr. Ferrell. Plans to make a mold from the fish are in process.
The next day Mr. Ferrell fought a 100 pound tarpon for 7 minutes before voluntarily breaking the line. The tarpon jumped numerous times and tired itself out and came to boat very quickly. We made sure that we did not fight it too long so the tarpon would not expire.
In other tarpon action, Robbie Hendry of Immokalee fought a 90 pound tarpon to the boat using a small blue crab and a Daiwa Millionaire Baitcaster and rod lined with 12 pound test. The fish pulled us several miles into a marsh lagoon where the fish was released in good shape. His friend Lee Sells of Eufaula, AL. was along and tried catching one with little good luck. My plans are to hunt deer with Mr. Sells. His web site is www.leesellsoutfitters.com Look him up if you are interested in having a good hunting trip.
World class angler John Oster of Wisconsin tangled with a nice 5 foot tarpon before a shark cut the line and the tarpon. We think the fish got away but not before a dozen or so silver dollar size scales were removed by the sharks teeth.
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