Tarpon!
Capt. Dexter Simmons
June 12, 2014
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
The Fishing Report. June 12, 2014.It has been a long windy and wet Spring! Finally we are having some Tarpon fishing weather. Here is a nice poon caught by Nelson Gurney of SeattleThere are still some hot tarpon days left in June and July, so call Capt. Dexter for your booking, 305-745-3304. IMG SRC="http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/tarponkraus1.jpg" WIDTH=620 HEIGHT=465>Many weeks ago I posted a blog that said..."Get on a plane now, The Tarpon are Here!" Well, we now have good Tarpon fishing mostly to laid up Tarpon and cruising Tarpon that we are sight casting to on the flats! There were some sizeable fish moving into the Gulf and Atlantic Basins.
In July we will commence our annual trek to Turneffe Flats, Belize with an outstanding week of flats fishing to report! It will be a grand slam week! TarponPhoto by Brian OkeefeBonefishand Permitwill be available and playful during our week at Turneffe Flats, Belize. Our 2014 dates are July 12-19, 2014 and we already have 12 anglers booked in to this tropical paradise. To read more about our trips, follow this link to the Belize section of this website:
Mike and Nancy Dinner of Toronto, Canada fished with me for the 17th consecutive year in June and literally put on a clinic for the other skiffs fishing in Similar Sound. Nancy hooked up and brought to the boat a 100 pound plus Tarpon, and minutes later
Mike hooked up a Silver King well over 150 pounds, a monster! Mike and Nancy caught and released several Tarpon over 100 pounds during their week of fishing and jumped several more, despite
less than ideal weather conditions due to Tropical Storm Andrea. Read more about Mike Dinner below. In May, Matt Reno of San Diego caught a monster Tarpon on fly in 20 knot winds after a 95 minute epic battle! .The morning of May 27 was not promising to be the best for Tarpon fly fishing. Twenty knot winds and scattered showers and thunderstorms threatened any fishing at all. However, Matt Reno would not be denied!
Matt saw the Tarpon approach in the early morning light and cast his fly in the perfect spot, presenting the fly with finesse, teasing the large female Silver King into the take. During the following 95 minutes an epic battle
ensued. Matt was determined to bow to the king each time the Tarpon jumped out of the water. Several jumps cleared the water completely even after an hour into the fight. It was all we could do to keep the water from
swamping the skiff, as we had to keep the bow into the swells and motor after the giant fish. Three to five foot swells threatened our hook-up, but Matt persevered, kept his balance and grit. Despite bringing the Tarpon to the
boat in leader distance on four occasions during the first hour, the mighty Silver King displayed undying stamina and kept swimming away from the skiff. Finally, after and hour and a half of fight we were able to settle the
mighty fish down boat side and apply the Boga Grip to get a few photos. The catch and release of this egg bearing female is vital to the survival of the species!
Capt. Dexter Simmons is happy to note that there are other serious anglers who fish annually with him for Tarpon in the Keys. Anyone who is serious about catching Tarpon on Fly is encouraged to call Capt. Dexter to talk
with him about the possibility of fly fishing the Key West flats. This Tarpon season is still going on and there are a few open dates in the last week of June to take advantage of.
Contact Capt. Dexter Simmons by calling him at 305-745-3304 or on his cell at 305-304-5880. You also may contact Capt. Dexter by email at [email protected] and visit his website at
http://www.keywestflyfishing.comJon Sigmond of Norway had a banner week with catches of Tarpon, Bonefish and Cobia. Here is a nice Tarpon jump, one of three catches for Jon in one day!And here is another Silver King for Jon!
Tarpon Season, 2014 promises to be another great one here in the Keys! Here is Justin with a nice Silver King.And when the Tarpon aren't biting there are still plenty of Cudas and Sharks around to have fun with. Here is Tim with a Cuda and a Lemon Shark caught by Justin.
And then Jason and Lauren Tucker came to Key West and they were swimming in Tarpon!!!
The husband and wife Tucker Team really had a great day on the Tarpon Flats!
What are you waiting for? Come visit Capt. Dexter Simmons and swim with the Tarpon while staying alive!!!
An angler recently asked about the Palalo Worm Hatch that happens each May and June here in the Keys. The photo above captures a nice fish caught during a hatch that happens on or after a new moon at dusk on a falling tide. There are
some dates available for the Worm Hatch in May, 2014, so if you are interested call Capt. Dexter Simmons at 305-745-3304 for more information.
In the meantime, there will be Permit Tailing and Tarpon Rolling on the flats and in the channels and basins.
Here is a nice Permit...
There are many opportunities during the course of each Tarpon Season here in the Keys to handle Tarpon that have been caught with the long rod and feathers tied to hooks.
The true moment of truth comes when the Tarpon is played by the side of the skiff and the angler is begging for a photo with the fish. Nowadays, the best way to photo a Tarpon is to keep the fish in the water in order to save the fish from trauma and to preserve the life expectancy of these great fish.
I have been guilty of mishandling the Silver King in the past, however I have now seen the light and this photo, reflection and all, is a tribute to the epiphany that I have had in striving to preserve the species.
And so if you want to fish with me and get that Tarpon hero photo by swimming with the Tarpon, then that is great. I look forward to fishing with you too and taking pictures of the fish for you and even a few with you and the fish like this one here...
This giant was subdued by Jonathan Dyer after nearly a hour and swam away after a brief period of revival.
To catch and release one like this, call or email Capt. Dexter Simmons, 305-745-3304, [email protected], or visit my website: http://www.keywestflyfishing.comMike Dinner has been fly fishing with Capt. Dexter Simmons for 16 years. He is an excellent fly caster and always manages to take advantage of the Silver King whenever he is fishing in the Keys during May or June. Mike usually puts on a "clinic" casting to cruising Tarpon on the flats.
Here is Mike hooked up early in the day.
There are few anglers who fish the Keys regularly for Tarpon who can match Michael's casting skills. Here is Mike with a Tarpon to the boat.
Mike fishes for 6 or 7 days each May or June. He is a dedicated angler who loves to tie Tarpon fly patterns and prepare leaders in advance of his annual sojourn to Key West to fish with Capt. Dexter Simmons of Key West Fly Fishing.
Mr. Tarpon up close and personal...
Capt. Dexter is happy to note that there are other serious anglers who fish annually with him for Tarpon in the Keys. Anyone who is serious about catching Tarpon on Fly is encouraged to call Capt. Dexter to talk with him about the possibility of fly fishing the Key West flats. This Tarpon season is still going on and there are a few open dates in the last week of June to take advantage of.
Contact Capt. Dexter Simmons by calling him at 305-745-3304 or on his cell at 305-304-5880. You also may contact Capt. Dexter by email at [email protected] and visit his website at www.keywestflyfishing.com
Tarpon hunted, Bonefish caught!Angler Richard Dorman really enjoys fly fishing for Tarpon here in Key West. He realizes that some days are better that others, especially when mother nature decides to drop a cold front into the Keys! We hunted Tarpon for a few days and we found some. However, getting them
to eat the fly was tough, especially since the water temperature dropped by nearly 10 degrees in 48 hours. On day 3 we were looking for them at hight tide
near the mangroves and we noticed some smaller shadows. "Bonefish! Richard, cast to 1 O'Clock, 60 feet..." A perfect presentation and the 5 pound Bonefish is on and running out backing. A few minutes later and we have the fish to the boat amid laughs and comments that if the Tarpon won't eat at least the Bonefish will! Tarpon Season 2014 is coming up and there are some great dates in March,
April, May, June and early July for Tarpon Fly Fishing Charters with Key West Fly Fishing and Capt. Dexter Simmons. Here is a Tarpon Fly Fishing video to whet your palate! Click Here for another awesome VIDEO sequence of Tarpon Fly Fishing!
Tarpon are laid up on the flats! Tarpon have migrated into the Lower Keys flats and are laid up in decent numbers in basins and channels.
Look at the Underwater world of the Tarpon!
Key West Fishing Forecast:
Great for Tarpon and Permit!
Target Species:
Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit
More Fishing Reports:
