Tarpon Bite is on
Capt. Troy Mainzer
May 1, 2014
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Well guys I think it is pretty safe to say that the tarpon bite is finally on in Tampa Bay. Yesterday I went out with a client on his boat to teach him the basics of tarpon fishing. We got a late start and weren't out until about 6 oclock but managed to catch bait pretty quickly and had our lines in the water with about an hour of sunlight left. After about 20 minutes it was game on as Nick was battling with about a 70lb tarpon, an average size for our area. After about 15 minutes I had the fish on the leader but let go in fear that the line would snap because Nick really wanted a picture with this fish. The tarpon took off on another run and after a couple more minutes the fish was moving towards the boat and quickly darted underneath snapping the line. Oh well, still a catch and there is no doubt that this fish was healthy based on the amount of energy he had when he snapped off. We planned on fishing into the dark for a little but just as we anchored up again it started raining so we headed in.
This morning I took my 14 year old brother out tarpon fishing after promising him a few months ago that I would help put him on his first ever tarpon this summer. He was pumped to go out and had high expectations. We were met with high winds and a very rough shipping channel. The conditions were less than perfect but we set our anchor upcurrent of the pilings around 9:30 and began drifting live threadfins near the pilings. About 20 minutes later Matt was hooked up with a nice tarpon that looked to be over 100 pounds. We maneuvered around the pilings while he made some spectacular jumps and finally got him out in the open water. We had the fish boatside for pictures after about 35 minutes. I estimate the fish at around 110 to 120 lbs. The water was even rougher after we released this fish so we called it a day, my brother was also complaining about how his arms were sore and how he didn't know if he wanted to hook another tarpon until next trip! We were back at the dock by 11.
I hope this is a sign of a good upcoming tarpon season, right now it is still early and we are not at peak fishing yet so things are looking good, knock on wood. If you want to get out on the water and try your hand at one of Florida's most prized fish and certainly one of the hardest fighting fish that our area has to offer, give me a call at 813-293-4750 or shoot me an email at [email protected]
Tight Lines, see ya on the water
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