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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
July 5, 2002
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Homosassa Florida Tarpon Report
Doug Thurman of Texas came to Homosassa to catch a tarpon on the fly. The first day was Monday, June 10, 2002. We left the dock at 8:00 am with bright blue skies, almost cloudless. Winds were light; fly-fishing conditions were near perfect. The tarpon gods were smiling on Doug.
A pod of perhaps 15 tarpon came to us head on. Doug laid a cast in front of the slowly moving happy fish. For a reason other than Doug’s cast the fish turned to the left and veered away from the original path. I asked Doug to pick up his fly and place it 30 feet at 8 o’clock. A few of the tarpon were already passing the stern of the boat by the time the fly landed in the front section of the long string.
Doug and I previously discussed his strategy long before the tarpon arrived. I told him how he should keep his rod tip down, to keep stripping the line until he feels the fish and then jab the hook into the jaw of the mighty silver king tarpon’s mouth.
Hook placement into the tarpon’s mouth depends on good luck as much as anything. Since the light was not to our advantage we could not see how the fly went into the tarpon’s mouth for Doug. We could visually see the fins of the tarpon and that it appeared to be after Doug’s Gator fly.
The line went tight and the water turned white as an eruption exploded on the surface as the large fish leaped out of the water clearing it fully with its 6 foot body, head shaking and gills rattling. The rod was fully bent now and the reel’s drag began to sing that song that every tarpon guide loves to hear.
Two more heartfelt leaps out of the water and now the tarpon was more than 200 yards into the backing. As I poled out, we passed among cheers from my good friend, Capt. John Bazo and a few moments later Capt. Dan Malzone. By now I was going after the fish with the trolling motors because we were getting low on backing. Perhaps the drag was just a bit too loose. But I just told Doug to start reeling when he could get slack.
After a lot of hard work by Doug reeling and myself poling, the tarpon was now on the fly line. This when I told him to tighten the drag. It was tug of war for about 45 minutes when the fish showed signs of giving up, I encouraged Doug to keep the pressure on hot and heavy. I was now resting and watching Doug work as hard as he could to get the tarpon to the boat as quickly as possible. It was enjoyable.
With the big tarpon alongside I was able to grab the tarpon’s lower jaw with a gloved hand and I removed the fly. Doug touched the fish and I shook him a bit to get his tail to wagging and let him go. We did a high five and that was how his trip started off from the very first day.
What happened to the remaining time for us is not fun to write about. It was Murphy and he was all over us. If it could go wrong; it did. Once, while Doug was changing his fly(I did not realize he was changing it) I said here come six tarpon head on. He says well I sort of have this problem; I have no fly on my butt. I thought to myself you got to be kidding me, but I said, man you got 30 seconds to get it back on. It did not happen. The tarpon went by us and would have swum under the boat except it was too shallow.
All I could think to tell Doug was about the time I was sitting up at David Garner’s Plantation on a deer stand, when this big ole buck stepped out of the swamp and I went to fire on him except I had no bullet in the chamber. I felt stupid for a second. My adrenalin was so high at that time, I barely could control myself to quietly jack a cartridge into the chamber. Probably was a good thing, cause I was calmer than when I first saw the big buck and squeezed the trigger softly. The deer fell in its tracks.
I told Doug there would be more tarpon coming along. We had a few good shots each day thereafter, but nothing we did gave us a bite.
Then on Father’s Day, I finally got to fish with a new client who could cast the whole darn fly line if he wanted to. It was slick calm. Early that morning he got tight on a tarpon for about 3 seconds. He struck him so hard, I think the hook just bounced out from a bony spot, the hook refused to penetrate. We fished until noon and quit, calling it a great day.
The last half of June we got some sorely needed rain. The weather system we got was not ordinary for this time of year. The rains started on June 17 and lasted for 7 straight days. It was cloudy all day with very little visibility. Some came and tried and some tarpon were cast to but it was all guess work. A few chose to not fish.
Finally on the 24th, I left the state and went pan fishing. Took the wife and we went to antique stores and checked out President Jimmy Carter’s Plains, Ga. town. It was quaint.
I heard it rained almost all week when on June 27, it cleared up. When I got back into my local cell phone coverage, my voice mail alarm went off. It was Capt. Bill Fitzsimmons, a new friend who loves to tarpon fish and quite a good guide. Bill had the day off and offered to take me fishing the next day.
This was going to be all right; what a way to end a vacation. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. The next morning I rose at five am and met Bill at six. He had the boat ready and we took off to watch the sun come up. It was a pretty red-orange sunrise. We saw quite a few rolling tarpon surfacing just out of range.
Finally, with sun up enough to see into the water, Bill spotted a laid up tarpon sitting with its face pointed towards the stern of the boat. With one little push, the Hells Bay skiff rotated 180 degrees like it was on a pivotal centerline point. I was now in position to lay the fly in front of the still fish.
The first cast was too short, mind you it was only a 20 foot cast. Then next was 5 feet in front of the fish. As the fly was sinking the tarpon reacted to it like he was going to swim over and eat it. A few short strips and he came up to the fly but at the last second decided to sound and refused the offering. I told Bill that it was his turn to fish but he just said he already caught his tarpon for the season and that he wanted to see me jump one.
I made mention of changing the fly when Bill offered his 10 weight with a special fly a close friend tied down in the Florida Keys. It was a tiny fly and very special. I say that to say this.
The next shot was at another laid up tarpon that I had a perfect chance to catch. I cast the fly softly to the awaiting tarpon. As the fly was sinking the fly was making a live look by wiggling in the current. I noticed that the tarpon saw it. I began stripping in equal lengths and rhythm.
The tarpon rushed the fly in what seemed a microsecond, I watched him elevated and head out of the water just a tiny bit and I yanked the fly right of the nose of the fish’s mouth. Most people would not admit to such a cardinal sin. Bill just started deep down belly laughing out loud. I joined in. There was nothing else to do but laugh.
I trouted that fish! Farmer, plumber trouter or whatever you call it. I just forgot everything that I learned over the years. That was so much fun though watching that 60 pound tarpon suck that fly in. I did not really care if I did not jump it. Not!
The next eater was not as graceful and I kept my rod tip down and tried to guess the time to strip hard when I watched and felt at the same time the fly come out this time from the side of the tarpon’s mouth. What did I do wrong this time? I felt unlucky, but yet at the same time I felt wonderful knowing I could at least do the right thing to feed one of the oversized herring.
Every guide should get some bow experience. It will teach them the humbling art of fly- fishing for tarpon. This will also give them something relative to compare what their angler experiences when his fish comes off the hook. That’s just fishing.
Well. that is all for now folks, I will be getting ready for my annual trip to St. George Sound and hope the tarpon up there are ready to eat some flies. I hope to report to you on a more regular basis, like once every 7-10 days, when I begin to fish for the annual run of Homosassa redfish. Those schools will consist of 7-14 pound fish and will readily take a shrimp, pinfish, spoon or a fly.
Remember if you are too busy to go fishing, you are just too busy!
Capt. Mike
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