Saltwater On The Brain! Air Tarpon Shots and Feeding Frenzies

Saltwater Fishing Here I Come, The Countdown is On For Tampa
Pics from Saltwater Experience

Okay most of you know I live far, far away from any Saltwater. That can be good or in most cases bad. If I lived in Florida (close call last year) I would be on the water daily -not like my addiction now of freshwater with countless days out in the Rockies so my beach problem would probably surpass a few hundred days.

** pic from friends at Saltwater Experience and a sweet overhead shot of a tarpon on a fly

Thanks to friends who live down that way and soon to be another close pal from Alaska heading that way to the Keys, my desire to visit will ever so slightly increase. A few trips a year chasing my favorite Saltwater species is sweet but with more friends heading that way, my skymiles may be increasing more and more. Yes I do have family down in Florida so that does help, but having friends with flats boats and yellowtail 30 footers also pays huge dividends! Glad to see the show renewing and Tom is getting the fly rod out more again for some Silver Kings.

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Boca Grande Florida on The Fly! Spring Tarpon Fishing at It's Best

Tarpon Ain't Easy to Catch from Reel Escape Films

What's more exciting than catching a Tarpon on a Fly? If you've found it let me know, otherwise Chasing Silvers is about as exciting as anything I've ever done and love getting out as much as possible to do it whether in the Keys or Boca Grande. Whether it was catching juvy's at night by a full moon, jumping an 150lbr that took off like a Colorado freight train, or hooking a few 100lb Bull sharks, we definitely had some fun!

Checkout our video trailer (thanks to Nick for all the hard work) and can't wait to get on a few more Tarpon with Nick, Colin, Rob, Donny B and our superb Captains Al and Pete! We had so much fun with Capt Al, he put our video on his website.

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Toughest Fish To Catch on a Fly!

The Results Are In

What is the toughest fish to catch on a fly you ask? This can and will be talked about at great lengths each time I get together with a few fishing buddies. I think everyone has a fish they've always dreamed about or is currently seeking to land after repeat trips to favorite destinations and some mucho dinero.

My choice is a Big Tarpon hands down. Big Permit are very elusive, extremely challenging, one needs about 30 variables to go your way, but big permit just fall a little to a monster Tarpon. I can speak from experience and close call but Permit are just fall short of a big Tarpon on a fly. I have hooked or landed 4 of the 5 listed with a recent trip to Florida where I got worked over by a 140lb Silver king...ouch!! It still haunts me weekly but when I look back at the thrill I experienced from the chase, cast, hookset and fight...I want it even more now!

The Results were pretty close and just as you would have suspected a 10lb Permit and a 100lb Tarpon lead the rankings. Anyone can, -after a few attempts, land a juvy Tarpon or baby permit with some decent guiding and luck. Bonefish, in smaller sizes, are also landed fairly easy in many part of the globe like Turneffe Flats and Andros.



To catch a medium to large size Permit on a fly, sorry shrimp chuckers and artificial guys you don't count in this poll, can be one long journey year in year out. A hundred pound Tarpon can be equally as difficult if not more so. "Statistics claim that to hook a 100lb Tarpon is a 1 in 100 chance, to land this beast is a one in a 1,000!"

Mind you that Steelhead, Musky, big Carp and even Taimen are always at the top as well, but they just didn't cut it in this poll. I would feel humbled by any of these listed so that's what keeps most of us going in the sport it seems. It's thrilling, never easy and something to tweak those skills on each time out on the water. Good luck with your chase and let us know what your favorite might be.

10lb Permit
10 (25%)

Steelhead
6 (14%)

Musky
6 (14%)

100lb Tarpon
10 (25%)

10 lb Bonefish
8 (20%)


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