First Tarpon

[J. Rentch]

My friend-Mark Bange- and I just completed a 3 trip to Big Pine Key, FL. We chartered Randy Morrow (Lower Keys Kayak Fishing) for 3 days. After arriving at Miami Airport we set out for a 3 hour drive which turned into a 4 hour drive due to traffic. Our lodging was at The Old Wooden Bridge Guest Cottages- we stayed in the brown one. Big Pine Key is famous for the “Key Deer” which are protected, thus they are everywhere and friendly.
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On Wednesday, we met Randy at Surgarloaf Marina on Sugarloaf Key with a 9 AM start. The wind was blowing between 15-20 from the east so Randy’ s Torquedo on his Native FX 15 which really helped in reach protected waters. The ride out was very breezy, so Mark & I helped the Torquedo by paddling. Once in protected areas, we were looking for Bonefish. I was using a 9wt with an orange tipped Gotcha. The water was switching from an ebb to flood. We actually got out of the kayaks and did a little wading. Fish were not to be found so we moved to another location and attempted the same routine. Even with protection, the wind was bothersome. After 5 hours Mark had a few hits, but couldn’t hook up, we decided to head back to the launch.
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Thursday was a canceled-wind was blowing 25+ from the east again. So we slept in and did some sight seeing in the area. Had a nice supper at the Square Grouper on Cudjoe Key. Randy got in touch and said he wanted to launch locally on Big Pine Key at 7. Got there in the dark and headed out to some small islands.

The wind on Friday was much better 10-15 from the east. After a 30+ minute Torquedo assisted ride we arrived to a mangrove island. After paddling through a narrow opening, it opened to a cut where the current was flowing out fairly strong. We immediately saw Tarpon surfacing about 50 yds away. We anchored and waded to an area to wait for the fish to move closer. Using my 9wt I started throwing a fly bought at a local fly shop. On my third try, I hooked one which immediately did a nice jump out of the water. Mark With directions Randy, I got it close enough to lip it like a LM Bass. It was a 24” Baby Tarpon. After getting a few pictures, I put it back in the water to revive it a bit. About a minute later, I felt it twitch its tail, so slowly release my grip and it darted off. Really great experience!
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The rest of the morning was spent trying to hook up with more Tarpon that were still in the area, but didn’t work out. About mid morning Randy decided to switch prey- Bonefish-so we moved to a new location. We both were throwing Gotcha flies. We stopped at a large flat with a deep channel moving through. The tide was on the rise. We started wading a bit waiting for the bonefish to move from the channel to the flats. Unfortunately the bonefish didn’t show, but we both played around with a 3” Bonnethead Shark that swam around us for 20=30 minutes. The water here was crystal clear. I took a shot of a Red Sponge that came out clear.
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Around 1, we decided to back it because Mark & I needed to be in Miami for our flight home. Fortunately the ride to Miami was much better than to BPK. Kind of disappointing that more fish were not caught. Our guide really tried his best to put us on fish, but he just didn’t see any.

In closing, I was able to complete two items on my list- land a Tarpon and do some flats fishing. My company on this trip couldn’t have been better, just wish he had a little better luck on the catching part.
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[dsaavedra]

Way to go John, congrats on landing a new species. I bet that tarpon was feisty on the fly rod. The scenery down there can't be beat, that's for sure.

[Mark]

Excellent report, John.

It's always fun to visit new places to fish. It's more fun when you actually catch fish. This was my first ever skunk on a long distance trip.

I was impressed with the imenseness of the area -- the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf on the other with the two bodies of water lapping together under the many bridges we crossed on our way to Big Pine Key. But finding fish proved difficult. Other than sharks -- Bonnetheads, Nurse and Lemon Sharks, the only game fish we saw were the tarpon in a channel among mangroves.

This is the spot where John caught his fish. He hooked it just to the left of the mangove on the right side of the photo.

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Here's a shot of him playing the fish:

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By the way, the dead mangrove branches you see in the background are the result of Hurricane Irma from September 2017.

After John landed the tarpon, we headed up the channel because the fish had momentarily disappeared from that pool. However, they returned to that spot after we passed so Randy had me turn my kayak around and cast to them from the opposite side of where John caught his. I saw their dorsal and tail fins break the surface. I lofted cast after cast in tight quarters. There was limited room to cast in the narrow channel so I had to carefully guide the backcast up the center of the channel and then curve the fly to the left as my line extended forward so that it landed near the mangrove roots where the fish were surfacing. For at least 30 minutes John and Randy gave me the water. I hit spot after spot where fish had surfaced. No takers. Randy was perplexed and so was I. He changed my fly three times during that stretch seeking the magic tarpon elixir to make them bite. None did. So we headed out of the mangorves to open water to seek bonefish. Randy congratulated me on my casting but I would have prefered a pat on the back for my catch.

I really enjoyed the flats -- casting a long line with no worries of backcast obstructions. The technique to cast a long line in the wind is to keep your backcast low, essentially casiting sidearmed. With the wind at our back, it was easy to shoot the line 70 feet or more with one false cast. Here's Randy looking for signs of fish with John in the background:

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I was apprehensive to be standing in water with sharks but Randy assured us they would not bite us. The nurse sharks were the largest. I suspect a few were over 5 feet long. Next in size were the lemon sharks at maybe 3 to 4 feet. The bonnetheads were the smallest at 2 to 3 feet. Randy said the bonnetheads would take flies so we cast at them, trying to put the fly on their nose. That was easier said than done. With the wind blowing and the bonnetheads making unpredictable sharp eratic turns it was hard to lead them on casts like a QB leads his receiver. I lined one once -- landing the line on its back. It just scooted away. But I did put couple of flies right on their nose to no avail. Clearly this was not my trip to shine.

I have nothing but good things to say about our guide, Randy Morrow. His equipment is topnotch and in excellent condition. I used my own 8 weight fly rod (lost for an hour upon arrival thanks to Southwest baggage control at Miami airport) -- an omen of my trip perhaps. Randy carried larger rods if we had needed them and an excellent selection of flies. His kayaks are Native Ultimate 14s in pristine condition. His ability to tow his clients is also a welcome benefit of fishing with him. I have a video in my phone of our ride back to the ramp on day one in incredibly high wind. I'm not sure we could have made it paddling without him towing us.

And thanks also to John who planned the trip, reserved our accomodations and did all the driving which is no small fete around the Miami airport.

[bignose]

Except for the catching, it sounds like a great trip........

[J.A. Veil]

John and Mark -

I'm glad that you were able to get out into some remote and unspoiled sections of the Keys. Randy knows the local waters well. The scenery is amazing. Randy has taken me twice to the area where you fished. It is skinny enough that flats skiffs would have a hard time getting in there. Fish do congregate there, but they are not always interested in feeding.

Congratulations to John on getting his first tarpon (and on fly too). Mark -- sorry you did not have more success on this trip.

[Mark]

Stu -- Indeed it was a great trip. It's always good to visit new fishing areas, learn a little about local history and see new sights.

John -- I have no regrets. I firmly believe our success as anglers depends on the presence and moods of the fish foremost. We cannot make a fish that's not on site bite. For two days, we saw no bonefish to target. I think the scarcity of fish was our biggest problem. And when fish were present, like the tarpon, but don't like what we offer or how we offer it, we can only try so many alternative approaches on the spot to encourage them to bite. At some point futility arrives. But it's hard for us to admit that. We think, we hope, just one more cast...We try longer than we should before moving on.

I cast accurately in tight quarters for the tarpon and retrieved the fly as best I could in the strike zone. Those fish, other than the one John hooked, simply were not going to bite. I was satisfied with my effort.

I'm scheduled to return to Florida next month. This time I will visit freshwater for Florida strain largemouth bass. I may strike out again. But I will have a good time trying.

[DanMarino]

Cool report guys. I always enjoy seeing the photos and hearing the description of how the fishing went. One day I hope to do some fishing in Florida. Those Native Ultimate 14's look pretty cool.

[Mark]

Tom,

The sharp lines of Native's Ultimate make a very attractive kayak and an efficient kayak to paddle. They are fast and track well.

Our guide was using an Ultimate FX 15, while John and I were in 14s.

Here's a good look at Randy standing in his FX 15:

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Unseen is the channeled hull (a raised center on the hull from bow to stern creating a mini pontoon effect) which promotes stability for anglers who wish to stand and excellent tracking.

John and I own Ultimate FX 12s. I also own a regular Ultimate 12. They have the same hull shape as the 14s and 15s but are shorter at 12 feet. As a result, our 12s are not as speedy as the 14s but they are still good kayaks for fishing in our tidal waters, lakes and ponds. The 12s are also easier to turn than 14s/15s which makes the 12s good for fishing in tight quarters.

Ultimates have no scuppers. They will take on water in rough seas. But they can tolerate a lot of water in the hull before it impacts their maneuverability. They have floatation foam in their bow and stern to prevent sinking. However, a sponge or hand pump is a good accessory to carry to remove water in the hull on big water outings.

Finally, because they are single hulled as opposed to double hulled SOTs, they are much lighter in weight than an SOT kayak of the same length.

Ultimates are very popular in Florida, not as much here where SOT kayaks rule. But for my style of fishing locally, my Ultimates are perfect.