Big Girl broke my heart

[7mm08]

In the gulf yesterday !!
Estimated 130-140# tarpon took my fly , jumped (too big to clear the water) twice after I stuck her, then ran almost 300 yards diagonal along the beach. She then turned as we chased her to gain back line about a 1/4 mile out, jumping 3 more times! I FOUGHT her 55 min and got to within 20 ft of the boat and she broke the tippet. What a ride!! This was all on a 12'wt flyrod.

Saturday storms and then it went glass. Managed this 15-20# Jack Carevelle on a popper( yes, topwater)! Crazy experience and hard fighters.

I have one jump on video and a lot of drag singing off a Tibor Gulfstream reel!

 

[TRIGGER]

Can't imagine fighting a fish for that long just to have them get off at the boat.

 

[Grandslam11]

I caught a Jack Crevelle off the pier in Panama City one time. Probably the hardest fighting fish I've ever caught


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[scn]

Were you in your new boat?

 

[SilverFox]

That's your buddies down on the east coast getting back at you for not visiting.

 

[Sako]

Where were you fishing?

 

[rsimms]

You measure tarpon success based on hookups, not landings.... ESPECIALLY on a flyrod! :shock:

But, I know it still hurts. :bash:

 

[7mm08]

Where were you fishing?

Apalachiacola area.

 

[7mm08]

Were you in your new boat?

Not yet.
I was with OUR buddies ...... Shallow Water Expeditions and guide named Cleve.

You'll be on the list when I start heading due South with her!

 

[RUGER]

Very cool man, congrats.

 

[Setterman]

That's awesome, I went and did that last year and it wasn't something else. Who'd you go with?

 

[Setterman]

Were you in your new boat?

Not yet.
I was with OUR buddies ...... Shallow Water Expeditions and guide named Cleve.

You'll be on the list when I start heading due South with her!

That's hilarious, I fished with Cleve last year. I'm not sure how many fish I cast at but it had to be several hundred. He's quite a piece of work, and if I wasn't getting married next week I'd be there again.

 

[scn]

Were you in your new boat?

Not yet.
I was with OUR buddies ...... Shallow Water Expeditions and guide named Cleve.

You'll be on the list when I start heading due South with her!

Good deal! Did you all see/get to cast to many fish? I'm supposed to be down there pretty soon, but after a less than stellar experience in south Florida I've sort of taken a step back and may be rethinking the whole thing.

When you get a chance, shoot me a pm on the fly so I can make sure it is in the box if I go.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Congrats, sounds like an awesome trip!

 

[Dbllunger]

Heartbreaker for sure. Still looks like fun though. Love that area.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Caught a bunch of 50 pound plus king salmon using a 10wt rod. Can't even guess how much power a 130-140 tarpon has. I bet it was a chore just casting with that rod. What pound test was the tippet?

 

[nitro_z17]

:tu:

 

[7mm08]

We did'nt get "hundreds" but quite a few during the two days. Enough to keep your eyes moving. It's still early in the migration( they migrate South America to either as high north TX or SC to have sex, turn around and go back!!!!). Guide estimated the age of this one at 30 years old.

My "fat girl" (as the big ones are called) snuck in on us as I was waiting to cast to 2 coming about 50 yards out. I did a quick backcast and dropped the fly 10ft in from of her and she was 15 yards out coming directly towards the boat. Waited a brief moment then a quick " tic " strip, she turned , rose about a foot and then that HUGE mouth engulfed it. We all saw it clear as day, then ALL HELL broke loose !!!

For you guys that have never done this it's like standing in a tree stand and shooting a bow at trotting bucks. The fight would be equivalent to hooking a 130# buck in the mouth and trying to land it in a big field! Ha!

 

[7mm08]

Caught a bunch of 50 pound plus king salmon using a 10wt rod. Can't even guess how much power a 130-140 tarpon has. I bet it was a chore just casting with that rod. What pound test was the tippet?

50#. And yes it was crazy work pulling on a Loomis CrossCurrent GLX as hard as I could. All my knots held which is a success itself. It was harder than running that 80# jackhammer i did one summer in college!!! Ha!

 

[Setterman]

We did'nt get "hundreds" but quite a few during the two days. Enough to keep your eyes moving. It's still early in the migration( they migrate South America to either as high north TX or SC to have sex, turn around and go back!!!!). Guide estimated the age of this one at 30 years old.

My "fat girl" (as the big ones are called) snuck in on us as I was waiting to cast to 2 coming about 50 yards out. I did a quick backcast and dropped the fly 10ft in from of her and she was 15 yards out coming directly towards the boat. Waited a brief moment then a quick " tic " strip, she turned , rose about a foot and then that HUGE mouth engulfed it. We all saw it clear as day, then ALL HELL broke loose !!!

For you guys that have never done this it's like standing in a tree stand and shooting a bow at trotting bucks. The fight would be equivalent to hooking a 130# buck in the mouth and trying to land it in a big field! Ha!

its like nothing I couldve ever imagined, and my nerves were shot. from the casting down the barrel at 20 fish coming right at me all longer then I am tall and some that outweigh me, to the complete pandemonium when that hook finds its home. Like you I have done some cool stuff in my time fly fishing, but nothing comes close to tarpon. I really wanted to go back this year, but with the wedding it just wasn't in the cards.

I have to say that doing it in the gulf was a lot more fun then the keys. Far less people, and more fish from what I saw.

I can still here Cleve cussing me for raising the rod, not "ticking" the fly, or completely flubbing cast after cast. Haha