2014 Tarpon Rookie Competition

[Mudskimmer 0]

I will, of course, be starting with the same fly I ended the season with last year.

 

big fly.jpg

I want to fish with Mike. I could man the catapult to launch the tarpon bomb.

 

I have been considering moving to mid or south FL and I am not especially weak kneed but noodling for the brown trout is out.

Come on D, where is your sense of adventure? Like anything else in the South it all starts with "Hold my beer…Hey y'all watch this", and besides Ben always brings the beer.

 

I hate to hijack this thread with some tarpon flies (sorry I dont have a better camera) but here is what I have used in those turbid ES waters. The first is just a scraggly black tarpon bunny with extra long tail, some blue flash, heavy lead eyes, on a 4/0 Aki Hook. This is the fly I got my one hookup on and a couple of other bites. Fished this on a full sinking line so I was really dragging the bottom. Even got a weakfish or two on it. The second is my attempt at an EP baitfish and the third is a worm fly I want to try. I know we dont have the famed Palolo worms in these parts but there is a very similar worm over there I have seen when my prop has stirred up the mud. I will try and work on my tieing skills before the competition ends.

I like the 'em Skimmer, where do you fish? And about the competition…Since you are way ahead of me (I've never hooked one), I have formulated a foolproof evil plan based on that rotten cheater mikechell…photoshop. After all this is the saltwater section, cheating is expected.

 

I'll send my address where you can send my ill-gotten winnings.

 

 

I am usually fishing the Potomac River and Ches. Bay but have saltwater fly fished from about Sandy Hook, NJ to the Outer Banks of NC. Those flies were for PJ's neck of the woods, just a bit south of where he is.

 

Mudskimmer, can you talk me through the last fly with the extended zonker tail. Like the idea of that for salmon and sea trout flies with thr hook dressed a bit different. What's the tail held out on/with?

Never used that worm fly. Just thought if tarpon like worms in FLA they might like them further north. For the tail, I just tied in a mono loop horizontally at the end of the hook, tied black zonker on top, trimmed hair off the straight part and applied Sally Hansen's hard as nails to stiffen it, glued the stiff piece to mono loop with super glue. Next added rabbit fur w/ dubbing loop, then couple wraps of chartreuse chenille, fiinished with chartreuse thread head.

[Mudskimmer 0]

Jeez Skimmer - if you hate to hijack threads, you're in the wrong place. Tony Soprano could take hijacking lessons from this crew. I really like that first fly. It just looks like fish food. I'm not sure what kinds of worms we have on the Shore, but if they're the same kind that New England has, the "hatch" will probably be history by the time the tarpon arrive. Still, a worm fly might work. I've caught plenty of striped bass on worm flies when there wasn't a worm in sight. Hey, we're in uncharted waters. The only fly rods I've seen in this neck of the woods belonged to guys I invited here. I do know that some fishermen live line spot and blue crabs under floats, so that might be food for thought.

Thanks for the compliments on fly No. 1. Well, it worked at least once. You are probably right about the worm hatch coming too soon but it might be worth a try. Funny thing about bait fishing over there. I tried that the first few years but didnt catch anything but sharks and every kind of ray imaginable. That place is filthy with sharks. It wasnt until i switched to fly gear that I got the bite I wanted.

[Peterjay 0]

Man, you're not kidding about the sharks - I've seen them caught right where I fish for reds, although they seem to stick to the channel. (knock on wood) Everybody tells me there are bull sharks right there in the river. Don't know if there are or not, but I'll probably skip any moonlight swims.

[agn54 0]

PJ, we get bull sharks in our coastal rivers quite a bit at least near the mouth, they don't seem to mind the little bit of fresh water. A few years ago I was in the river casting on the bow of my boat when a monster shark swam right beneath my feet. The water was dark and tannic so I never did see the entire length of the thing but it was at least 7 feet. I had to take a beer break after that one so I could settle the nerves. Actually that was just an excuse to crack another cold one

 

I think Mike is in the wrong contest. We are fishing for tarpon, he is targeting the Megaladon. I can't wait to see his monster squid fly.

[Peterjay 0]

Andy, what they call "rivers" around here are actually large tidal creeks that contain little or no fresh water. Just about anything that you'll find out in the bays is apt to wander in close if it's hungry. From what the natives tell me, there are a lot of sandbar sharks as well. They don't get as much attention as bulls, but they can be dangerous - a 10-year-old kid was killed over at Va. Beach a few years ago by what was most likely a sandbar. Kind of a "wrong place, wrong time" situation. I'm tempted to try to chum up a few next summer, but it's not something I'd try alone. A buddy of mine who's a commercial fisherman told me in no uncertain terms not to mess with them - it's a good way to lose an appendage or two. A local outdoor writer hooked a massive bull last year while she was tarpon fishing, but she lost it at the boat - probably not a bad thing. I wouldn't waste any time worrying about sharks, but it's kinda neat to know they're out there.

[Chefben4 0]

Tarpon flies..

 

 

 

 

[Chefben4 0]

 

 

 

[Panama Red 0]

Those are great flies Ben, I especially like the black flat wing (something about polkadot dresses )

 

Now for the million dollar question. I have plenty of toads, baitfish, and swamp rabbit type flies…However, having never tossed a fly at a tarpon, what type of pattern do the folks here prefer (Florida anglers)… Most of my fishing will be done along the panhandle down to the big bend, with a trip or two to the east coast (Sebastian) this spring.

 

And…do you think a destroyer type fly would work? I tied several in purple and black for early morning and low light conditions as well as grey and black mullet gizmos.

 

Any help for the little square boat is greatly appreciated…dave

[agn54 0]

When are you heading to Sebastian? If you are boatless I can give you some pretty good wading spots in the area. The only problem is they have had a really bad problem with grass dying off in certain areas, creating sandy deserts. Of course the inlet is always solid. If you have a small boat then the sebastian river is loaded with smaller tarpon and plenty of snook and trout, especially near the mouth

[mikechell 0]

Agn ... I AM fishing for Tarpon. Florida Tarpon are special. When I am live bait fishing for them, I usually hook a Great White through the dorsal fin and fish it weightless under a 55 gallon drum for a bobber.

[Mudskimmer 0]

Ben, those flies are too pretty to throw at a lowly tarpon. Better keep those flies in the box. I really like that brownish toad at the top of your second set of pics. BTW, made some of your DIY fly boxes this weekend. Put together 4 for $25. They turned out great. Glad you posted the instructions on your blog.

[Chefben4 0]

Haha thanks Mudskimmer. That brownish toad will catch EVERYthing it seems like. Worth tying some more thats for sure.

 

Glad you found it useful!!

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Looking good Ben! Just add fish...

[Chefben4 0]

Looking good Ben! Just add fish...

 

You must be misunderstood. I can sort of tie flies.. but catching fish isnt something I have figured out yet lol

[Panama Red 0]

When are you heading to Sebastian? If you are boatless I can give you some pretty good wading spots in the area. The only problem is they have had a really bad problem with grass dying off in certain areas, creating sandy deserts. Of course the inlet is always solid. If you have a small boat then the sebastian river is loaded with smaller tarpon and plenty of snook and trout, especially near the mouth

If the doctor clears me in time I'm looking at the second or third week in April. I have a 17 Sterling flats skiff, I was hoping for favorable weather so we could head outside and fish the beach and sandbars. Also looking to fish Mosquito Lagoon, have to wait and see how things turn out with the back.

 

Send me the wade spots if you don't mind, sounds like great fun.

 

Agn ... I AM fishing for Tarpon. Florida Tarpon are special. When I am live bait fishing for them, I usually hook a Great White through the dorsal fin and fish it weightless under a 55 gallon drum for a bobber.

Didn't mean to offend….What I meant by Florida anglers is folks who have fished tarpon in Florida, I don't care where they come from. If someone has caught fish in Texas on a pattern that don't work well in Florida it doesn't do me much good. Being a complete Tarpon virgin I'm just looking for as much info as I can get before I tie six flies for this years winner.