Peterjay 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2014 As long as that fish doesn't run into the dreaded land shark, it should be OK. BTW - A lot of people aren't aren't aware that tarpon fishing in the Chicago area is done with packs of hound dogs. Thanks for sharing, Mike. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted February 10, 2014 My pleasure ... and I found out they actually call it Tarpon Hunting here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ditz2 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 What is the main diet of the Chicago Tarpon? I may give them a shot on my next trip thru the area and I will need to tie a few flies up. It sounds like a 7' rod will be preferred. Maybe shorter. A 5wt should be heavy enough. After all I have caught some fair sized smallmouth on 5wt's.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterjay 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Based on what I know about Chicago, (mostly from Saturday Night Live) it probably subsists on the standard Windy City diet of deep dish pizza and fried pork chops smothered in greasy sausages. Don't know if Chicago tarpon drink anything, but if they do, you can safely add three or four cases of beer per day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2014 You could be on to something, there, PeterJay. I'll have to look for pork chop and pizza patterns. But as that grumpy old guy turn to leave, I did get a shot of the bag he was carrying before he picked it up and disappeared. I am pretty sure I am on the right track with my baby fly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudskimmer 0 Report post Posted April 1, 2014 I thought I would bump this thread to the top, lest we forget about it. No tarpon yet, but I did get a surprise pic from my coworker who is building a new rod for me this winter. He just finished the handle. It is going to be a one piece 11 wt with a Mudhole blank and REC components. Have no idea how it will perform but the price was right and given my casting skills or lack thereof I wont likely know the difference. Those sweltering 90 degree days cant get here fast enough for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Panama Red 0 Report post Posted April 1, 2014 I have a 12wt one piece, pain to get through the door but a dream to cast. Got it last year just before my back went south, no chance to fish it yet… But, I plan on winning the tarpon Challenge with it Would love to see pictures when it's done. What kind of reel you going to hang on it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudskimmer 0 Report post Posted April 1, 2014 Sure. I'll post some more build pics as they come in. I really wanted a 12 wt blank, but Loomis doesnt sell them separate anymore and I wanted to try a one piece. I couldnt find any other 1-piece blanks out there. Some guys on another forum said the MHX blanks from Mudhole cast like a rocket, but they only carry up to an 11 wt. So, I went that way. I have an Orvis Mirage V reel. I will watch the doors! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterjay 0 Report post Posted April 1, 2014 I thought I would bump this thread to the top, lest we forget about it. Not to worry - nobody's gonna forget about the tournament until somebody wins. Then you'll see an epidemic of amnesia, followed by mass resignations from the forum. "Who, me? What contest? What forum? I live in the Mojave Desert and I've never been fishing! Who am I? Why am I here?" Stuff like that. Trust me, I know these reprobates. They might not know a tarpon from a tarpaulin, but their cheating skills are off the charts. I'm probably the only one around here who isn't a bare-faced liar. (I avoid that designation by wearing a beard) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Bob LeMay 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2014 Quick update on things silver... Our night fishing for baby tarpon in Biscayne Bay has been great, but in recent weeks the "babies" have been a bit on the large side. Our best on fly at night was a 70 to 80lb fish on a 9wt (no, the 9wt did not survive the experience, but I did leader the fish four or five times before the rod blew up...). In the Everglades we finally got our first big fish on fly, looked to be around 80lbs on a 10wt. That fish was taken in the rain, up a small river -where it ate a Tarpon Snake worked up under an overhanging small tree... Today we only found and got a shot at one fish in around three feet of water. The fish was at least 100lbs but spooked at the boat as my angler cast to her... Tomorrow (and the next seven days) we'll be after the big fish every day in the interior of the Everglades somewhere betweeen Whitewater Bay and the Gulf coast north and south of the Little Shark river... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blaminack 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2014 I may have to make an effort in this here contest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudskimmer 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2014 I thought I would bump this thread to the top, lest we forget about it. Not to worry - nobody's gonna forget about the tournament until somebody wins. Then you'll see an epidemic of amnesia, followed by mass resignations from the forum. "Who, me? What contest? What forum? I live in the Mojave Desert and I've never been fishing! Who am I? Why am I here?" Stuff like that. Trust me, I know these reprobates. They might not know a tarpon from a tarpaulin, but their cheating skills are off the charts. I'm probably the only one around here who isn't a bare-faced liar. (I avoid that designation by wearing a beard) Well, I will make sure that the authenticity of any photos or anecdotal reports of tarpon that I submit this summer will be highly suspect (buff covering face, poor lighting, etc..). I wouldn't want to ruin the track record of this event. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ditz2 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2014 I like the handle Muddy......it has a nicely defined front wells flare. I would prefer a little longer fighting butt to keep the reel handle out from my big belly and loose fitting tutu. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterjay 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2014 I may have to make an effort in this here contest. As long as you've never caught a tarpon, all you have to do is say the word, and you're in. The rules are posted at the beginning of the thread, but just be aware that you're going up against the sorriest collection of liars and cheats that have ever been assembled outside the District of Columbia. You can also expect to see some cutting edge fishing fashions proudly displayed by the contestants, though that's neither here nor there. Hey Bob - thanks for the post. Your report is generating all kinds of excitement here at tournament headquarters. We've still got a ways to go here, but the warmup's already underway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted April 2, 2014 You sure know how to make these tournaments expensive, PeterJay. Now I have to pay for these 410 nuns to observe me every time I go fishing for tarpon ... just in case I catch the winning one. This picture is an artist's recreation/compilation of my most recent outing. Turns out I only had a 20 pound pin fish on at this time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
