Tarpon trip booked now to fill fly boxes

[Flatsflytying 0]

Just booked my first tarpon guided trip. 2 full days in June! Excited already. What are some must have tarpon flies, colors and sizes?

[skeet3t 0]

Not a SW angler but wish you and your clients best of luck. Closest thing we have here is hickory shad but they don't grow real big.

[Flatsflytying 0]

2 hours ago, skeet3t said:

Not a SW angler but wish you and your clients best of luck. Closest thing we have here is hickory shad but they don't grow real big.

Skeet thank you, I am the client on this particular trip, I suppose I could have worded that better 

[Bimini15 0]

Ask your guide what he suggests you should tie for the place and time of year.

 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Amen... tarpon flies vary widely from place to place, and time of year... We also use dramatically different sizes, depending on the size of the fish we’re working.  Your guide will know exactly what you need.

[Permitcapt 0]

Here is what worked for me “most often” when I guided in the Lower Keys years ago, and what still works for me in Flamingo and Apalachicola. The Brown Mariah and the Chartreuse Toad. Of course there are a multitude of different patterns, colors, and sizes, and many work some of the time. But, when one only has a small window of opportunity, one needs to go to oft-proven methods. Good luck, and have fun!

[skeet3t 0]

Clouser minnow works for a lot of fish.

 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

As great as the clouser is for most species worldwide... We’ve never had a single tarpon bite on one...  Have absolutely no idea why.

[skeet3t 0]

1 hour ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

As great as the clouser is for most species worldwide... We’ve never had a single tarpon bite on one...  Have absolutely no idea why.

That is odd. Time for extensive field testing, i. e., more fishing.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Where is your trip.. that alone will go a long way towards a recommendation on what to tie and bring with you... Mind you, I have had many anglers over the years bring a selection of tarpon flies (some buy them other tie them..) that rarely get used since we've got to be very specific in the Everglades and many Keys style tarpon flies simply don't work well in the dark waters of the 'glades.. 

[Flatsflytying 0]

23 hours ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

Where is your trip.. that alone will go a long way towards a recommendation on what to tie and bring with you... Mind you, I have had many anglers over the years bring a selection of tarpon flies (some buy them other tie them..) that rarely get used since we've got to be very specific in the Everglades and many Keys style tarpon flies simply don't work well in the dark waters of the 'glades.. 

Im going June 14th and 15th out of Homosassa/crystal river. most fish will be over 100# 

[Flatsflytying 0]

On 3/7/2021 at 10:19 PM, Permitcapt said:

Here is what worked for me “most often” when I guided in the Lower Keys years ago, and what still works for me in Flamingo and Apalachicola. The Brown Mariah and the Chartreuse Toad. Of course there are a multitude of different patterns, colors, and sizes, and many work some of the time. But, when one only has a small window of opportunity, one needs to go to oft-proven methods. Good luck, and have fun!

I noticed you tied your toads with beadchain instead on mono eyes and you added some hackle. I like it! do these fish differently? 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I've never fished the Homosassa area at all - and my stomping grounds (the Everglades) are completely different (understatement).  That said, since I was a commercial tyer for many years (quit it about three years ago now) I've tied for more than a few shops - and guides.  That includes at least 35 different tarpon patterns at one time or another... and all of my royalty patterns still active with Umpqua are - you guessed it... tarpon patterns.

The only orders from guides in that area that I filled were for one of my signature patterns the Sand Devil... Here's a pic...

It's tied up on an Owner Aki hook in sizes 1/0 up to 4/0 - and here's a tip.... if you have a tarpon pattern you like always do them in two sizes - a 4/0 and a 2/0, or a 3/0 and a 1/0... A refusal of the big fly?  then go to the smaller version (and maybe a lighter, longer leader...).

Here are a few patterns I'd want - anywhere in the world for big tarpon (small ones get different flies entirely...).

This is my version of John Emery's famous Cockroach pattern that's been around for years and years - and is still catching fish today world-wide...

most tarpon anglers will have at least a few rabbit strip patterns... Here's one that I drew royalties on for a few years... the Swamp Rabbit in 3/0.... I did this in five colors - and would want some in light colors and some in dark colors - along with the black death (red/black), I'd want "burple" (black/ purple) on hand.  Note: the Swamp Rabbit has a very sparse underwing of dyed bucktail - same color as that rabbit strip (makes the tail foul-proof, an important feature in any rabbit strip pattern...).

This photo shows a batch of Swamp Rabbits still in production... in "grizzly brown"

 

One last thought about tarpon patterns... In some areas (the Keys, Homosassa, and others where tarpon are heavily pressured...) any info about patterns is going to be the equivalent of a state secret.... (serious understatement)....  Shops will talk up what they have to sell - but guides get lockjaw with rare exception... Whatever you tie up expect the guide to have "something else" and go with whatever he (or she) recommends.  Your best bet is to look very closely at the fly he hands you - both in dry state and after it's been in use for a while.... The Holy grail for me would be a new sample to take home with me so I could learn how to tie it properly (and it would never, ever, see the water if it was something special...). 

Hope this helps, and please post a report on how your trip goes.  Homosassa season is well after our own (the interior of the Everglades is the first place here in Florida that gets big tarpon up shallow every year- and we've been in fish for weeks now...).