Well, this past saturday was a mile stone for me. I have been wanting to catch a tarpon from my yak in the surf for 3 years now and it finally all came together like shooting fish in a barrel. The way this is normally done is snaging a pogie out of a big pod of bait and pitching him back in, free line.
The first year I jumped one tarpon in the 110 to 120# range and there was a lot of tarpon action but the bait schools were gone pretty quick. This past year the schools of pogies never showed up that I know of. However, this year they are here in force. An electrician friend of mine called me last week to tell me he was wiring a house at the beach and the bait school in the surf stretched as far as the eye could see!
I scouted it that day and he was not lying. At the first spot I pulled over to glass the surf.....I couldn't believe my eyes....the pogy pod was 2-300yds wide and stretched as far as I could see with my 10X32 nikons.
Just a corner of a large school of pogies!
The first year I jumped one tarpon in the 110 to 120# range and there was a lot of tarpon action but the bait schools were gone pretty quick. This past year the schools of pogies never showed up that I know of. However, this year they are here in force. An electrician friend of mine called me last week to tell me he was wiring a house at the beach and the bait school in the surf stretched as far as the eye could see!
I scouted it that day and he was not lying. At the first spot I pulled over to glass the surf.....I couldn't believe my eyes....the pogy pod was 2-300yds wide and stretched as far as I could see with my 10X32 nikons.
Just a corner of a large school of pogies!
That's solid pogies except the little sliver on the right at the skyline, Unbelievable!
I did not see much for striking action but I figured with that much bait there had to be some predators under them.
Thursday I fished by myself and saw 30-40 tarpon strikes but there was so much bait I could not get a tarpon to find the pogy with the hook in it. I had one strike so close to me I could have touched it....I had pogies blown all into the boat! I came close to walking on water! I promise you that will get your attention.
Friday the tarpon action only lasted til about 8:00 and there was no more striking. I did catch two small sharks in the 36-42" range.
Saturday My electrician buddy borrowed a yak and we were in the water a little after 7:00AM. Rick had never been in a kayak before but he did a good job with the surf entry. I snagged us two pogies on the first cast into the school and Rick paddled over to another pod 40-50yds away. About the time he went to make his first cast I hooked up with a monster. There was two big charging tail walks and the battle was on! I probably didn't have a bait in the water more than 3 minutes.
The mammoth tarpon pull me over 3 1/2 miles and took 1 hour and 51 minutes to land. We ended up over 2 miles out and in 55' of water. The fish was 69" to the fork with a 40"girth and a whopping 144#!!!!
I did not see much for striking action but I figured with that much bait there had to be some predators under them.
Thursday I fished by myself and saw 30-40 tarpon strikes but there was so much bait I could not get a tarpon to find the pogy with the hook in it. I had one strike so close to me I could have touched it....I had pogies blown all into the boat! I came close to walking on water! I promise you that will get your attention.
Friday the tarpon action only lasted til about 8:00 and there was no more striking. I did catch two small sharks in the 36-42" range.
Saturday My electrician buddy borrowed a yak and we were in the water a little after 7:00AM. Rick had never been in a kayak before but he did a good job with the surf entry. I snagged us two pogies on the first cast into the school and Rick paddled over to another pod 40-50yds away. About the time he went to make his first cast I hooked up with a monster. There was two big charging tail walks and the battle was on! I probably didn't have a bait in the water more than 3 minutes.
The mammoth tarpon pull me over 3 1/2 miles and took 1 hour and 51 minutes to land. We ended up over 2 miles out and in 55' of water. The fish was 69" to the fork with a 40"girth and a whopping 144#!!!!
Look at that bow wake!
When the fish finally rolled to the top Rick pulled his boat alongside and hefted him onto his yak for a picture. He slid him back in the water and I pulled the tarpon over for my shot but before I could get my had in his mouth the hook popped out! He turned nose down and slowly swam away. So, here's Rick with my tarpon! What a monster!
This thing put up one hell of a fight. By the time it was over we decided to work our way back and we fished a pod or two for just a minute but we had about had enough so we called it a day.
The pogies are moving south and I have not seen any more pods since Monday But I got a report today that the tarpon are thick as flies near Cocoa Beach.
Larry S.
When the fish finally rolled to the top Rick pulled his boat alongside and hefted him onto his yak for a picture. He slid him back in the water and I pulled the tarpon over for my shot but before I could get my had in his mouth the hook popped out! He turned nose down and slowly swam away. So, here's Rick with my tarpon! What a monster!
This thing put up one hell of a fight. By the time it was over we decided to work our way back and we fished a pod or two for just a minute but we had about had enough so we called it a day.
The pogies are moving south and I have not seen any more pods since Monday But I got a report today that the tarpon are thick as flies near Cocoa Beach.
Larry S.
That's some glassy water, perfect conditions!
Man that thing was pullin' there!
What a day!
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