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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
The silver king is coming on strong in the Florida Keys. Though the best tarpon fishing is still a few weeks ahead, there are already plenty of the big migratory tarpon that move into the bridges of the Florida Keys each spring. Those fish can be caught day and night, but tarpon are less wary in the dark --...
The silver king is coming on strong in the Florida Keys. Though the best tarpon fishing is still a few weeks ahead, there are already plenty of the big migratory tarpon that move into the bridges of the Florida Keys each spring. Those fish can be caught day and night, but tarpon are less wary in the dark -- and there's a lot less competition for them in the middle of the night.
Capt. Jeff Pfister takes advantage of that situation by scheduling most of his tarpon trips with Dockside Charters in Islamorada for a 3 a.m. departure. That worked out well this morning as only one other boat was fishing at Channel 2, and the tarpon turned on after the tide turned to outgoing. Lots of shrimp were passing by Pfister's 24-foot center console as Bob Montey and John Baker from Essex, Vermont joined me in fishing pinfish and crabs under floats. Several hits were missed before we got attuned to the often light tap that must be followed by immediate fast reeling to come tight before the bait is stolen or rejected.
Montey set the first hook, and fought a 60-to-70-pounder to boatside before Pfister leadered it for the release. After missing a couple, I finally hooked up on a pinfish, and watched lots of braided line disappear from the Penn spinning reel as a much larger tarpon created a huge splash as it flew out of the water. It eventually worked its way to the bridge and forced Pfister to follow it through to the ocean side. The powerful Seeker Super Seeker rod took a toll on the great fish that Pfister estimated at 140 pounds at the release. Other tarpon started breaking at first light as I fought my fish, and Baker cast a crab to one that hit -- but spit the hook on the first jump, as so often happens.
It was just breaking dawn, when Baker hooked the last tarpon. It was similar in size to mine, but the leader broke when the fish was just feet from the boat. Tarpon don't have teeth, but they do have very rough mouths that will wear through even 100-pound leaders during the course of a long fight.
There's very little in fishing more exciting than fishing for the great jumping silver king that's a real challange even on heavy spinning tackle -- and the middle of the night is the best time to seek them Though the run is off to a good start, the best is yet to come in May and June. Some tarpon estimated at over 200 pounds have already been released, and more are coming to waters that are just a few hours away by plane. Pfister lives in Key Largo, and can be reached at 305 451-5903.
This Fishing Report was submitted on 3/25/2011 9:41:04 PM by Seamus and last updated on 3/25/2011 9:41:04 PM.
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