Day I: Late start, low tide, breezy. Oceanside: small groups, singles, and doubles. Second cast: hooked up! Jump, jump. Sweeeet. Drag singing. Fish off. “Uhhhh… popped ‘im off.” Nope: reel in to find the backing broke! Motored around searching for a #10 yellow line zipping through the water but was forced to admit both the [...]
Posts Tagged ‘tarpon’
Florida Keys Chronicles: Relentless
April 12, 2011 He’s young, blond, mostly, but fading to gray at the edges. By the way he carries himself I’m guessing football, college, maybe. But it’s his hands that catch my eye; they’re hard, thick, construction workers hands. Though I imagine they’re still mobile enough, they appear solid, immovable, and lay on the table [...]
The Galley’s Open (Pt. II)
December 25, 2000 We finally ended up fishing the harbor lights, our backup plan. Almost immediately I started seeing fish: young tarpon that would go maybe fifteen, twenty pounds. (Every time I start to get down on where I live, I have to remind myself that I can catch tarpon five minute’s drive from my [...]
The Galley’s Open (Pt. I)
December 25, 2000 After the festivities we went down to the sea, my father and I. We loaded up flies, rods, flashlights, knives, casting buckets, and leader fixings, piled it all in his truck and went in search of tarpon. It seemed the thing to do. Around here tarpon hunting doesn’t necessarily mean big motors, [...]
The Midnight Special
Let the midnight special, shine her light on me. Let the midnight special, shine her ever-lovin’ light on me. ~Leadbelly August 30, 2000 I’ve finally caught the fish that originally inspired me to take up fly fishing and here is how it happened. A few days ago I came down with a case of that [...]
In Time
August, 2005 We fished until dark, but none would take. We marked their progress by the flashing tails and cast long leads to them with light flies. When they approached we’d strip the fly and they’d disappear in an explosion of water, perhaps to bide their time off the edge until the flats were peaceful [...]
Jay (Bug Beard the Terrible) & the Tarpon
Ok, I was searching through the sickly soup of YouTube for tarpon fishing—yes, I’m already pining for tarpon season—and found this. Ok, here we have some stupid $#!t—did I hear something about 3-x tippet in there?! But, I’m sure you’ll share my confliction over how sweet it also is. Nicely done. (As an aside, I [...]
