| Florida, April 2002 |
| Mike Bias and I became addicted to tarpon fishing during our trip to Florida in April of 2001. For our second trip we booked four guide trips, three with Captain Tony Traad for tarpon and one with Captain Joe Gonzalez for bonefish. On our first day Tony took us out of Flamingo into Florida Bay in search of Tarpon. Conditions were fair - a little windy for tarpon - but we found a few. I was casting with my Sage RPLXi 10 weight out in front of rolling tarpon. After 15 minutes of dredging I hooked into a 25 lb tarpon and landed it. Unfortunately, conditions quickly deteriorated and we spent the rest of the day unsuccessfully looking for redfish and snook. Day two was also windy, so Tony took us into 'the back' - the mangrove channels and flats in the Everglades National Park. After about 5 minutes on deck I saw a tailing redfish and cast my fly to it. I began my retrieve and immediately hooked up! After nearly breaking me off in the mangrove roots, the 5 lb redfish made it into the boat. My first! I hooked one later in the day. Mike hooked another and also hooked a snook. Day three was our first guided bonefish trip in Florida. Captain Joe Gonzalez took us out in Biscayne Bay. We were again challenged by high winds and intermittent visibility, but we persevered. Mike hooked and landed his first bonefish around 10am. A 5 lb beauty! I hooked another and got several to chase my fly. We finished up on Key Biscayne. My last shot was at a 10 lb tailing bonefish - and I totally botched it! Day four Tony took us into the back to search for tarpon. We found a large school rolling in a narrow mangrove creek. Mike was on deck and quickly hooked one about 25 lbs. It jumped and threw the hook. Five minutes later a 50 lb tarpon crushed his fly within 10 feet of the boat. It did the full jump and tail-walk routine for 200 feet before throwing the hook. Mike hooked one more briefly. Later in the day I had a shot at a 50-70 lb poon laid up underneath a tree branch. I made a good cast but he spooked. |
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