Tarpon: Chasing the Silver King Pt. 2

They are big and they are powerful.  Long drag runs and acrobatic leaps out of the water make this one of the most exciting fish to catch. 

Tarpon have really bony mouths so with these acrobatic leaps that they provide us with they can easily throw hooks and snap lines.  I have had days where we could do no wrong and land the majority of fish that we hooked and then there are the days where absolutely nothing goes right and everyone breaks off and you are left shaking your head.  This is probably the biggest reason I keep coming back for more.

I have had guests and clients on my boat that have chased tarpon for many many years and had yet to grab the face of one as we landed it. I have also had the client that had never caught a fish in salt water in his entire life that hooked and landed his first tarpon. I told him that it was all down hill from here. Imagine the first fish you catch in the ocean is a 150 lbs. tarpon, talk about setting the expectations super high.  All kidding aside I was really happy for that guy, although I don't think it ever sank in as to what he had just accomplished.

I have been very fortunate to have lived and visited lots of places where the fishing was amazing. I grew up in North Carolina where the waters off the coast hold many prized game fish most notably the Blue Marlin. Although I did get my first Blue Marlin in Costa Rica.  With that being said I still love the excitement of that hook up on the Tarpon more than anything else. 

The thing that makes me smile or should I say laugh the most is the comment I get from a client the first time they feel that bite and hook up on the tarpon.  It is always the same response - "I didn't expect it to pull and fight that hard." Imagine hooking into a fish that is 75 foot down that when he hits he pulls the end of the rod under the water and within a few seconds is ten feet in the air.  It happens that fast and for most it is shocking and unbelievable. That is the part that never gets old and keeps those anglers coming back for more. There is always a bigger one and you never know how the day will go.

It is the uncertainty of success that drives most angler's to continue the pursuit. I have seen the most experienced fisherman, one's that I admire and respect have some of the most humbling experiences when chasing the Silver King. 

But it is always the chance that seeing that look of disappointment quickly change to the thrill and excitement of succeeding that keeps the passion alive for me and anyone else that hooks into one of these majestic animals.