I’ve had the good fortune to fish Tampa Bay a few times over the past few weeks. Three days to be exact, in search of Mr. Tarpon. Time on the water is a great teacher. Not only do you learn about the fish but also yourself. I hope that I have not over shared about myself; which is definitely possible considering the two hour car ride each direction.
The first outing was a trip where patience was the key. We arrived and knew we were looking at West winds for the day. It is probably good to be optimistic, I think we were, but somehow the wind and waves are always bigger than you hope. No fish that day. I did observe a few Pass Crabs floating by the skiff which allowed me to do some fly updating at home. Lesson one…be observant of your surroundings.
Trips two and three had the weather more to the norm; Hot with winds from the Southeast. We encountered Tarpon almost immediately as we reached a favorite spot. All three of us had shots at Tarpon. We all hooked up during our turn on the bow… but were “Whopped up on” and had our line broken in different ways. I learned that a bad knot will always be exposed by the King. The lesson that day was listening; when a friend says “that your leader connection looks funny” you should examine it closer.
I did get the chance on trips two and three to test out the Pass Crab fly pattern that I reworked. I was well received and resulted in hook ups on these outings. Did I land the King on the last trip you ask? No…another broken leader. Yes I wanted to scream. Yes breaking a line is one of the most frustrating things that can happen. I have only myself to blame. I did not hang my head very long and was back in the game helping my friend.
Perseverance must be the lesson to remember here. There will be another trip and I will keep after them. If all things go right I will have a couple more chances to boat a Tarpon this season. Good luck on your upcoming fishing trips…remember to always “Bow to the King”.
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