3/6/16 March Tarpon Fishing in Islamorada

Got back out and did a some tarpon fishing today.  Bait was difficult we didn’t find any in the early morning and I looked a few other places on the way out and didn’t see much.  Wind kicked up hard out of the north though temperature didn’t drop.  Anyways we had some leftover bait from yesterday thankfully.  We spent the morning catching mackerels and pompanos and that was good.  Around 10:00 we made our way back into the glades and fished off the mainland where the fish were yesterday.  Today it was very muddy and windy though, we didn’t see much for fish though wouldn’t expect to in those conditions.  We caught some sharks, bulls and a big lemon.  Though eventually we did see a tarpon roll behind the boat.  A few minutes later we jumped him off about 5 feet behind the boat.  We caught a few more sharks and then finally before we were about to make a move, we hooked another tarpon.  This one stayed on and we were able to chase him down and get him to the boat though he jumped and threw the hook next to the boat.  We were able to get the leader to the tip of the rod however for the technical release.  Anyways not bad for the terrible conditions.  It looks like it will be pretty windy for the next several days.  Tarpon fishing will likely be tough as the water won’t have a chance to warm up. Though there are some fish around you just have to put your time in.  I have a trip tomorrow so we will see what it has in store!  1 for 2

Capt. Rick Stanczyk