Got out with Dave and his father and son Jack for a family trip today! We focused on tarpon but left the options open for a mixed bag day too. I’ve had good fishing the last few days, however I will say the tarpon thing is still a little hit and miss – definitely not a guaranteed thing and there are no spots that are consistently producing on a timely basis. So a lot of days you have to just grind it out and fish several spots/tides until you get in the right one and it can be good. That’s what happened today, we blanked early on in the first couple spots we tarpon fished. Sharks were horrendous. We tried where we had done good yesterday, but today the tarpon were in a completely different mood. We did bail for a bit and caught a good handful of snook and redfish to mix it up a bit. Then we ran around a bit more and were on our way to do something else when we saw one tarpon show himself in a different area. We pulled in and saw a handful of fish. Had the tide change so we still had to sit and wait. Finally after 30 or 40 minutes, the tide switched and it looked like it may happen. We gave it a bit more time and finally Jack hooked up and landed a tarpon. A bit later, Dave got one too a little bit larger 50 lb fish. Then it was grandpas turn, he had another big fish on but this one broke through the leader! He got another shot though and landed a 30 lb tarpon. Then finally before it was time to go, Dave got another one about a 40 lber. So we had a pretty terrific day when you tally up the scorecard, but again had we not seen that one fish or been in that spot at the right time, it could’ve been a totally different ball game. Hopefully as we get more into July, the fish will settle into spots where you know they’ll be and it’s just a little more consistent like clockwork. 4 for 5
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
