Experience the Wisconsin Travel Guide - Fishing Challenge: A key Wisconsin attraction boasting points is the fact that they have Lake Michigan and it’s tributaries that flow from it bringing the lake fish from the deep waters of the lake to the warmer areas of the streams inland. Here you can try your luck at catching the “rainbow trout” that has been increasing to huge lengths in the heart of Lake Michigan. Sport Fishing isn’t hard; it is more like hunting and fishing combined than just stream fishing in a wooded region in the heartland.
One of the most popular is sports fishing in Northern Wisconsin Vacations . The steelheads are thought to be skittish when they come into the warm waters to breed. They are comfortable with the depth and cold of the big lake but it is instinctive to journey into the rivers to spawn. Sports fish are challenginge to catch because of their being shy. You will need to be sure to move silently and slowly but with focus to have them take the bait.
Only 2 of the strains are found in the Ganaraska and the Chambers Creek River. These two have later winter/early spring spawns that typically occur between late February and -April. From time to time the runs are later depending on when it begins to warm up. At the earliest warming the fish will soon arrive.
Some get your hook as close to the bottom of the tributary as you can. Some use a bobber to keep it just above the bottom and bring it to the face of the fish (if visible or by luck if not). WhenIf the fish takes the hook be ready to run with it for a while since it will take off. The steelhead is larger than you probably have thought it should be and if you aren’t experienced it will run your line, break it and be gone. An eighteen pound steelhead can break a 10 lb. line instantly unless you are ready to run with it until you can bring enough drag on the reel to wear it out.
Wisconsin has many Lake Michigan river streams that support fine steelhead runs. The most popular streams for steelhead fishing along Lake Michigan include the Kewaunee, Root, Oconto, Manitowoc, Menominee, Milwaukee, East Twin, Peshtigo, Ahnapee, and West Twin rivers. Smaller steelhead rivers include the Pigeon, Little, Pike, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers; Stony, Oak, Heins, Sauk, Whitefish Bay, Fischer, Silver, and Reibolts creeks.
So bring your fly rod, hop in your car and travel to Wisconsin for some of the best Central Wisconsin tourism experiences. The trout are waiting, the families are friendly and the area is beautiful.
In Many areas of the country the department of natural resources will create fish attracting structure for anglers, they uses concrete blocks with re-bar and other misc. material. Both Artificial or natural structure is great for summer crappie fishing. What the state DONR is attempting to do, is to create cover that is close to that of natural cover. Many of these areas hold allot of fish and are fun to fish, both during spring crappie fishing and summer crappie fishing. Use the following methods during the summer months to fish around artificially created structure, and natural cover.
Remember : Crappie love cover, so fish around any structure… Natural or man made!
Step#1 Get about 75 ft of 1/2″ dia anchor rope and slide your anchor into the water, somewhere around close to 75ft from the structure you are about to fish.Position you boat where the wind or current will push Your boat towards the structure.(if you are not fishing from a boat you can do the same, we will show you why later.
Step#2 Use your normal rod and reel setup, and for bait you’ll be using “grass shrimp”. Make sure you hide most of the hook inside the grass shrimp or Missouri minnow.
Step#3 Tie a 1/2″ long bass sinker to the end of your fishing line.
Step#4 Eight inches above the sinker you will want to tie on one number 4 Aberdeen gold hook, and bait it with two ” grass shrimp” (largest you can find).
Step#5 If you are in a boat, drop another anchor to keep the boat from being blown all over the place.
Step#6 Cast very close to the long, 1/2 inch anchor rope you started out with. Start to reel your bait in very slowly, occasionally “pop” or jerk your bobber using your wrist.While you are reeling in try to stay as close to the anchor rope as you can. Make sure you continue to “pop” the bobber as you reel your line in.
Crappie love to hide along the anchor rope because they can hide in the lines shadow. This Technique can be used when you go summer crappie fishing or spring crappie fishing anywhere any natural or man made structure.
Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About fishing for crappie in the summer
its every anglers dream to catch a batch of crappie that fills your stringer during the spring crappie spawn, but allot of fisherman don’t pay attention to the detail that is necessary to catch spring spawn crappie consistently.
If you want to catch more spring spawn crappie than the casual fisherman, you’ve got to pay attention to what time of year it is. And you’ve got to know what crappie respond to in the different seasons. For example what works in the spring crappie spawn may not work when you are fishing for crappie in the summer. We have identified some key techniques to will help you develop strategies to catch crappie in the 2 of the best seasons of the year, the spring crappie spawn and summer. Also these tips will work in most U.S. and Canadian fishing locations.
Fishing the Spring Crappie Spawn
Fishing the spring crappie spawn can be very exciting because the large males are protecting the nests after the eggs are laid. These large males become very aggressive and will attack at just about anything that comes near the nest that is perceived as a threat. Some very large fish can be caught at this time of year.
Step#1 The fist thing you need to do is identify potential spring spawn crappie structure. Look for trees that have fallen in the water these areas normally hold crappie. Fish the area normally… and once you get a bite, you know they are there. You’ll want to fish the entire area around the structure systematically.
Step#2 It is recommended that you use a 1/8ounce “peewee jig” made with chicken feathers. If the jig isn’t working , switch to “Missouri Minnows”
Step#3 Jig the peewee jig one inch above the water.(submerge it, then jig it gently to one inch above the water…)
Step#4 Continue this process again, submerge the jig gently, and continue jigging upward until the peewee jig is one inch above the water.
Step#5 After you have repeated steps 1-5 about 3 or four times, submerge the jig all the way to the bottom. Move the jig upward 6 inches and start jigging.
Step#6 Pull the jig strait up slowly out of the water and move about 6 inches from your previous position, and repeat step 5.
Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About fishing crappie in the spawn
As the saying goes, a poor craftsman blames his tools. Conversely, the San Diego sport fishing enthusiast praises his tackle if he enjoys a huge catch. Nevertheless, specific guidelines should be adhered to, to ensure that you are successfully able to tackle your tackle.
Empowering The Outboard For Outings
Re-powering your outboard is one way to boost your boat’s fuel efficiency. This will decrease the amount of gas required for trips. Also, plane the boat using a single engine. Regardless of whether you use two-strokes or four-strokes when sport fishing, you can improve your fuel efficiency by using a single or multiple props designed for the middle Revolutions Per minute (RPM) range of your boat, rather than the top RPM range. This could create more pressure on the engine. The higher end will grant more progress at a median cruising RPM
An Eye on Electronics (And Systems)
When sport fishing, your engine gauges with superior systems for evaluating systems and the electronics of your boat can both boost its fuel efficiency—independent of your outboard selection. However, you should be aware that this requires additional time and painstaking effort.
In a nutshell, you can save on gasoline prices when sport fishing, by planning and becoming more familiar with your boat and its engine.
When is a boat’s speed outstanding or problematic? For a boat on plane, an ideal range is between 3,500-4,500 rpm. On the other hand, the lowest speed occurs when the bow is in an upward position and the boat plows with an excess amount of the hull immersed in the water. In this case, the engines are struggling to function.
Fishermen who enjoy sport fishing often neglect to trim their engines high enough to locate the ideal range of RMPs. How can it best be done? While a boat is on plane, the performance of the engine can significantly be changed by altering the engine trim. Meticulously and gradually trim the engine up and down to locate the best height for the conditions at that time. Concurrently, observe the boat’s speed, RPM, and fuel consumption.
The throttle, tabs and trim can be used to choose the most relaxing and resourceful cruising speed for your boat. You should record your different speed or RPM mixtures. Also, note the general altitude of the motor and tabs, to locate which ones are ideal. During difficult conditions, the trim and tabs can make the ride smoother. However, autopilot and using electronics devices such as chart plotters will allow an optimum fuel academy.
During fishing tournaments or regular sport fishing sessions, plotting courses before starting, is invaluable. In addition to saving fuel, it can maximize the team allowed for sport fishing.
When sport sporting, the sheer enjoyment of the activity should surpass your concern about your boat’s fuel efficiency. On the other hand, preserving fuel can help to maximize the number of future fishing sessions you can enjoy in deep waters.
If you are a Largemouth Bass Fisherman head to Lake Toho Florida for some amazing bass fishing at this Nationally ranked largemouth bass fishing lake. Largemouth bass are found in nearly every freshwater impoundments in Florida. More then 7,500 freshwater lakes and rivers lakes are available for fishing freshwater in Florida. Infact it is hard to pick just one location in florida. It is a rough decision because there are so many lakes that hold good populations of bass and are easy to access and fish. We hope you will use this article as a guide in making your decision to fish Florida’s for large mouth bass. We will be publishing a series of articles that focus on the the top Largemouth bass lakes rated by the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission. Our article will focus on the top ten areas in and around Lake Tohopekaliga that hold good population of Largemouth bass. We hope this information will help you plan a a fishing trip to lake Tohopekaliga (called lake Toho by locals). We will list 10 Area’s on or around the lake that have been known to hold fish. You can also visit the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission webpage and click on Interactive maps to get more detail information.
Lake Tohopekaliga(pronounced təˌhoʊpɨkəˈlaɪɡə) Lake Toho, West Lake, or simply Toho for short), native name meaning “sleeping tiger” for its sudden storms that appear in the summer time, is a lake in Osceola County,Florida, United States. It is the primary inflow of Shingle Creek, which rises in Orlando. It covers 18,810 acres (76.12 km2), and spans 42 miles (68 km) in diameter. It is linked to East Lake Tohopekaliga by Canal 31 (St. Cloud Canal). The canal is 3 miles (5 km) long and runs through western St. Cloud. South Port canal is located at the southern tip of the lake and links it to Cypress Lake. It is 4 miles (6 km) long. Three places surround the lake, Kissimmee on the northwestern shore, Kissimmee Park on the eastern shore, and South Port at the southen shore. Lake Tohopekaliga is the largest lake in Osceola County and is known for its bass fishing.
Here’s a visual of the fish attractors that are located on Lake Toho . This info should help you when you plan your trip to Lake Tohopekaliga Florida.
Lake Tohopekaliga is easy to find, it is located Lake Toho is located next to the City of Kissimmee in central Florida. It is the second largest lake in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and represents the second largest water body on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. It is noted to be one of the premier largemouth bass fishing destinations in the USA. Many professional and amateur fishing tournaments are held here every year.
The following Lake Tohopekaliga fishing report identifies areas around the lake that have been known to hold largemouth bass the information comes from the Florida Fish and wildlife website.
Area #1 Lily pads, Land bulrushes along the north shore of Fells Cove hold numbers of bass in the cooler months. Fish plastic worms along vegetation in 4-to 6-foot depths.
Area #2 The mouth of Lake Ajay canal produces when water is flowing after spring or summer rains. Schools of bass and bullhead catfish are drawn to the flowing water and respond to live baits or artificials. Fishing with cut bait or 4-to 6-inch shiners is a proven technique for giant catfish.
Area #3 Bass anglers fishing with live bait are often successful along the southeast side of Fells Cove. To catch a large bass in spring or summer, anchor near the cattails or slow-troll the weedline with an electric motor. Troll from the Fells Cove cut to Lake Ajay canal, keeping the shiners 20 feet behind the boat and near the surface weedline.
Area #4 Bass and bluegill are taken from the first 30 yards of weeds extending along the cut from the Fells Cove mouth. If it’s windy, fish the entire canal all the way to the main lake. Cast topwater plugs and minnow-type lures around the grass for bass.
Area #5 The Fells Cove canal entrance holds bass year-around. Bass anglers throw lipless crankbaits into the open water or plastic worms to the weedline. Fish the area when there is a current coming into the lake and continue on into the canal for 25 to 50 yards when the bass are actively feeding. Some large catfish have been taken from this canal mouth accidentally on artificials, but cut bait is preferred by catfishermen. Fish when runoff from a rain generates a current.
Area #6 The deep hole off the Boy Scout camp is known for holding bass. Troll live shiners 30 yards behind the boat or spray cast a crankbait around the drop-off. Silver/black is a popular color for schooling bass in summer. The fish hold on the dropoff which slopes from 6 feet on the edge of the hole to 16 feet at the bottom. Fish live shiners close to the bottom. Use weedless plastics to fish the bulrush.
Area #7 This area of scattered bulrushes and grass patches holds bass year around. It is a prime wading area; some anglers hop in and tow their boat behind them with a line around their waist. Cast white and gold-bladed spinnerbaits. Plastic worms and lizards are effective in the 3-to 4-foot depths. Slowly crawl Texas-rigged plastics with 3/16-to 1/4-ounce slip sinkers through the weedline in the cooler months.
Area #8 Grass patches along the east side hold bass all year. Also work the boat cuts through and behind the densest cover in spring and fall. Weedless spoons, plastic worms and jerkbaits are effective in the open pockets. Panfishermen can catch bluegill in the summer and crappie in January and February.
Area #9 Bass can be caught throughout the entire length of the Lake Runnymede Canal. Fishing is best in late spring and early fall. Work jerkbaits, topwater plugs and vibrating lures around the masses of hydrilla along the banks. Texas-rigged plastic worms are effective when fished in and over the hydrilla.
Area #10 Buzzbaits and spinnerbaits take bass from the open water around the hydrilla on the southwest side of Runnymede Lake. Fish all the pockets and cuts through the vegetation in the spring and fall. At night, crawl dark plastic worms in the same pockets. Black and purple are proven colors.
Well I hope the 10 areas identified in this Florida lake Tohopekaliga fishing report will help on you plan your next freshwater fishing trip to Florida.
Mark Is a dedicated fisherman with 30+ years of experience and has published numerous articles on fishing. He offers free fishing information and “how to articles at his websites. Visit his site at lake Toho large mouth bass and download a free copy of his “78 fishing discoveries unleashed”
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Crappie Honeyhole: Amazing results!
Crappie frequent structure. What most fisherman don’t know is you can manufacture your on crappie fishing structure. After you sink your structure keep it private. It can be your very own secret crappie honey hole for years to come. The best brush I have ever used is the limbs cut from a Willow tree. These limbs have multiple branches that are perfect for little crappie fry to hide. make sure you cuttings are least 3 foot in length and have from 7 to 10 branch’s minimum. Sink you branch cuttings or any of the other artificial structure you plan to sink, with a cement block or something heavy so it sinks directly below where you put it in the water. Also , the brush won’t shift if it is anchored down. I always use a cement block with a short rope about 2ft long, tied to the main cut branch. Crappie are just like bass they like to sit in cover structure and wait for their prey.
I recommend you build and sink your “private crappie honey hole” in late fall. The crappie will have time to find it, and use it for the next years spawn. If you sink your home made crappie structure in the spring you need to do it immediately after ice out.
For best results create your crappie brush farms in three different depth locations. Mark your locations to sink brush in the shallows, mid depth locations, and deeper water. Make sure you find a spot that is not easily fished. Make sure you drop your brush when no fisherman are watching. If your honey hole gets a lot of fishing pressure the crappie may move out to other fishing locations. I always look for places that would not interest casual boaters. You are probably asking why? Well by using three different locations you create crappie honey holes for different parts of the fishing season. I you can find a spot where the bottom starts deep and gradually goes to shallows you can build your three locations inline. Just mark each location with a GPS point, that way you can come back again and again without wasting any precious fishing time. If you have young children this is an excellent way to get them interested in fishing. Kids are impatient, but if you take them to a honey hole where the action is almost instant, you will nurture their interest in a wonderful sport.
This technique will work no matter where you are located at. Crappie love brush and structure as their habitat no mater what part of the country you live in. Make sure you check with your local laws to find out what is legal to sink for structure.
One more point I want to address. Make sure you check with your states regulations for placing objects in your fishing area. If you are ready to catch a regular batch of crappie whenever you go out fishing then get out and create your crappie honey hole now! Good luck with your fishing see you later.
Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About Honey hole for crappie
Click Here To Get Your Free Fishing For Crappie E-mail Course
How to stream line your Crappie Fishing Rods: without spending a lot of money.
it is very important before you go on your first crappie fishing trip to have the right crappie fishing equipment. Have you been out fishing and people around you are catching crappie but you are not? Have you ever wondered why?You think you have purchased all the right equipment and rigging but you just can’t seem to increase your catch. Yes everyone seems to know what to use but you , well until know. We hope you use the following recommendations for purchasing a good crappie fishing rod to save a few bucks and We hope you have good luck increasing your catch on your next crappie fishing outing.
Rods For Crappie Fishing
Bamboo poles (don’t laugh it’s for real) price range: 5$ to 10$ One of the most irritating things I can think off is spending a day digging line rat nests from a beginners reel. If you are new to crappie fishing and on a limited budget, bamboo crappie fishing poles are a very simple in-expensive way to get started in crappie fishing. But don’t be fooled into thinking these poles are just for beginners. Old school crappie fisherman use them because they are sturdy enough to catch any slab crappie out there, and they are very flexible.
Telescoping crappie fishing PolesPrice Range: 10$ to 30$ {A Telescoping rods is like a Telescope. Each section collapses until you have a short rod. Telescoping rods collapse just like a telescope and are great for crappie fishing.} Telescoping rods are great for fishing in thick brush because they are adjustable and they can be used to fish very tight areas. We all should have a telescoping rod in our crappie fishing equipment arsenal so we can be ready for any crappie fishing situation.
Graphite crappie fishing rods price range: 30$ to 100$ Graphite rods are excellent for crappie fishing. Graphite rod tips are ultra sensitive and excellent to feel even a very light crappie bite. These rods are extremely flexible, but strong enough to pull a big crappie out of the brush. They also are perfect for the need wrist action when jigging for crappie.
Graphite ultralight rods are perfect for crappie fishing. I am going to identify three reasons I think purchasing a graphite rod is so important for crappie fishing.
Reason #1 You need to be able to flip your rod tip and give your crappie jig a vertical “jigging movement. Ultralight Graphite rods are excellent for a good jigging motion. Most of the up and down action of jigging is in the wrist movement. So an ultralight rod works great for not over stressing the forearm muscles.
Reason #2 A Crappies jaw and mouth area are paper thin. The ultralight is so flexible that when you set the hook it won’t rip through the crappies lip or right out of their mouth.
Reason #3 Having fun! Catching a crappie on a ultralight graphite rod is the ultimate if you like a good fight when fishing. I don’t know about you but I like to feel the fish fighting when I set the hook and start reeling in.
Well folks, when you are out selecting the right rod for your crappie fishing arsenal take this article with you and so you select the right crappie fishing rod.
Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About telescoping rod
When people are watching fly fishing on television they get the impression that beginner fly fishing a simple. As a matter of fact, what you are watching on television is not beginner fly fishing, these are professionals who have been fly fishing a long time and have worked on the techniques for many years.
Remember this is television and the chances on everything going to plan on the first take are pretty low. Television programs have a way of making things look easy which is appealing to anyone watching the program, and this is why individuals get the idea that beginner fly fishing is easy. For sure beginner fly fishing is definitely not easy, so here are some tips you will probably need for you to get started
Fly Fishing Equipment:
The fly fishing equipment you will need is a rod, reel, flies, and special fly fishing line. Lots of individuals, may their first mistake with beginner fly fishing by getting the wrong line. You’ll notice two things about fly fishing line, it’s both thicker and heavier than standard fishing line. Firstly, sinkers and lures are not used in fly fishing, therefore, there’s nothing to weigh the line down. Consequently the line itself needs to be weighty in order for you to fly cast it correctly. It is also thicker because you need to cast with accuracy and that is hard to do with lighter line. Therefore make certain that for your beginner fly fishing jaunt you have the right provisions and tools to get the task finished.
Don’t Skimp:
Many people will attack beginner fly fishing with a mind to catch fish and no mind on the fly fishing equipment they will use to get the job done. Never skimp on your equipment because if you buy cheap equipment and it fails on you at the beginning of your trip then you have a long fishing trip ahead of you. Get the best reel you can afford and the best pole you can find. You can ask someone at the sporting goods store but you are better off asking someone you know that fishes because sporting goods store clerks love to see people in beginner fly fishing and try to sell them stuff they don’t need.
You can be sure that fly casting is definitely the most difficult thing to do in fishing so you will need practice. So make sure to practice casting the fly line and generally getting used to fly casting, hopefully, with time you should be come pretty successful.
Click Here To Get Your Free Fishing For Crappie E-mail Course
Fishing is a fun activity for the whole family. Just ask any of the millions of fisherman who saltwater and freshwater fish and enjoy this sport today! Fishing is more then just a sport, it provides quality time for you and your family and is a great stress reliever, even if you are serious angler. On a different note try it yourself, it is easy to learn to fish at any age. You will be surprised how much information is available on the Internet to learn to fish.
Here’s what you’ll need to learn to fish in freshwater: A good fish to target for beginners are Crappie. The Crappie can be caught in most freshwater lakes throughout the United States and Canada and takes no special skills to catch.I have identified some very simple fishing tackle below in items 1-6 that you can purchase for very little, to catch Crappie. The simple fishing tackle you use for crappie can be used for other panfish like bluegill also.
#1 Purchase a fishing license. In Many states you can do this online.”DONOT” go fishing without a license, the fines are very steep! If you visit my site
you can get the latest fishing license information for your particular site. Also visit my blog http://www.oldfishinghole.com/blog for more detail information. Another great resourse to get fishing license and regulation information is your states department of natural resources. Most states have a website and many offer online sales so there is no excuse not to purchase a fishing license. You will need to look at your particular states regulations to see if you need to purchase a license. Chances are you do if you are over 16 years of age. When you purchase your fishing license make sure you pick up a brochure on all the regulations, and what speices of fish your state has to fish for, what the size, and limits are. Most places that sell fishing licenses will have this information. Of course if you purchase your license online you can just print the information from the website.
#2 Purchase a inexpensive fishing rod and reel with 4-to 10lb test line already wound. You can purchase a rod and real combo that will already have line installed for under 30$. The spin cast combo is a great way to start your learn to fish experience. With spin casting tackle, you can put the bait or lure where the fish are. You can cast greater distances with more accuracy, work lures effectively, fish in deeper water,and handle larger fish more easily with this tackle. Spin casting rigs use a rod with a pistol-like grip and a reel that’s mounted on top of the rod’s handle. Line is released using a push button on the reel.
#3 split shot weights small as you can find.
#4 crappie Fish hooks (Number 6-8 size)
#5 A plastic or wood bobber very small, Sizes: 1-1/4″, 1-1/2″.You want the bobber to just barely sit on top of the water when bait up your rig.
#6 You can select live bait or fishing lures but I recommend using live bait when you first start. Go to the local bait store and purchase red worms or crappie minnows. If you are a beginner it is best to use live bait because you don’t understand yet how to fish artifical baits. If you start with artificals you may get frustrated and not catch any fish. When you fish with live bait even as a beginner you will catch fish. Good live baits to start with are crappie minnows,worms, and crickets. If you can’t dig your own, you can find them in a sporting goods or bait shop. If you want to use minnows, catch them in or near the waters you want to fish. This prevents bringing new diseases or fish species into a river, lake, or stream. Return leftover baitfish to where you caught them. If you do not have time to catch your own bait you can also purchase your live bait selection at your local bait shop. You’ll find everything you need at a fishing tackle or sporting goods store or online at Cabellas or Bass Pro shop. Also at your local bait shop.
Now that you’ve purchased your learn to fish equipment, you are ready to set up your rod with hook, line, and sinker and get to fishing. Tie your tackle rig on a #4–#6 hook using either a Palomar knot or a improved Clinch Knot. Attach 1 or 2 sinkers or fishing weights to the line, 6 to 12 inches above the hook. This weight will keep your bait or lure down in the water and will help swing it away from shore.
Well your ready to go fishing! The learn to fish information we have provided is basic in nature. If you want more detail with your learn to fish experience I suggest you look on the internet for a free fishing course. There is a ton of information available to help you learn to fish.
Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About course about fishing
The tarpon is one of the world’s finest sporting fish. Stunningly beautiful and known as the Silver King, their aerobatic antics make them a favourite of anglers worldwide. Each spring thousands of tarpon pass through Key West Harbour on their way to the spawning grounds and anglers flock into town in order to pit their wits against them.
There are a number of varying fishing styles for catching tarpon, the style varying depending on the type of water that you are fishing. Tarpon can be caught in shallow river inlets and also on sand and mangrove flats. In this case the favoured method is either fishing a lure or a fly (with a strong fly rod. At some venues for example Islamorada the favoured method is fishing with small live fish such as herring or pilchards. The favourite method in Key West is chumming with shrimp boat trash. Let me explain what we mean by shrimp boat trash. Lots of shrimp fishing boats work the waters in the Gulf of Mexico and besides netting shrimp they also net a lot of small fish called menhaden. These are sacked up and sold as bait to the tarpon fishing boats in Key West.
The method involves the Captain cutting these small fish into small pieces and continually dropping them behind the anchored boat to attract the tarpon. The anglers fish with a whole menhaden on the hook, and it is drifted back in the tidal flow towards the feeding tarpon.
The tackle suggested for Key West tarpon fishing is extremely simple. Our favourite tarpon fishing rod is the ABU Conolon Boat, 7’9” 12-20lb test curve. It sells here in the UK for £74.99. There is also a 3 piece version of the rod (the Conolon Boat Traveller) which might be more suited to the travelling angler. That one sells for £79.99 in the UK. Incidentally, I use that very same rod whilst fishing for sturgeon in British Columbia and last year caught my biggest ever fish measuring 9ft 1inch and weighing…who knows, with only two of us fishing there’s no way you can lift such a beast but I’d put it at around 400 lbs. Anyhow, returning to tarpon fishing. The most popular reels whilst fishing for tarpon are the TLD15 and TLD20 lever drag multipliers from Shimano. The TLD 15 sells for around £80 in the UK, whereas the TLD 20 is about £15 dearer. Whatever reel you choose, it has to be super free running, since you’re attempting to make your bait drift down in the tide at a similar speed to the bait being introduced by the skipper. I prefer to use the larger TLD 20 because the larger spool revolves more slowly when you are running your bait down in the tide with the other advantage that it needs less turns of the handle to reel in when your bait has drifted as far you want. You’ll want the reel completely loaded with line, I prefer the Ande grey in breaking strains of either 15 or 20 lbs. To the end of that is tied a 10 foot leader of 50 lb fluorocarbon and a large circle hook. Naturally all of the charter boats have top class tackle for you to use should you not have your own.
OK, now down to the fishing. Your skipper will have taken you to one of the top tarpon spots, perhaps the entrance to Key West Harbour, the yacht basin, the North West Channel or maybe Bokacheeka. The boat is anchored at the bow and if there are other people tarpon fishing, their boat will very likely be moored only a few feet away. The plan is that if every boat is chumming then there should be a steady supply of food going down to the fish, keeping them in one substantial shoal rather than splitting them up. The captain will start chumming with the cut up baits and you’ll put a whole fish onto your hook. There’s a definite way to hook these baits but don’t fret, the captain will show you how. You now let your bait drift down the tide, paying particular attention to your line as it leaves the spool of the reel. A bite can be quite gentle and will often be detected by the spool of the reel suddenly running faster. As soon as a bite is seen you need to reel like hell….don’t strike !!. The magic of a circle hook is that it kind of hooks the fish itself if you simply tighten the line by turning the reel as fast as possible.
Once a tarpon is hooked things will suddenly become hectic, the tarpon will almost certainly jump clear of the water and it will certainly start running towards Cuba !!. Remember when playing a tarpon that if he jumps he’ll get rid of the hook unless you immediately lower the rod to lessen the tension on the line. This lowering of the rod is known as “bowing to the King”, and you’ll get plenty of comments from everybody else on the boat if you lose a tarpon because he jumped and you didn’t bow. If the hooked fish is a reasonable size the skipper will release the anchor and set off to follow the fish. It’s not unusual to unhook a fish a mile away from where it was hooked. It can be a tiring and long fight but with a bit of luck you will finally have the tarpon beside the boat ready for a swift photo before it is safely released to fight again some other day. I remember a ‘first-timer’ fishing with us one year. He hooked his first tarpon and as it jumped he excitedly asked “how big is that” to which one wag replied “about forty minutes” !!.