Tuesday I was up at 5 AM. I tied a few Clousers, checked the email and I was driving down the trail at 6. A coffee stop and 20 minutes later I was at the spot. I thought, "Guarenteed Tarpon". Well, nothing's a guarentee in fishing, especially here in the Everglades in February. It was cold, maybe 55-degrees, no wind, but cool and there was hardly the activity I saw the last time I went out.

So, persist, present the fly, and cover the water. That's what I did. I was rewarded at 8:30 AM, when the tide was up and the sun was warming the water. Baby 10lb. Tarpon. Not the behemouths I had seen a few days ago, not a 25 pound fish like I hooked on Sunday, but more fight than you'd expect from any warm water fish.



Now this fish needed to be photographed, but I did take a lot of care handling the fish. I hated to rest the fish on the bank, even for a second or two to take a picture, but I knew he wasn't too fatigued to swim off and he did so energetically, to my releif. I hate to stress these beautiful fish because there are Gators around ready to pounce on a weakened Tarpon.

So j.a.c., there's your landed Tarpon. He's off to do battle another day. I'm hoping I meet up with his older cousins this spring!

tight lines,

marshallD

its a great place to fish, the glades, keep expolring
nice pic

nice job marsh - go any more pics? great fish - i am jealous

Marsh,

Hey it's Mike Cleary from Maine! Mike told me you were down here and gave me your # and I lost it! I had to go see Mike to load up for my Nov. Brown trout blitz. One of my favorite times of year there and I wonderfull run of big Trout this past fall.

Well I live in St. Pete now and I have had sucess w/Snook, Red's, a couple of Jacks broke me off and of course Spanish and speckled. But no Tarpon YEt.

I use to do the trash bussiness 15 hours a week and fish 30 to 40 now I work 30 to 40 hours and fish here and there. But can't beat the weather though.

My e-mail is on here and my # is 727-576-7271, I would definatley like to come down and chase some fish with ya sometime. I wil try to post my next fishing trip here in St pete/Tampa.

Tight lines. Mike.

Hey Mike! Good to hear you're down here and that the fishing's been good where you are.

That was sure a good Oct/... up home I mainly fished EO until I left in Late Oct. I bet you slayed them at Cobb.

It's the busy season now here at the shop where I work for Mark 3-4 days a week. I don't have a boat which is what you need to really fish this area. So I trade flies, barter casting lessons, to get an invite aboard. I met a real nice guy here who also fished at Shawmut. He took me for the day aboard his Redfisher and we explored all around Rookery Bay. And Joe M. from Maine is coming back too and we're going to fish.

I've got company for a week here now, but I'll be trying to break away and fish Clam Pass and the docks at night. The Baby Tarpon are up in the creeks too. Baby can mean 30 lb. or more!

Please post here often and consider this your new fly shop forum. Let's try to get together.

Marsh