The First Tarpon Cast to Catch Video in the Ultraskiff 360
Available in HD. Living in Dunedin Florida, I along with many anglers have an obsession with Tarpon. Tarpon are a prehistoric, smart eating machine. Only the strongest and smartest survive as they have to make a 100 Mile journey as 1" long newborns from the open ocean into the tidal backwater estuaries that they stay in for 6-7 years until they reach maturity at around 4 feet in length, after which they leave the estuaries and join the adults in their yearly open ocean migrations.
I have always wanted to get a picture holding up a Tarpon in the skiff, the only caveat is that in order to legally remove the Tarpon from the water it has to be under 40". I have fished a handful of times for Juvenile Tarpon before only to get shut down at each attempt when the tarpon "Jumps" the hook. Taking notes along the way it seamed that whenever I would "bow to the king" or let up on the drag I would lose the fish in a jump so this time I decided to do the oppisite and keep the line tight the entire fight while keeping the tip of the rod pointed at the fish. I was now ready for when the next opportunity would present itself.
This happened at an unlikely time while I was trying out a new lake to fish for large-mouth Bass. Despite finding this lake on Google Maps I had failed to notice the feeder stream connected to it that ran to the Gulf of Mexico, this was prime brackish Juvenile Tarpon territory. After first seeing the Tarpon roll on the surface I proceeded to scout the contour of the lake and the pattern of the fish. I went back the next day with lures that matched the fingerling mullet the tarpon were feeding on. Using larger 4"-5" artificial Mullet lures, I knew it would weed out the smaller tarpon and attract the bigger ones in the school. The plan worked perfectly as I was able to boat my first hookup of the morning. A beautiful 36" Tarpon. I don't show my face on camera as the Tarpon is leaping out of the water because it is a look of pure terror as I was so used to them getting off the hook in the past. We are very happy to add this video to our collection of Ultra Skiff Cast to Catch Videos. Stay tuned for the next chapter coming soon!
Available in HD. Living in Dunedin Florida, I along with many anglers have an obsession with Tarpon. Tarpon are a prehistoric, smart eating machine. Only the strongest and smartest survive as they have to make a 100 Mile journey as 1" long newborns from the open ocean into the tidal backwater estuaries that they stay in for 6-7 years until they reach maturity at around 4 feet in length, after which they leave the estuaries and join the adults in their yearly open ocean migrations.
I have always wanted to get a picture holding up a Tarpon in the skiff, the only caveat is that in order to legally remove the Tarpon from the water it has to be under 40". I have fished a handful of times for Juvenile Tarpon before only to get shut down at each attempt when the tarpon "Jumps" the hook. Taking notes along the way it seamed that whenever I would "bow to the king" or let up on the drag I would lose the fish in a jump so this time I decided to do the oppisite and keep the line tight the entire fight while keeping the tip of the rod pointed at the fish. I was now ready for when the next opportunity would present itself.
This happened at an unlikely time while I was trying out a new lake to fish for large-mouth Bass. Despite finding this lake on Google Maps I had failed to notice the feeder stream connected to it that ran to the Gulf of Mexico, this was prime brackish Juvenile Tarpon territory. After first seeing the Tarpon roll on the surface I proceeded to scout the contour of the lake and the pattern of the fish. I went back the next day with lures that matched the fingerling mullet the tarpon were feeding on. Using larger 4"-5" artificial Mullet lures, I knew it would weed out the smaller tarpon and attract the bigger ones in the school. The plan worked perfectly as I was able to boat my first hookup of the morning. A beautiful 36" Tarpon. I don't show my face on camera as the Tarpon is leaping out of the water because it is a look of pure terror as I was so used to them getting off the hook in the past. We are very happy to add this video to our collection of Ultra Skiff Cast to Catch Videos. Stay tuned for the next chapter coming soon!
