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Key West Tarpon #11913303 11/02/16 04:55 PM
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Capt. Mac Offline OP
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My wife and I stayed in Marathon Florida over the Christmas holidays last year. We spent a day walking around Key West and another day on the water out of Little Torch Key looking for Tarpon with Capt. Scott Yetter. I had just started doing videos when we took this trip so I wasn't sure which direction I wanted this thing to go, mostly because I knew almost nothing about editing. I got busy doing other videos and this one kept getting put off. I just couldn't put it together in my mind. I finally decided to sit down and just do it. This is what I came up with.
I hooked five and boated two. They are not big fish by any means but still a heck of a lot of fun. Had a shark hooked up for a few seconds but didn't have the right leader for one those things. I also caught a small Jack. My wife and I managed to do some damage to some shrimp po boys all up and down the keys so it was a successful trip.
Hope you guys enjoy the video. I made some mistakes shooting but I think I edited them out pretty well. As always, constructive criticism is welcome.

https://vimeo.com/189182635


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11913899 11/02/16 11:58 PM
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Awesome post and video. Thanks for sharing. thumb


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11914057 11/03/16 01:35 AM
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Bravo. Those are the perfect size tarpon to enjoy. Everyone wants a triple-digit 'poon just so they can say they caught one, but those big girls beat you up bad. Leader one, and you're done for the day. Those schoolies are the most fun you can have with your clothes on, and you can catch them all day long and still have enough strength left to hoist a tall beverage (or several) at the end of the day.

Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11914260 11/03/16 03:27 AM
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Capt. Mac Offline OP
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Well, don't get me wrong Jim, I'd like to catch a triple digit fish as well, just to say I did and, hopefully, get it on video. But, I haven't gotten into a position to take a shot at one yet. After that I'll probably be content with the schoolies again.


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11914579 11/03/16 01:33 PM
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smooth move Offline
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great video, again. you're getting real good at it. love the keys, Fl in general. key west can get crazy.


es le bon ton roulet
Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11915410 11/03/16 08:09 PM
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Great vid. I'm heading there soon and have a boat for a week. Can't wait.


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11915867 11/04/16 12:29 AM
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Capt. Mac Offline OP
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Smooth move - thank you sir! I've been spending some time at it. I'm with you on the Keys. I love, love, love Texas but if I had to live anywhere else it would be South Florida.

Super Toon - I'm envious. Keep us posted.


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11935491 11/15/16 07:19 PM
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Froghunter Offline
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Your not helping!!!!!!! I fished Florida in October and have been obsessed ever since. I plan to return in January. Tarpon, snook and jacks were a blast!!!! Great job fly fishing for them. What weight rod did you use?

Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11937469 11/16/16 10:29 PM
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Capt. Mac Offline OP
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Sorry Froghunter - just trying to keep the dream alive. smile

The guide (Scott Yetter) had a pretty good arsenal of rods but the one I was using in the video was an eight weight Loomis with a Ross reel.


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11937927 11/17/16 03:23 AM
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I committed now! I called my guide and locked in janurary 17&18. Will be chasing sail fish and grouper out of key largo.

I think I'm going to ship my 8wt down there. Sure would be nice to have a successful fly trip.

Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11938045 11/17/16 08:47 AM
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lconn4 Offline
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That was excellent. Brings back a lot of good memories of when I lived there back in 2001. cheers Took a couple of old fishing buddies there 5 years ago. They had a great time as well. One of them tried to take his wife there this year but had his flight canceled due to hurricane Matthew a couple of months ago.


A good rule of angling philosophy is not to interfere with another fisherman's ways of being happy, unless you want to be hated.
Zane Grey, Tales of Fishes, 1919

https://vimeo.com/73372194
https://vimeo.com/72859045

Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11943467 11/20/16 09:55 PM
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Capt. Mac Offline OP
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Froghunter - I'm excited for you, keep me posted on how things go.

Iconn4 - when that tornado went thru Grand Prarie ( I think it was ) last year, we were sitting in the plane on the runway, waiting to take off to go on the trip that I shot this video. Everybody's phones were giving weather alerts. We sat there a good hour and the whole time I'm thinking we should be getting off the plane and running for cover. I was also thinking, please Lord, if I'm going to die in a plane crash, let it be on the way home, after the vacation.


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Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11950639 11/25/16 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted By: Capt. Mac
Froghunter - I'm excited for you, keep me posted on how things go.

Iconn4 - when that tornado went thru Grand Prarie ( I think it was ) last year, we were sitting in the plane on the runway, waiting to take off to go on the trip that I shot this video. Everybody's phones were giving weather alerts. We sat there a good hour and the whole time I'm thinking we should be getting off the plane and running for cover. I was also thinking, please Lord, if I'm going to die in a plane crash, let it be on the way home, after the vacation.


cheers

If you ever get back down to Key West or anyone else reading this, do yourself a favor and check out the map below. I fished this area from the "fishing bridge" that runs parallel to the Boca Checa Bridge between Stock Island and Boca Chica. Its only a couple of miles from Key West. Back then you couldn't fish past 10 p.m. (local ordinance) in Key West (may still be that way, I don't know). Anyway it was the closest place out of town to legally fish and the tarpon fishing at night was incredible. I had the place all to myself most nights. Its definitely a different kind of fishing as cars are zooming by with just the concrete barrier between you and the cars, but damn the fishing was great. Fished there many times when I lived there. It was still great when I went back years later.

https://goo.gl/maps/fiuvV5dwHPB2

If you'll notice the high line wires on the north side... that is also the side of bridge where the light poles are. Catch your bait there using sabiki rigs. Usually a lot of pilchard near the light closest to shore and also just off of bridge embankment. Then you'll want to walk across or under bridge to south side and fish off the "fishing bridge" that runs parallel to bridge. Lots of current there as you'll notice in map that it is deeper there along west side (key west side) near bank. Freeline your live bait in the shadow line and you will hook up. I always took a portable spot light to see where the tarpon were staging. You'll see their red eyes all over that place... some nights... hundreds. If you want to catch big mangrove snapper use a sliding sinker (knocker rig) and let it move slowly with the current. I preferred the incoming tide.. but have caught them on outgoing as well. Some of the mangroves were 4 to 5 lbs using big live baits (pilchard and or netted finger mullet). Tarpon up to 60 lbs.. and snook to the size below:


The snook above was caught by a co worker I took to the place. His first saltwater catch ever. Caught on knocker rig with pilchard. He thought he was hung on bottom when he handed me the rod. It was a team effort as we had to walk it back to the the bridge embankment and I had to get down to the water to pull it out.

Last edited by lconn4; 11/25/16 09:03 AM.

A good rule of angling philosophy is not to interfere with another fisherman's ways of being happy, unless you want to be hated.
Zane Grey, Tales of Fishes, 1919

https://vimeo.com/73372194
https://vimeo.com/72859045

Re: Key West Tarpon [Re: Capt. Mac] #11955268 11/28/16 08:46 PM
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Thanks for sharing the map! I will put it to good use in January.

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