By Ryan Wood
I have been targeting these fish for a few years now, and this is my first one landed in 2017. When the ocean calms down in the summertime, launching a kayak in the surf is a stealthy and exciting way to catch big fish. I start my mornings catching bait using a sabiki rig. It is great when you can jig up some nice greenies, but hornbellies (Atlantic bumper), are usually prevalent. Most folks think that hornbellies don’t make good bait, but they work well for me time and time again (including this particular fish).
Once I get some live bait, I will troll the beaches. If you happen to see a tarpon roll, that is a good distance from shore to troll. Sometimes it takes minutes, sometimes it takes hours, but give it enough time and chaos will ensue when a 6 ft silver king starts jumping like crazy and ripping line of your reel. Landing one from a kayak is a challenge. It is a delicate balance between pulling hard enough to tire them out, and not flipping the kayak! It is not uncommon for a big fish to tow you several miles in what is commonly referred to as a “sleigh ride”. I was able to land this fish and after a few pictures get a strong release. Check out the exciting video of how I caught this giant tarpon below and subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more.