By: Taylor Vallejo
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ummer is finally upon us and soon the tarpon will be rolling in thick. Now is your chance to catch a fish of a lifetime. You have read many articles about tarpon, how to catch them, where to catch them, how to fight them etc. In fact, many travel hundreds of miles and hire guides so that they can have a shot at this impressive creature. With such high stakes on the line conflicts can occur between anglers, but knowing the rules of the road will dramatically reduce tensions among anglers. This is a must when fishing among the guide boats this summer. The scenario is you paddle up to a known tarpon spot and you see several boats lined up from east to west. From a distance notice which direction the anglers are looking towards. Most likely in this region they will looking in an easterly direction. Where they are looking is going to be the direction which the tarpon are going to be traveling from. Once this is figured out treat it as if you were getting in line at the cash register. Never cut into the line but instead position your kayak a few hundred yards behind the rest of the boats. The idea is to let the fish come to you. This means if you set up in front of another boat 200 or 300 yards or closer you could possibly alter the course of travel of the tarpon. This could completely mess up the next angler’s chances down the line. Familiarize yourself with the local migration paths taken by the tarpon so that you can take much of the guess work out of the equation. This is key when deciding where to position your boat. When approaching the lineup of boats swing wide around other boats. If you’re in a boat I would suggest stay far enough away so that you can’t make out the color of their boat. If you’re in a kayak, then you shouldn’t be able to make out the color of their clothes. Tarpon can be very spooky and the quieter you can approach and leave the area the better. On this part of the coast most of the tarpon are giants, so during the initial hook up the fish is going to go where it wants to go. Be mindful of this when other anglers hook up around you. Doing what you can do to stay out of their way, as this is how you would like to be treated once you hook up. If you are fortunate enough to put your hands on a tarpon, please spend plenty of time in revival mode. Peddle or paddle your tarpon back to health. Make sure your fish is swimming before the release. The season is sure to be a good one so be sure to get out every chance you can! I hope these tips help land that fish of a lifetime!
Taylor Vallejo
St. Marks Outfitters
redfish@stmarksoutfitters.com
(850) 510-7919