The tarpon bite has been great. The last two night trips produced 2 caught fish on each night. The first of the two evenings we got a 40 pounder, a 60 pounder and lost two other wild jumpers. The second evening we landed a 50 pounder, a 15 pounder and had three others that threw the hook. It's very common for a tarpon to "throw the hook". They have a very hard mouth and sometimes the hook doesn't catch the softer spots - couple that with a fish that fights like the tazmainian devil and your going to lose a few. We use "circle hooks" for the tarpon because the circle hook design allows the hook to slide over the hard portion of the tarpons mouth and lodge itself into a softer portion. We still lose a few fish with the circle hooks - but the hook to catch ratio is much better than with a standard "J hook". The larger migratory fish are starting to show up - and they should be in full swing by early May. These fish will average 100 to 150 pounds and we usually catch one or two every evening. These are trophy tarpon - if you want to catch a fish of a lifetime - May, June and early July on the "evening trip" is the best time to come to experience the power and beauty of "The Silver King".
The trout bite has been fantastic. All the trout you want to catch - great fun for beginners and those who just like to catch lots of fish. We get a good mix bag when trout fishing - jacks and ladyfish in the mix. The jacks and ladyfish can be used for a shark bait. The sharks are here and biting and there are some big ones out there right now. We landed a 100 pound lemon shark a few days ago and 2 big bull sharks the day before - 100 and 130 pounders. You never know what might eat that shark bait - it's not uncommon to catch a tarpon or even a big shook. Fun stuff, and a good warm up for the tarpon.
