TARPON

Fly fishing for tarpon is one of the biggest challenges in fly fishing.  The fish are huge, they jump up to 6 feet in the air, and their mouths are solid bone.  Landing one over 100 pounds is something a very small percentage of fly fishers have ever done. Below you will find some tid bits about tarpon, the truth is nothing can prepare you for the Silver King.

If you ever decide to pursue these prehistoric creatures give me a call and I will steer you in the right direction.  We have several places in our roster that boast tarpon.  Thetarpon only destinations are: The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica  or Mexico's Caribbean and Yucatan coasts, Belize has a good mixture of bonefish and permit thrown in and Venezuela  also has great baby tarpon fishing.

       Table of Contents

1.Tarpon on My Mind

2. A Few of the Best Tarpon Flys

Tarpon on My Mind

The early morning was made even more beautiful as the sun tried to burn away the mist hanging over the river.  The Howler monkeys were doing their best to make sure I knew I was in the jungle with their larger than life calls. I was in Costa Rica trying to catch a  tarpon.

Today we were on a small lagoon off the Rio California near the village of Parismina. To get our feet wet we were starting off with some small tarpon that our guide Carlos found here on a regular basis.  As he shut the motor down and drifted towards the lagoon, Carlos switched to a paddle to move more quietly through the mist.   "One o'clock, 100 feet" was the whispered command from the back of the boat. Sure enough their was a huge ring spreading in the mirror like water.

I stripped off a hundred feet of line ( as if I could really cast it all) and threw it about 70 feet, well short of the intended target.  I stripped it in and tried another cast in the presumed direction, but nothing.   "There he is again" as Carlos pointed further left and I just caught a glimpse of a fin as it slipped underneath the water again.  If that was the same fish he was moving to our left and I think he was in reach of my casting skills.  The adrenaline was flowing but I somehow didn't step on my line or fall out of the boat or anything, I just cast.  I stripped in the relatively slow style that I had been instrucuted, but nothing. "Same cast, again" came the voice from the back as if out of some spiritual movie. Well, I obeyed and the cast  laid out fairly smooth. I stripped, stripped watching my white streamer, barely visible 2 feet below the surface. A large very slow flash  appeared where my fly was and my line was tight. "HIT HIM!!!" God yelled behind me and I struck with a vengence.

The next moment is a moment I will be able to recall the rest of my life.  The line screamed away from the boat and 5 feet of tarpon exploded through the mist into the sun and hung 5 feet out of the water thrashing it head with his gills wide open. This must have taken a split second but it seemed like minutes before the fish landed.

The line was slack and I knew I had lost the fish.  Somehow it just didn't matter.  It was the most magnifcent sight I had ever witnessed while fly fishing.  I sat down and noticed the adrenaline induced shake to my hands. I looked at Carlos and said " I thought we were going for small fish!"  I thought he was joking when he said "Yeah, tomorrow we'll look for some big ones in the ocean"  The next day I found out he wasn't kidding.

My Favorite Tarpon Flys
Table of Contents:
1. Cockroach
2. Baby Bunker
3. Whistler

Coakroach

HOOK: Tiemco 811S 1/0-5/0.
THREAD: Black 3/0.
TAIL: Six grizzly hackles, bronze Flashabou (optional), skirted by brown bucktail.
BODY: Black thread coated with epoxy
EYES: (Optional) Painted, white with black pupil.

1. Tie all six hacklestowards the rear of the hook with some curling out from each side.

2. Tie in a smal amount of flashabou if desired.
   
3. Wind threa d forward and tie a collar of brown buchtail that sorrounds the hackle and puffs up slightly. To get it to puff out more wind a lump of thread and tie the bucktail just in front of the lump.
   
4. Wind a tapered head, add eyes if desired and whip finish.

Baby Bunker

HOOK: Tiemco 811S 3/0.

THREAD: White monocord.

TAIL: White bucktail and silver Krystal Flash.

BODY: White Icelandic sheep hair.

WING: Icelandic sheep hair, white under, followed by silver Fluorofibre and three shades of gray Icelandic on top.

THROAT: Red Fluorofibre tied in to simulate gills.

EYES: 3D plastic. Pearl colored with black pupil.

HEAD: Color the top of the thread with a marker to match top layer of hair.

1. Start by tying in a small clump of white bucktail at the bend of the hook. Add a few strands of silver Krystal flash over bucktail.
2. Add a small (1/8") clump of white Icelandic sheep hair on the top of the hook shank just ahead of the bucktail. The hair should reach just past the bucktail. Add a small clump of the same hair to the bottom of the hook. Continue adding small clumps of white sheep hair on the top and bottom of the hook, until only about 1/3 of the hook shank remains exposed. Each clump of hair should be a bit shorter than the previous one to create the tapered body look.
3. With 2/3 of the hook shank covered, tie in 3 or 4 strands of silver Krystal Flash on each side of the body. Cover the Krystal Flash with a very small clump of white sheep hair.
4. Tie in a medium sized clump of gray fluorofibre on the back of the fly to add color and shine. Add in a small clump of light gray Icelandic sheep hair followed by a slightly darker clump on the back of the fly. The final clump of hair should be darker gray, almost black. Tie in one more smaller bunch of white Icelandic sheep hair on the bottom of the hook shank.
5. Tie is a small bunch of red fluorofibre on each cheek to simulate gills. Whip-finish the head and color the top portion of the thread with black marker to match the last bunch of hair. Add head cement and clip thread.
6. Add the eyes with a dab of Goop and you're all done. As a tying tip: dress this fly lightly. Do not add too much hair as it will create a rather large, cumbersome fly that is more difficult to cast. Success Flies sells the Fluorofibre material. If this is not available, almost any properly colored synthetic fiber should work fine.

Whistler

HOOK: Tiemco 800S 3/0-#2.

THREAD: Red floss.

TAIL: Yellow, white, or red bucktail and grizzly hackle.

BODY: Red chenille.

COLLAR: Red marabou.

EYES: Silver bead chain.

HEAD: Black thread tapered and coated with epoxy.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Tie in Bucktail color of your choice in the middle rear of the hook, trim.
2. Tie in grizzly hackle artistically surrounding the bucktail, trim
3. Wrap a small body of chenile forward, tie off.
4. Tie in 3-4 plumes of marabou and wind like a dry fly hackle
5. Add eyes if desired and taper head and whip fisnish.

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