Got out with Vinny and his daughter Jess for a full day today of september tarpon fishing. I brought some shrimp and chum just in case as I heard bait was tough the day before so good to have a plan B option if things dont work out. Unfortunately when tarpon fishing sometimes the bait doesnt cooperate which makes it hard to catch them without the right kind or right amount. Anyways we checked one area and didnt see much for bait, the hard east wind had it pretty mucked up. We did find some out in one of the channels but for the most part it was up pretty shallow. We had to work hard at it and I threw the net 10 times or so but we manged to pick away and get 30 baits – about half what I normally like to have but enough to get a few shots at fish I figured. We saw some tarpon busting nearby so we gave it a shot there first. First of the incoming tide and it was pouring in. We set up and no love, saw a few tarpon roll and moved around a couple times but no response from them. After an hour or so we had gone through a good bit of bait and I was frustrated we didn’t get a response out of the tarpon. We packed up and ran off where we had found fish the last day I was out. Someone was sitting in a spot I wanted to be which is very unusual this time of year, we usually don’t see many other boats at all especially during the week. Anyways we made do and checked another area nearby and did see some tarpon right away. I was excited and we set up but the sharks got us in the first stop. We moved around and then had two quick tarpon bites but neither stayed on the hook! Unfortunate but part of fishing, though we had a couple shots at least. We had a third tarpon jump straight behind the boat that may of also picked up a bait and spit it before we knew it. After that things slowed down and we made one more move into an area I thought there were a few tarpon, but just some more sharks. Unfortunately that was all the bait we had too so we had to mix it up the rest of the day. We did catch about a half dozen small redfish in one area which was fun. A bunch of catfish in the next stop, i had hoped there would be a few reds or snook there but no luck. For the last hour we ran into the bay and hung the chum bag, and had good action with some nice trout, mangrove snapper, and a few ladyfish and mackerel. Nice to be able to put the day together, would of been nicer to have caught those couple tarpon but they don’t always cooperate.
I’m out of town for a few days then back at it when I return next week. I have 3 days booked next week but am available Wednesday, Friday, or all through the weekend and following week after that. The winds look to be laying down tomorrow and we should have nice calm weather for next week which should be a good thing for the backcountry tarpon fishing. If you are interested in going next Wednesday or Friday may be a good bet! I’ll have more to report on Monday and Tuesday for sure. 0 for 2
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
