January 2019

Got out with Jim and Gwen today two of my long time customers.  We had a cold chilly morning but light winds that faded.  We had some very nice snook, plenty of redfish and black drum, some trout, and even a few sheepshead.  But we also managed to get lucky and hook a couple tarpon!  Gwen landed hers, though we did not get good pictures as it broke off while leadering it and trying to get it into the net.  It was a smaller tarpon so would’ve been able to pick up for a quick pic.  Jim hooked one the last stop of the day too!  However we weren’t really ready for it and he made a quick jump and through the hook as Jim was setting the hook thinking it was a big snook.  Anyways great to see and fun to get one.  Not usually expected on these cold january days but it happens.  February is right around the corner and we usually start getting some bigger tarpon then when things warm up some.  It’ll start being a regular thing here soon I imagine!  1 for 2

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing

Got out with my dad and our friends Maria and Andy Newman.  We were fishing for snook and redfish, though happened into a school of happy tarpon!  After the snook and reds slowed down, we started getting some tarpon bites on our shrimp and jigs!  We jumped off the first two, the first one I thought was a snook and dragged me all around the boat then jumped and spit the hook!  But we landed the last 3, including a double header!  Hopefully this is a sign of a strong year to come.  I’ll start regularly fishing for tarpon in February usually.  Though we have a couple of strong cold fronts on the way here soon, so until it gets warmer it’ll be more of a lucky thing such as this day.  We also did catch some monster snook and redfish this day, including a 35 lb bull red!  Check out my other website fishingislamorada.com for the full report. 3 for 5

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing

**These tarpon are under 40 inches so legally allowed to be lifted for quick picture**

Well today we had a cold front, didn’t get super cold but temperature is dropping more tonight.  We got lucky and found some tarpon in some of the canals while we were fishing for snook, redfish, black drum, and the like.  First fish of the day was a juvenile 10 lber on light tackle!  Lots of fun and managed to get him to the boat.  Keeping the little guys on there is always much harder than the big boys.  They just have less real estate in the mouth to hook ’em, and are very acrobatic and usually on our spinning rods we have a much tighter drag and such as we are fishing for other species sometimes like today.  But my dad was on the rod and knew right what to do, loosen the drag and go very easy on him and of course bow when he jumped!  Anyways first official caught tarpon of the season.  January is usually not very good fishing for them in our areas.  But usually by February sometime I do start catching them regularly and often some big fish too that are early arrivals.  It’s all condition related – if it’s calm and warm it can get good quick, but if its cold then I wouldn’t plan on it.  We have more cold weather coming this weekend, so if they are caught it’s going to be more of a lucky thing like today.  1 for 1

On a side note we did catch the largest snook I’ve ever had landed on my boat today, and quite possibly the largest for my dad ever too!  Read more about it on my fishing islamorada blog.

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing