Another great day this time with Chad and Erik down from Alaska! We also fished alongside Capt. John Johansen with the rest of their crew. We focused on tarpon and fishing was really good again. We ended up landing 4 nice fish, including a big 120-130 lb bruiser that dragged us around for 45 minutes before swimming up near a flat. Erik asked if it was possible to jump in with her, and I said sure if things go right we can give it a shot. Luckily we got her rolled over soon after and were in a good spot to do it. So both the guys jumped in and we got an epic photo op, then Erik revived the fish and let it swim away. These guys fish a lot so they were all about not stressing the fish too much and understood the importance of not battling them for too long or releasing them in bad shape. After that we had a few more shots, missing one and then had one get in in the bridge just barely on the barnacles but we couldn’t get it out in time. But lots of action and some awesome fishing! We also even caught two mutton snappers for dinner and release a few others. We’re back at it tomorrow with the same crew, hopefully the fishing is just as good! 4 for 6
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing
