After a bit of a late start, the Tarpon are here. They are eating sporadically but that’s to be expected. They are very quickly working into their normal pattern that should provide some consistency through the morning and afternoon bites. Some happy Tarpon playing at Boca Grande and yes, that is 25 feet thick of Tarpon on the bottom of Boca Grande on my sounder.
I have been spending the last week, and will be spending the next week, looking for a grander Great Hammerhead (for those of you unsure, that’s a 1000 pounder). Here they are preparing for a week of looking for the perfect Hammer. We did not have ideal conditions early in our week with the late arrival of the bigger schools of Tarpon that these big sharks like to feast on, but we did have some beautiful sunrises over Placida and Charlotte Harbor. We have yet to find our big girl, but we have shared some good stories and played with a few Bull Sharks back in Charlotte Harbor. Its great to find someone with the same love for shark fishing that I share, and a great aside from the stretch of Tarpon fishing to come that will reach well in September.
Looking for this type of fish takes commitment, time, and a little visit from lady luck. We are still on the hunt this week! In between trying to avoid the Bull Sharks (which are normally GREAT fun on light tackle) we have gotten a chance to take in a lot of the wildlife and scenery that Southwest Florida has to offer. Its a treat to have someone on the boat that feels equally as passionate about the scenery as they do fishing (and trust me Steve has done it all when it comes to fishing!) Its equally nice to have someone on the boat who breaks me out of my focus towards catching our fish and reminds me to enjoy our surroundings too!
We will keep looking this week, and after a confirmed sighting of our giant I think we stand a good chance of a close encounter with a grander that will shatter the 80lb line class record, and maybe even the all tackle record!
A quick note on the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As of right now the oil still remains more than 500 nautical miles from our area and currently moving West (that’s away from us). No negative influence is expected from the oil in our area for the time being. Of course I will keep everyone updated, and I would like to remind everyone that your deposit is 100% refundable in the case of any negative impact from the oil spill.
