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Topic Title: Booked a tarpon guide in islamorada.
Topic Summary: Two of us going for big tarpon.
Created On: 05/20/2021 08:12 AM
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 05/20/2021 08:12 AM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

It's nuts in the keys. Every concrete block motel is charging more than $300 a night. Apparently the keys are quite the place to go for no Covid restrictions. I have been told that the fishing is crowded too bc the Bahamas is closed essentially. I can count the tarpon I actually gotten and unhooked on one hand. I want to catch one those monsters in the 100lb range. Going out of Bud and Mary's.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 05/20/2021 08:38 AM
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StirfryMcflurry

Posts: 8746
Joined Forum: 08/17/2016

good luck! OR you could always yank one outta the water by hand @ Robbies
 05/21/2021 06:41 AM
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stokedpanda

Posts: 4226
Joined Forum: 09/04/2015

Good luck! If you want to put in some overtime Ive never fished the bridges right near Bud n Marys(they are probably good) but about 5 miles north I have got some small and hooked large tarpon from shore under the south side of snake creek drawbridge at night on outgoing tide

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 05/21/2021 08:29 AM
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crankit

Posts: 17468
Joined Forum: 07/30/2003

Go to sebastian in the fall, many over 100!

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Romans 8;18-32 John 3;16-18
 05/23/2021 07:00 AM
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Cole

Posts: 68180
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

Originally posted by: crankit

Go to sebastian in the fall, many over 100!


Sea weed has made it virtually impossible to fish the outgoing on the south side over the last several years and the numbers of Tarpon have been somewhat sparse. 20 years ago you could get several hits in the same cast, that is no longer a thing.



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I was right.
 05/24/2021 08:05 PM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

I have hooked a few in the loxahatchee River in october before it's gets cooler. I used finger mullet on a little bobber to keep them on top and drawing lots of attention. I was going for snook but tarpon were biting. If I had known about circle hooks then I might have done more than actually feed them. I caught one that had been in the brackish backwater so long it was no longer silver. It was gold. I had my little brother with me and he was like ten or eleven. We actually got the gold tarpon in and on the dock, my brother said we had to take it home. I told him you can't eat tarpon and we had to send him back to his mother and he looked like he was going to cry. I told him we could tell everyone and protested immediately with "no one is going to believe you!" So I took a scale and gave him that. Wrote the date and the weight. He's still got it.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 05/25/2021 05:14 AM
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Cole

Posts: 68180
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

You will get multiple chances at good fish in the Keys, those guys have it dialed in tight. We even get the occasional hook-up while shark fishing at night with the kids in Cudjoe.

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I was right.
 05/25/2021 01:39 PM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

800.00 for the guide from 6 am to around 2:30. Im sure there is another hundred in tip too. I can see why it took me this long to do this. A half day was four hours and 550. The bobo room was 280 a night. I am just there to learn from a pro and hopefully replicate everything on my own after.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 05/30/2021 05:26 PM
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equipeola

Posts: 949
Joined Forum: 12/17/2009

Watch a video- then launch your own boat at Founders Park then you git'em you got'em! Those prices are ridiculous. Used to dive the reef outta Tavenier many years, there's 2 prices, 1 for the locals and time and a half or better for everyone else N o' MM110.

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ola ~

 06/01/2021 10:03 AM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

I know I'm being handled. I will accept it for this trip.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 06/02/2021 09:56 AM
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stokedpanda

Posts: 4226
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Originally posted by: johnnyboy

I know I'm being handled. I will accept it for this trip.


a good guide is worth every penny! most do it because they love it and the regs and cost make it harder every year, good on ya report back!

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I troll 2L.com to be a better person in real life

Edited: 06/02/2021 at 09:58 AM by stokedpanda
 06/02/2021 01:19 PM
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jdbman

Posts: 12159
Joined Forum: 07/28/2003

a good guide is worth every penny!

Black and white

Concur!

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So if you are a surfer I wish you the prosperity that allows you more time to pursue the salt water dream, and the true happiness that comes from warm water, clean waves and the companionship of your fellow surfers. If you are an internet troll just spewing bs then f off.
 06/05/2021 06:18 PM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

It was awesome. Worth every penny. I landed a 39" permit. Monster. Took a half hour and we had to chase him. Never had drag peeled like that consistently for that amount of time. We wore eachother out. Caught a 19" grouper that went back, a 17" mutton that went back and a big jack. Then there were tarpon. Lots of them. The guide would basically filet a dead mullet and leave the filets on but remove the bones so you had the head snd sides with no bones. We floated live mullet too but all our bites came dead mullet on a sliding sinker in the back country. The permit bit on a live crab.

We only got one tarpon to the boat and when we finally got it next to the boat for the picture he snapped us off. We jumped seven with one splashing us and getting away while some others jumped many times but ultimately got away. We never went more than 20 minutes without a bite and we ran out of dead mullet right as we ran out of time at 2:30. The weather was great. The breeze was out of the south East at 8-10 and it wasn't hot. It was very exciting and the guide was over the moon about the permit. He called all of the other guys and sent out the picture. He got the rod and reel in the picture for his sponsor and you could tell this was no ordinary fish. He knew what he was doing to get that monster. He brought us to a channel where the current was moving snd there was a weed line. We anchored up and threw the crab at the sargasso and got him on the second cast. We didn't get another. He put on the measuring scale and he was 39". I had a great time and it seemed we like packed a lot of fish in on that trip. I was dead wrong when I said I was being handled. That's not easy money and that's what it takes. Forgot to mention that also I got two monster nurse sharks.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.



Edited: 06/05/2021 at 06:27 PM by johnnyboy
 06/06/2021 08:38 AM
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jdbman

Posts: 12159
Joined Forum: 07/28/2003

Epic! Congrats!

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So if you are a surfer I wish you the prosperity that allows you more time to pursue the salt water dream, and the true happiness that comes from warm water, clean waves and the companionship of your fellow surfers. If you are an internet troll just spewing bs then f off.
 06/06/2021 11:31 AM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

I will see if 3rd can post the pic.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 06/07/2021 08:29 AM
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stokedpanda

Posts: 4226
Joined Forum: 09/04/2015

wow sounds like an action packed day, and you walk off the boat and are free to shower off eat drink and not clean nuthin!! a big permit is on my hit list way to go!

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I troll 2L.com to be a better person in real life
 06/07/2021 08:38 AM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

The permit was the surprise. I have caught exactly one in my 52 years before this and I could have confused it with a pompano bc he was little. This permit was a beast. He was on steroids and cocaine compared to the jack. I was amazed by the sheer number of tarpon. They have been trained. They know how to avoid being caught. The guide was using 5' of fluorocarbon to the hook, 15' of mono to that, and strung the pole with 40lb braid. There were literally boats all around us and we were the only ones getting all the bites. I had to adjust my definition of "catching" a tarpon since we only got one up against the boat, but it was loads of excitement.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

 06/07/2021 05:23 PM
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Cole

Posts: 68180
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

I'm preparing for our annual two week stent in Cudjoe at the end of this month. I stocked up on mullet at Inlet a few weeks ago in hopes of getting lazy Tarpon to eat. The info you provided is golden!

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I was right.
 06/07/2021 06:52 PM
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KP

Posts: 3884
Joined Forum: 07/28/2006

Glad you scored! Thanks for reporting back. I enjoyed the short story of the Golden Tarpon. That belongs in the annals of Growing Up Outside In FL!!


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Time and tide wait for no one.....
 06/07/2021 07:11 PM
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johnnyboy

Posts: 25071
Joined Forum: 07/22/2003

The leaders were crucial too cole. No metal.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

FORUMS : Fishing : Booked a tarpon guide in islamorada.

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