Feeling the Tarpon Thump

THE SUN WAS STILL BELOW THE HORIZON, and all you could hear was the fluttering of a massive menhaden bait ball that pelicans were dive-bombing.

It was a gorgeous early morning at the South Padre Island jetties. I had lost a 100-pound tarpon here a couple of days earlier, so I was eager for another shot at silver.

Capt. Brian Barrera threw his cast net and loaded up on menhaden. The bait ball was so thick, getting a live-well full of these prime tarpon baits was no problem.

Too bad finding a bait this easy isn’t a daily occurrence. Feeling optimistic with the baits we had onboard, we began fishing. We were the first boat out and nature was still waking up.

We set two rods out the back of the boat with menhaden rigged under a cork. In the meantime, I was on the bow, casting like a mad woman. It’s a good idea to have a variety of live baits and lures in the water, since you never know what flavor a tarpon will be desiring.

The set-up I was using was a GLoomis E6X extra heavy rod with a Shimano Saragosa 10,000 reel spooled with 60-pound braid, tied to a 100-pound leader. Per usual, we used the tried-and-true tarpon catcher, the D.O.A. Lures Baitbuster.

This lure mimics a mullet to a tee and with its heavy weight is great for casting and getting to the desired depth quickly. Tarpon enthusiasts in Florida have been relying on this lure for decades, and with the Lower Laguna Madre fishery being comparable to that of Southern Florida, we use them too.

The pleasant coolness of early morning had burned off, and the south Texas fireball in the sky was beaming down on us as I continuously casted my Baitbuster. If you have never experienced it, this is tarpon fishing, brutally hot with no wind. We had seen a handful of 120+pound fish rolling on the surface, which kept my enthusiasm high.

“There are two large tarpon to the left of the boat,” said Capt. Barrera. He could see these fish thanks to his Humminbird Solix 12 GPS. My lure was already in the water, so I slowed my retrieve way down.

About two seconds later, I felt the unforgettable thump-thump of a tarpon. I saw my line moving and set the hook harder than I have on any fish in my life. The jaw of a tarpon is primarily bone so making sure your hook penetrates through is key.

Most tarpon do an explosive jump soon after being hooked, and this fish followed suit. Berserk is the only word I can use to explain what happened during this epic battle with this highly respected game fish.

Ten jaw-dropping jumps and multiple rolls all within close proximity of the boat, had Capt. Brian and me hooting and hollering like never before. Although it was exciting, yet organized chaos, each jump felt like it was visually in slow motion. Seeing a 150-pound, seven-foot-long fish come blasting from the water depths is simply incredible.

The silver king had exerted so much energy performing these jumps, that it worked out in my favor. I had the armored beast boat-side in only 21 minutes. 

As Capt. Barrera got his camera ready, I was connected to this catch of a lifetime by holding its huge lower jaw with my own two hands. This moment is why we count down the days for the arrival of big tarpon in our waters and endure the hours on end of casting under the wicked sun.

Having this intimate moment with one of these perfectly designed and beautifully armored prehistoric beasts is what gets my blood pumping. To see the massive eyeball of a tarpon staring back at you while grasping its rough sandpaper like lower jaw is quite humbling. Makes you wonder all the things this fish has seen while migrating miles upon miles to and from the Yucatan where they reside during winter. After quick pictures, we released the king back into the wild waters where it belongs.

Once you experience or witness the power of a tarpon, all the hype of this fish becomes blatantly clear. No other species compares when it comes to the pure strength, style, and beauty of a tarpon.

 

Email Kelly Groce at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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