Finally…The end of the semester. Finals taken, grades posted, bags packed to the brim with unfolded clothes. Life is pretty good. This year, in addition to packing my typical suitcase, I also found myself packing up my Sage XI3 8 and 10 weight fly rods. It’s clear that a father son fishing trip is about to begin. With the destination being Isla Holbox, Mexico, and the desired result being lots of tarpon (for the second time this year), expectations were high and fly boxes were filled as we headed towards Dallas Love Field airport.

Look, we all know it’s the winter, and I know some of you reading this are saying “there are no places to fish for tarpon in the winter.” I myself had these preconceived notions until furthering my research of the fishery in Isla Holbox. The juvenile tarpon fishery is a year round spectacle, while the migratory (bigger fish) come in late May and begin to head out in late August. Appreciate, there are still some 100+ pound resident tarpon that inhabit the area, but the conditions need to be ideal in order for one of these guys to give you a shot. As for us, we are every bit as happy going after the Baby Kings (because becoming the Silver King needs to start somewhere). This week proved that not only is the fishery outstanding during the winter, but that catching juvenile tarpon (ranging anywhere from 8-20) pounds is indeed a reality this time of year.

The weather and conditions at the beginning of the trip were awful to say the least: 25/30 knot winds blowing out of the north, heavy rainfall, zero sunlight. It was beginning to look like this trip may even get cut short momentarily, in that the weather forecast did not appear too optimistic for the rest of the week. The issue was not the wind or the rain so much, but the clarity of the water in certain areas was the concern. However, our guide and friend Captain Sandflea, said that the wind and weather would gradually improve and that the tarpon should be hungry and active after a couple of days of funky weather and no (I literally mean 0) boats on the water. It wasn’t going to be picturesque flats fly fishing that you see in magazines at the beginning, but there were fish to be jumped and caught. Thus, after sacrificing one day of fishing to the weather, we headed out at 6:30 AM ready for round two with the silver king himself.

Fly fishing for tarpon in the winter is an interesting topic. Obviously there are many experienced fly fishermen (and fly fisherwomen) who have their opinions on tarpon, and tactics will change based upon the season. Having fished for tarpon over the past couple of years, and seeing impressive success during our trips to Holbox, I have come up with tactics and opinions on my own: please refer to my post regarding tarpon tactics here. But this post is focused on fishing this week itself! 

The first day was indeed windy and gloomy when it came to the weather. However, there were an abundance of tarpon on the flats, in that the tide was extremely low for the majority of the day. We found that the tarpon would move into the mangroves on high tide, but would be actively eating on the flats during low tide. Day one consisted of getting two tarpon to the boat, and jumping three more. The flies of the day consisted of an orange and tan tarpon bunny (my overall favorite tarpon fly, see post on tarpon tactics here) as well as a light chartreuse and white deceiver. Although the tarpon were not monsters, getting two 8-10 pound fish in the boat was a great way to start the trip; especially with the weather at hand. 

Day two was possibly the best day of tarpon fishing that I have ever experienced. Although the weather was still subpar, the tarpon were absolutely hungry and on the move. Both on the flats and in the shallows. Tarpon bunnies, toads, and even modified deceivers were immensely successful. With four tarpon to the boat (including a roughly 12 pound tarpon by my dad), the day was spectacular. The biggest fish of the day found a way to get itself wrapped around the push pull and motor after a missed attempt of landing it, thus in a heroic attempt to grab the fish before the line broke, I jumped into the water and attempted to grab the tarpon. Many laughs ensued, but I was willing to go all out to get this fish in the boat for a picture. After our guide grabbed the leader, the fish got off, but still was indeed a landed fish due to the fact that the leader was grabbed while trying to pull the fish on board. We also fought two more fish later in the afternoon for several minutes before they jumped off during the fight. On the 8 weight Sage XI3, this was a blast.

Day three was very intriguing, but yet full of excitement to say the least. A beautiful morning: winds probably around five knots, bright blue skies, fishing with Captain Sandflea himself. However, the tarpon were acting as difficult as I have ever seen. We only saw a handful of fish roll the whole morning, and it seemed as if no matter what we threw at a school, the fish were uninterested as could be. The one “break” that tarpon will many times give fly anglers is that they will roll periodically to collect air (yes, tarpon do this, it’s weird…I know). This allows anglers an opportunity to help locate a school of feeding fish, and especially if essential for fly anglers in that you can position the boat for the right cast before a school comes your way. After a morning of countless refusals, Sandflea decided that we had to completely change the strategy for the day. He believed, correctly, that the tarpon were acting so hesitant due increased amounts of barometric pressure from storms about to roll in on the next day. Wisely, he chose that we fish a deeper channel in which he sees fish roll daily, tie on a heavier weighted fly, and position our boat as far away as possible so that we do not spook the fish. After about thirty minutes of seeing two different schools of tarpon rising and moving back and forth between the channel, I noticed two tarpon roll at my two o’clock. I threw out a great cast with a heavy purple and white clouser minnow and two baby tarpon missed the fly: pretty saddening after a tough morning. However, I still noticed nervous water in the same area, and let out a long cast on the money again. Strip…strip…Whack. Tarpon on. After many aerobatics and pulling to the backing on my reel, a juvenile tarpon pushing 20 pounds was in the boat. This fish was one that I will never forget, and was truly a trophy when it comes to juveniles this time of year.

As for the last day, the weather turned for the worst once again. High winds, low water clarity, high barometric pressure. Thus, we only had about three shots at tarpon: all good casts, but the tarpon were not cooperating. Although the last day of fishing was extremely tough, the week was one for the memory books.

Isla Holbox will forever be a special place to me, and as for round two with the silver king, I couldn’t have asked for a better week. Fly fishing with my dad, great food, cold beer, and many tarpon to the boat. What a start to the New Year and the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas everyone, and tight lines for 2016!

Joe

Any avid fly-fisherman will tell you that no matter how many fish have been caught over the years, there is always one fish on the bucket list that is waiting to be sought after.  Whether this fish resides in a completely different continent, or is the giant that has made his home under the bridge in your local river, there are fish that give fly-fisherman a reason to get out on the water and keep casting. Three years ago, I wrote my college essay on the never ending pursuit of a fish and how fly fishing will forever be a passion that keeps me going. And this week, after countless numbers of casts, trips, and fish caught over the years, I finally held the fish of a lifetime: my first Silver King.

For those who have experienced fly fishing for tarpon, most will tell you that the raw adrenaline and pursuit is what differs itself among other fly fishing opportunities. Not only can this fish be extremely allusive and unpredictable when searching for, but most experienced saltwater fly-anglers would testify that this is potentially the hardest fish to physically “land” in the world. Whether this is because of their rock hard mouths with little cartilage or soft spots for hook penetration, or from the multiple airborne jumps that create slack in the fly line within milliseconds, being able to have a “Kodak moment” with a tarpon on the fly is truly a special moment.

In pursuit of my first silver king, my family and I traveled to Isla Holbox, Mexico for the last week of summer in hopes of both tarpon and a relaxing week before my senior year of college began.  We went fishing with the Isla Holbox Tarpon Club with our guides Jorge and Valentine, and with relatively good conditions, the week would turn out to be one for the ages. On our first day on the water, after jumping two 30-40 pound tarpon on big chartreuse bunnies and other natural colored deceivers, we entered a cove in which led into the vast mangroves that juvenile tarpon call home year round. Standing on the bow of the boat, and having seen a school of about fifteen tarpon rolling along a deep channel before the mangrove trees, I let out about a 50 foot cast with a green and tan tarpon bunny. One strip… two strips… ten strips…the fish finally hit right at the boat. After a 15 minute fight and much anticipation of getting the silver king to the boat, my first tarpon was landed and a sigh of relief along with multiple shouts of “YES!” made the day worth it all.

Day two of fishing would turn out to be the best of the trip: a total of four tarpon were landed, along with eight more jumped throughout the day. The sheer numbers of schooling tarpon in Isla Holbox was unbelievable, and although the juvenile tarpon definitely were picky with flies and spooky in the gin-clear shallow water, my dad and I found the days relaxing in that finding more fish never seemed to be a long-term event. With this trip primarily focused on fishing for the juvenile tarpon, the fish ranges from 8-25 pounds for the week, with multiple bigger fish broken off on our 40 pound bite tippet (increasing the tippet weight led to spooked fish).

The last two days of fishing, although successful, were indeed more difficult and challenging. Although hundreds of tarpon were seen throughout the day, heavy rains in the afternoon increased barometric pressure making these fish more than difficult to hook. Nothing can be more frustrating to a fly-angler than seeing fish chase a fly all day, but not commit to the eat. However, changing to 25 pound bite tippet and throwing small natural colored deceivers ended up being the trick. These last two days of fishing proved that although traditional tarpon flies will work for bigger fish in normal conditions, when pressure is high and fish are spooky, don’t be afraid to reach for flies with a smaller body and a MUCH smaller hook. Although landing tarpon with smaller hooks and lighter tippet is exponentially more difficult, it will allow more hookups to happen, and for a seemingly unproductive day to become a success. As for the last two days of fishing, three tarpon came to the boat with four broken off, and at least ten more eats recorded. The last fish of the week consisted of a strong juvenile tarpon that peeled to the backing of my Sage XI3, and had the fly line cut my fingers on the take (third picture below).

Another plus for the week was the variety of other species caught on the fly. We caught several snook inhabiting the mangroves with the tarpon, and although no monsters were caught, some snook in the mangroves were bigger than the tarpon themselves. These Isla Holbox snook were not only aggressive towards a fly, but also made some tarpon commit to the fly before their counterparts capitalized on the opportunity. Barracuda, mangrove snapper, and other reef fish also were caught on the fly throughout the week (some unfortunately at times when a big tarpon was chasing the fly in). We also encountered two schools of permit in the late afternoon, along with bigger adult tarpon offshore on the third day of fishing: giving us a reason to soon return to Isla Holbox. Taking a day off of fishing to also swim with the hundreds of whale sharks (ranging from 21-27 feet in length) that inhabit this island was also a lifetime memory that will never be forgotten.  Although catching my first silver king will forever be a memory that I cherish in my fly-fishing career, getting to share this memory with my dad and mom is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world. As I continue to get older, I begin to personally experience that solely catching fish has not made fly-fishing a passion to me: being able to spend time with those I love, and finding something that returns me to my faith is what makes fly-fishing “my thing.” The amount of times my dad has let me have the first cast towards a rolling tarpon or tailing redfish has not only showed me the meaning of why fly-fishing brings the best out of people, but it has allowed me to discover my best friend in my dad, and to discover a heart in my mom that has done so much for me growing up.  

Here’s to the Silver King, and to the King upstairs who has blessed us with the lives that we live today.

Tight lines,

Joe