Fishing Frenzy

The tarpon is among the fish that is most looked for in Key West. Also known as the Silver King, it grows to more than 200lbs. As long as one knows what to expect and proper techniques to use, Key West tarpon fishing can be a massive success. Using fly rods is among the easiest and basic ways to catch tarpons. When the fish are trying to get picky, one should try feeding them on flies.

There are a wide range of patterns and colors of hooks in availability. This may make it difficult to make the right choices, which explains why at certain times the services of guides will be required. During their early migration, tarpons will travel most of the ocean side flats while coming in large pods. It should be remembered that these fish hardly get out of their way too much to eat, thus some effort will be required to make them see the flies.

Hooks should not be set up too hard. Because tarpons have hard mouths, the best approach with most live baits is to drop them back to about 10 feet of the line before letting them tighten up. The other option is to leave the rod in the holder until the fish strips the line from the reel. Another trick involves putting the tip of the rod in water, then reeling very fast.

The drag setting should also be done appropriately. A good number of anglers will always set the drag too tight for fishing. A value of between 20 percent and 25 percent is appropriate. It should also be remembered that lines are weakened by knots by as much as 25 percent. Hand held scales will come very much in handy in ensuring that drag setting is right. Heavier lines are used in the event that tarpons keep breaking weaker ones.

Keeping drag washers clean is also a recommendation. Further, they need to be kept smooth through being lubricated by STP. The tarpons are very strong and should be left to run during the first moments when they stage a hard initial run. When fishing in open waters, the fish should be left to run until they lose some energy. Fishing around obstacles should be done with heavy lines so that they are not cut.

The ability to tie the best knots will come very much in handy. These should be tied in a way that they are not broken or do not affect the lines. An encounter with the tarpon in open waters should be handled with care, never applying much pressure at first. They are fought using the rod and the line stored in the reel.

A tarpon should be fought closely while ensuring that not too much of the line is gotten out. This would make it much easier to have control over them. One should remember not to underestimate the ability of tarpons as this can make the entire exercise to fail.

Key West tarpon fishing will be successful if the right methods are employed. For the fish not to start running again, their heads should be kept up. Moreover, they should be held with enough pressure.