Today is the day. This morning is the premier of Silver Kings.

Every DVR in the house is set.

TRAILER

MEGALOPScatch the Silver Kings premiere, Oct 4 on Destination America Channel at 8:30am EST. Fordyce + Bosso + Tarpon = a TV show like never before. Destination America channel guide (may vary by location): Direct TV = 286, Time Warner Cable = 135, Dish = 194, Cox = 102, SureWest = 676, U-Verse = 1465.

Yessir !!!! THE ULTIMATE FLY FISHING QUARRY !!!!!

Beautiful fish! I saw a 150lb or so tarpon caught off a pier in Galveston in August...they can put up a fight!

What the hell is the Destination America Channel, and are they replaying this?? OR is it a series?

Yes. It is a series. If you missed the premier and care to see it I will post a Vimeo link later showing the majority of the pilot. Show is going to be great. Both guides are characters.

Here is the Pilot episode that aired Saturday morning. I don't know how many total episodes there will be - Don't Count Me Out

Destination America is one of the Discovery Network's shows... From Discovery -
First and only network to celebrate the stories of America's past, present and future
Targeting adults 25-54
Launched: May 28, 2012 (formerly Planet Green)
Subscribers: 60 million U.S. households

EPIC !!
Now you've got to post each week's episode!!!!!

Tarpon on the fly is on my bucket list.

I guess I don't have this made up channel on my TVs. At least I can't find it. So I probably don't give enough to the magic TV gods for it to appear in my picture box.

Episode 2 for anyone who doesn't get the channel, like lolpoors Sean.

That's one good looking fish!

Sounds like NW80 might be on the next episode!

I just saw that! we need those pics over here. Well done DOC!

Hey CP, what would it take for a fellow OB'er to get a heads up on the next time the tarpon are running at the island and an invite to catch his first PI Mascot?

Well, that Aggie game will knock the wind out of your sails, that's for sure. If you'd like to take your mind off the Ags awhile - enjoy watching the exchange between guide and angler over the line they will use during a tournament.

It's all here in EPISODE 3, "The Great Clear Line Debate".

To prepare for this weeks episode I took this jack on Thursday (10wt w/ purple&black tarpon bunny) and have released him like 10000x, once for each 'bama score.

Bright colored fishing shirt and buff worn just to see if texags would explode.

ol cinder-block heads!

Thanks for this thread! I'm definitely a tarpon junkie, even though I've never caught one.

I lost a 6-7 footer on conventional tackle in Islamorada this year. After 2 hours of fighting, I finally reeled the massive tarpon to the boat. Unfortunately, the guide never touched the fish to make it official. We all leaned over the edge of the boat and admired her in the water. It didn't take long for the boat to drift over the fish. The line popped and I collapsed on the bow. It's haunted me ever since.

Feeding the tarpon at Robbies:

This has been posted before but definitely deserves posting again.

Riding High: A Season On The Fly

I first picked up a fly rod in college (late-90s) but didn't really take it up in earnest until about 2005-06. And unfortunately for me the recession put a huge hit on my recreation budget. Anyway, I've been on 4 tarpon trips and have yet to jump a fish. I've put the fly in front of a bunch of them but never gotten them to eat. I aim to change that in 2015 and will chase my obsession.

Sunday night is time to catch up on Walking Dead and more Silver Kings. This week tournament fishing has even more challenges. More wind and bad weather = more frustrated fishing guides.

Episode 4 NORTHBOUNDER

Oh, and if you think that angler Paul Nute just lives with his potbelly pig and turtle because no way a guy can accumulate that much stuff and be married you'd be wrong. Turns out Mrs. Nute is more accomplished than he is and set a 16# tippet world record for tarpon earlier this year. Story. Yes, they bought the permit for harvesting potential record breaking fish.

Now that hunting season is here, I'm sure all but the faithful have put their boats away for the winter. That doesn't mean the action is finished. There are still some stragglers making their way south, and every Saturday morning early there' a new episode of Silver Kings to keep the DVR topped off. Texas pastor Ed Young makes an appearance, and even a evangelical plea, this week.

Think this is a halfhearted effort to land a tarpon? Watch what guide and angler do with $2k worth of rod and reel between 5:00 and 10:00 in this weeks episode; THE BRIDGE

I think that what this board could use this evening is a just a little more TARPON.

Best episode yet - Episode 6 : Daisy Chaining

Awesome EAT at 9:10 and the fish breaks off greyhounding past the camera boat. Bosso's reaction is awesome - watch the expression on angler's face.

I love this show and I love south Florida fishing, especially in the Keys. A couple of things have been bugging me about these pros and anglers, but I don't know enough about fly fishing to really know what's up. Maybe someone here can comment... I thought it was better to strip set tarpon? Or any big/saltwater fish for that matter. Also, most of these anglers aren't bowing when the tarpon jumps. Is that an overrated technique? And it's hard to tell, but it seems like the casts are short and off target a lot. Is that normal for 7+ weight equipment?

I love fly fishing, but no one in my family ever got into it or taught me how. So I'm reading things online and trying to teach myself. It seems like the anglers on this show aren't doing the techniques I read about. And I assume these people are at the pinnacle of the sport.

I think Ayto the strip set you're looking for is there, it's just that the fish is doing most of the work. I know that when I was in Mexico the guide taught me that to 'strip set' tarpon of any size all that was necessary was to grab the line and hold on for all you're worth. So you won't see the angler's left hands fly out setting line because the tarpon just isn't going to give that much. What we do see @ 4:22 of episode 5 and 5:52 of episode 4 are the angler's left hands go down and fast on their left side while the right hand buries the rod butt in the gut, tip low, and they rotate their bodies right to load the rod. That is the technique I've seen experience tarpon fishermen use.

Bowing is not overrated, it's just not everyone bows their whole body. Most of these guys just take the rod and reach out toward the fish to accomplish the same thing even if they don't bow at the waist. I think the full-body bow is just not fashionable with a lot of these guys. Here in Chasing Silver you see a more seasoned angler do the full body bow at 3:05 while Andy Mills performs the 'reach' at 3:26& 3:50. BTW Chasing Silver trailer is an all time favorite. Notice Andy's set at 3:20, and notice the COMPLETELY different strip he's using (long and SLOW) vs the short and choppy we see in Silver Kings.

As far as being off target - ya, that's just part of it. Adrenaline, wind, fish, communication, it all combines for a lot of bad shots. I was with a friend this year here and we had 2 tarpon laid up within 30' of the boat just laying there under the surface sunning themselves. I was casting like a madman - he was yelling 'Cast to their heads, their heads'. After a few casts they tired of us and just sunk down out of sight. I turned around and asked "which end were their heads?". Obviously it was the other end.

I think the things you are looking for are there (strip set, bow, accurate casts), they just happen so fast and subtle it's hard to pick up. But don't take my word for it all - I'm self taught too.

quote:

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And it's hard to tell, but it seems like the casts are short and off target a lot. Is that normal for 7+ weight equipment?

---

Contrary to what you'll hear from some guys, the need to make consistent 90-100' casts is pretty minimal. But what you do need is to be able to consistently drop 50' casts into a circle about 2 feet in diameter. 20 mph cross-winds be damned. And do it quickly- like with 2 false casts at most. Typically you're holding the fly in your off hand with about 2 rod-lengths of line outside the tip and 60-70' of line stripped out into a basket or the cockpit. Then it's 1) back-cast; 2) forward cast; 3) forward false-cast to measure the distance; 3) back-cast; 4) deliver the fly (keep in mind you're double-hauling all the while).

I'm a self-taught fly caster and even in dead calm conditions I can't consistently throw 90-100' casts. 75-80' is about my limit. But I can nail 50-60' in a tight window very consistently.

As for being off-target, you've got to calculate your casts to lead a moving fish and time your retrieve so that the fish & fly end up at the same area at the same time. And being a living creature they don't generally move in a straight line all the time.

Also, one technique I learned in tarpon fishing is the "water haul" where you leave the line on the surface of the water as long as possible to load the rod. It helps gauge distance. So you might lay out a 40' cast, use the water to load the rod and make a back-cast, then shoot another 10 feet of line and lay the fly down 20 feet to the right or left of your original.

Finally, regarding casting distance- I had a Louisiana guide I've fished with tell me about when he had Jason Borger in his boat chasing reds. Jason is a western trout guy and distance casting champ. He was a technical consultant for "A River Runs Through It" and in the scenes where Paul Maclean is "shadow-casting" it's actually Borger acting as a double. Borger is known for being an arrogant little twunt too.

Anyway, they're out in the marsh and the guide is about to get up on the platform and Borger steps onto the bow, pulls out some line an rips a 100'+ cast and tells the guide, "just wanted to let you know I'm good out past 100 feet" to which the guide replies, "well when we see the reds I'll make sure to back up."

One more thing about accuracy - in addition to the fact the feeding zone is tiny, it's compounded when often times the angler doesn't see the fish. This is the case more times than most non-sight fishermen realize. The guide is elevated on the poling platform and has a better view so they see fish farther and start calling them out before the angler sees it. So the angler is trying to get the fly out, the fish is moving, and the now you're just blind casting. That's why you hear so much "Left, Left, your other left, more left, he gone." Sometimes you're looking at different fish too. If you're in another country maybe you don't 'habla' same as the guide!

Since Silver Kings saw fit to give us a rerun this past week I thought I would add a little something to the thread for any posters who just can't get tarpon off the brain.

Several years ago I was called to visit someone who knewthat I'd been bit by the tarpon bug. He asked me to come visit and when I did he handed me a book and told me to take it and read it. He wanted the book back, but he wanted me to read about the history and heritage of chasing the world's greatest gamefish. So I set out to read the 100 year old text (not my copy, but the prose) and after a few pages I couldn't put it down. If you've ever wanted to take a ride in a time machine and see what things were like before man messed it up - let me introduce you to "THE BOOK OF THE TARPON"

A.W. Dimock was bornin the Northeast in 1842. He was college educated and a very successful businessman. At the prime of his career Mr. Dimock left N.Y. and travelled west. He began writing about his travels that included the western mountains and Native Americans, but he also travelled extensively in Florida. He fished and worked his way down the Gulf side of Florida where he became aquainted with the
great Silver Kings. He wrote several articles about the fish and places he fished, including: Punta Gorda, Marco Island, and the Everglades. While there he caught tarpon on hand lines, conventional tackle, fly tackle, and cane poles. He travelled by steamboat, skiff, canoe, and carriage. He camped on beaches, stayed on riverboats, and dined in local hotels. He fished the surf, rivers, bays, and passes. His canoe was swamped by a tarpon, he was pulled out to sea by a tarpon, and he had tarpon free-jump into the boat. His travels and fishing escapades were collected in TheBook of the Tarpon, published in 1911.

The book is filled with illustrations and photographs. IIRC one or two of the chapters were written
by his wife who travelled with him on occasion. He gives detail on fishing technique, the flora and fauna of Florida, and bemoans the 'commercialization' and 'civilization' of the region (IN 1911!!!!).


Hopefully someone will look up a copy enjoy it as much as I did.

http://archive.org/details/bookoftarpon00dimorich



The Book of the Tarpon

quote:

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CHAPTER I

THE FIRST TARPON

A GORGEOUS vision burst from the
water behind us and shot ten feet into
the air. "What on earth is that, Tat?"
I was trolling for channel-bass, but was catch-
ing cavally and ravailla, or jack-fish and snook,
as Tat persisted in calling them. I knew the
whole breed of jumping fish, with their slick,
greasy leaps and an occasional wiggle while in
the air, but the best of them was as Satyr to
Hyperion compared with the iridescent creature
at the end of my line. That twisting, gyrating
body, garmented in glistening silver and en-
veloped in a cloud of sparkling diamonds, was
unlike any denizen of earth. The brilliant rays
of the semi-tropical sun made a prism of every
drop in the shower that surrounded the creature.
At first I thought the wonderful being was a
mermaid, and as I noted her fierce display of ac-
tivity and strength, I pitied the merman who
came home late, without a better excuse than a
meeting of the lodge. Then I suspected it was
a wicked genie, freed from the seal of King
Solomon which had imprisoned it for thousands
of years.

I was brought back to earth by Tat's reply:
"Mus' be a tarpum!"

"What's that?" I asked.

"That's what's got your hook!"

Talking in a circle is profitless and I turned
to my buzzing reel, shouting as I saw the di-
minishing line: "Pull like smoke, Tat! Line's
'most gone."

Then I put on the drag, but it had no effect.
I held my rod vertically, and pressed my thimib
hard on the reel.

Once more the creature shot high in air, while
my thumb got red hot.

This was in February, 1882, three years be-
fore the recognition of the tarpon as a game
fish. I believe the tarpon then on my line was
entitled to the credit of being the first of his
species captured with rod and reel. That he
failed to receive recognition and that I missed
the glory of his capture is due to my unskilful
handling of the gaff after the contest was over.
The combat began at the mouth of the Ho-
mosassa River, in Florida, where its current
sweeps past Shell Island into the Gulf of Mex-
ico.

---

Illustrations from the book. These are taken and credited to the author's son, Julian Dimock.



Author A.W. Dimock Swimming with a manatee-



Darn formatting. 5 edits, think I got most of it.

Ayto, they are strip striking on all of these fish. The deal in this particular place (where Fordyce is fishing) is that the fish come out of the bridge in strings, so Rob is set up to intercept the fish. These fish are migrating fish and generally don't bite. What Rob has figured out is that they will bite a small worm fly meant to represent a Palolo worm. What the angler is doing is casting across the fish and making very quick strips to move the fly like the actual worm. Once the fly is out of the window they pick up and recast and do the same thing over again. They cast at hundreds of fish to get a bite out of one or two, just a numbers game. On the bite, the thing to do is just to keep stripping until the line comes tight. Then you hit the fish. BTW that place is called the bowling alley. Where Beau is fishing it's a completely different game. They are throwing larger fly's and you see them make a long slow smooth strip. Centerpole is right, most people just shove the rod at the fish on the jump. You are just trying to give the line some slack so the fish doesn't pop you off.

Bump... Is this show ever coming back? I check the website every Sunday morning, but the last episode is several weeks old.

Finn, I feel your pain. I've seen monster tarpon roll in front of my face and I've sight-cast to small tarpon from a kayak in the mangroves, but I've never caught one. I've caught nurse sharks in Sarasota Bay, snook along Caspersen Beach, reds in the Everglades and Black Fin Tuna off Miami. Zero tarpon. Actually, this is a nice transition to Centerpole's book recommendation...

The Book of the Tarpon is awesome! I can't thank you enough for this book. It's the only book I've ever read start to finish in one sitting. I just bought Dimock's other book "Florida Enchantments." It hasn't arrived yet, but the reviews include harpooning dolphins and eating sea turtle eggs. At the very least, it will be another adventurous read.

Finally, FTU on I-10 is having an Inshore Expo on 12/13/14. Rob Fordyce of Silver Kings will be there, along with several other fly fishing experts. Thanks everyone for your answers to my questions about the techniques on Silver Kings; I will see some of y'all at FTU!

Yes Ayto, it will be back in early 2015 - it's on 'winter break'. Also, if I understand correctly, season 2 has been filmed and is in production for next fall. I'm glad you like the book, as you can tell I enjoyed it too.

I dont' get to Houston often, but I was north of there yesterday with Centerpolette at an FFA contest. We went out of our way headed back to go by FTU and help Santa out! I threw a some Tarpon Bunnies in for my stocking.

Don't forget I have lots of days to waste

You're going to need days off next August or September now; it's all over for this year. Oh, that doesn't mean there may not be a straggler somewhere and there are a few residents in places but the migration has moved on warmer water.