I've mostly fished for LMB with my 8wt. Want to fish the coast, I've always been a bait casting fisherman at the coast.

Line on my reel is 12 years old.

What color line do you use?

As long as you're not fishing deep for bass, I'd assume that a WF8F would do double duty for the fresh and salt.

Redfish tapers are a little heavier up front that say a bonefish taper because most redfish shots are fairly close. Not sure what you'd want for bass.

There's a debate on one of the Silver kings episodes about line color. Pretty entertaining exchange. I'm open the opinion that it doesn't make a big difference, but I'm usually in murky water on the coast, and it may matter for you.

I just spooled up some Royal Wulff Bermuda Triangle. It really shoots out of the guides.

My approach to leaders is a little redneck. I just tie 25# mono to the mainline, and re-tie more using a triple surgeon's loop when it gets too short. So far, so good.

Depending on how old the rod is you may not like the redfish taper lines. They can be pretty aggressive and overweight for an older rod. Try the bonefish taper from Rio or SA. WF8F is just fine.

For my leaders I keep it simple typically use about a 7 foot section of 20# Hard Mason that I loop-to-loop to a 3 foot tippet of 20# fluorocarbon. In clearer water I'll use a 12 or 16# tippet.

You really don't need to go that heavy either. I've caught 30# reds and a 40# drum on 16# tippet. And landed a 120# tarpon on 20# class.

Leaders: 6' of 50#, 3' of 30#, 1.5' of 20#, tippet of 12#. Go buy spools of Ande at Academy and you can tie them up as you need them. Learn to tie a good blood knot. Usually tie about 10 and they last almost a year. takes a couple hours.

Can use fluoro or mono for the tippet. Fluoro will sink faster

Season 2 Episode 1: Everglades Isolation

https://vimeo.com/147803788

Great stuff. I'm loving the drone shots when you can see the strings of fish. Especially when you can see the fish turn & eat from above.

And I was told by Drew Moret who I fished with that the best time for tarpon is what Fordyce was saying, late-winter/early-spring when the water is still a bit cool but a string of warmer days will get the tarpon to lay up on the flats. And they tend to be less spooky and more bitey then so they eat more readily.

The problem is that it's not real predictable so unless you live close to the Everglades/Keys or have the ability to hop a flight at a moments notice then it's difficult to hit it at the right time.

In fact, Moret posted on his FB page yesterday that he was open today because the weather was right and they'd jumped 13 tarpon on Saturday.

Great episode. I could watch a whole season of nothing but Everglades fishing. The frontside of the Keys and Florida Bay are cool, but the Everglades are another level.

I'll have to follow Moret on fb. I had nothing to do yesterday and could have made it to Islamorada or Flamingo if I knew they were jumping tarpon. I tried an Everglades trip on foot on Friday, but didn't have as much luck.

My copy of A Passion For Tarpon arrived yesterday, so I have something to do until episode 2.

I wanted to take a trip to Chokoloskee/10,000 islands and then venture down to the everglades before watching that episode. Now I want to go even worse.

Season 2 Episode 2: Caught Up

I'm already getting jacked up for the migration. Called my FL Panhandle guide (who was quail hunting in W. Texas at the time) and we're getting on the books.

And will definitely be hauling the panga south to POC and maybe further for Texas poon.

Florida Keys Outfitters, right? I saw an IG post from them or someone similar last week of El Capitan in West Tx, but I can't find it now.

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Florida Keys Outfitters, right? I saw an IG post from them or someone similar last week of El Capitan in West Tx, but I can't find it now.

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Shallow Water Expeditions.

Of course. And the post is still there.

Loved the horizontal hang time on this fish.



And here's a link in case anyone else was digging the music during Bou's scenes.

That's an awesome picture and its striking the same pose that we're all familiar with from so many tarpon mounts. "SEE MY BELLY" pose!

Do we know what the opening theme song is this season? (Ya, I don't Shazam). It'll grow on my like Whatever Comes did.

I had a couple friends come down and are fishing today through Sunday at Mansfield. I met them in Raymo to say hello yesterday afternoon, it was tough to watch that East Cape and Beavertail pull away while I headed back to the field!

Two Everglades episodes! I really need to get back out there with a guide. I've done it twice, but didn't use fly gear on the 1st trip and only caught reds.

I brought my fly rod and wife on the 2nd trip, but I let my wife take all the shots at tarpon with a spin reel. I wanted her to get addicted and join the club. She got the casting yips when she saw the fatties rolling. It was cool to see her get jitters about fishing. I know those tarpon jitters all too well. Even though she didn't land one, it was an awesome day.... actually, she still hasn't caught one. She reeled one to the bank on a different trip, but a snake slithered right over her feet and she screamed, threw the rod at me and ran away in an instant. The tarpon fell off just out of arms reach.

That tarpon pic is glorious. Tarpon photography in general does a good job of capturing the essence of the game. More so than other outdoor photography imo.

Love this thread, keep the content coming!

I've been wanting to see the story behind the rod in the water since Season 2 trailer was posted. Funny stuff - Big Nautilus presence in this episode (if the episode title isn't enough). Can't wait for BKC to give us his own review of the Nautilus Silver King when he breaks his in this June(?).

Season 2 Episode 3: TESTED ON ANIMALS

The last SK episode was a little boring. Too many repeated clips and the advertising is starting to blur the lines into infomercial territory. I wonder where Fordyce has been so far?

I went pond hopping in the Everglades on my own on Saturday morning. I didn't get any connections, but there were plenty of rollers in the glassed over ponds. This guy wasn't camera shy:

Season 2 Episode 4: BAD MOOD

or the Cheeca Lodge and Spa infomercial. If you thought the last episode was blurring the lines Ayto...

I've never produced a show and don't know where the balance point is. Last season all the advertisers were featured and and I could have quickly recited each and every one at end of an episode without feeling like I'd been bombarded; this season not so much.

On pretty much all outdoors shows it seems the target audience is so small that they have to basically be infomercials for their sponsors.

But I've been told by a couple guides that they've had a marked increase of people wanting to come down and chase tarpon. But probably less than 10% will stick with it. Most of the people have never cast to anything bigger than a 2 pound trout and some have never even picked up a fly rod but expect to go out and land 20 poon in a day and quickly get discouraged.

Which reminds me of a tweet I saw that said:

quote:

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I am not against golf, since I cannot but suspect it keeps armies of the unworthy from discovering tarpon.

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I'm headed to the BVI in 24 days. I'll have access to bait casting and spinning rods and I've only fly fished one time out of Crested Butte. Other than hiring a guide service, which isn't out of the question, do y'all have any tips for catching a Tarpon? The last time I fished BVI I had one on the hook and he broke the line after running out about 75 yards. I'd really like to land one of these guys off the back of our sailboat. Night time seemed to be the best opportunity to catch them.

You really want to hire a guide down there.

We've been down there every year for the last 5 years and though I've seen good amounts of tarpon the weren't really in places where you can DIY.

Do you have anyone you've used before and would recommend?

I've not used any of them but there's only about 3 that I'm aware of and I believe one is limited to Anegada.

Arawak is based out of St. John and seems the most reasonable.

Season 2: Episode 5 - Golden Fly, part 1

Season 2: Episode 6 - Golden Fly, part 2

Good times. I really like getting the commentary from Andy Mill.

Okay, Episode 6, @ the 14:47 mark Rob throws a marker out of the S&FR stripping basket.

Reserving his spot? Surely the $3K big screen tv GPS on his console would help him find his way back to where he was.

Is it a marker or were they staked out and he tossed out his anchor buoy?

Also, went back and watched the "Chasing Silver" trailer again. Go to about the 3:30 mark and listen to one of the sweetest sounds on earth, a big poon ripping drag on a classic Tibor reel.

They weren't on anchor, he was holding them with the pole. Once Andy hooked up and they started off after the fish he reached into the basket and grabbed something with a long rope and threw it all overboard. I figure it was a marker. He also has a piece of rope tied to the back on his poling platform hanging loose. I guess that's for tying the pole to when using it to stake out - but the rope hangs all the way down into the water right above the prop. I'd have it fouled rapido'.

Hard to tell what he threw out, but I do know that in that particular spot the current gets really strong. So a lot of those guys put their anchor out with a long rope. This allows them to move around with the pole while still anchored. When there aren't any fish coming they just hang on the anchor rope, when they see fish they are able to pole up so they can reach them.

When the current is ripping there you can't stay on the pole through out the tide cycle. BTW Fordyce thinks he owns that spot and is generally credited with figuring out how to be successful there.

That's the "bowling alley" at the south end of the Long Key bridge

I look forward to watching the new episode of Silver Kings every Monday!

EDIT: I assume Rob and Andy win the Golden Fly? Seems like they may have only shown 2 of the 3 days of the tournament so maybe next episode will be day 3?

Panhandle trip booked.

Fishing with my boy Preston Sutter of Shallow Water Expeditions July 8-10.

This photo is the first tarpon I ever jumped and it was off Preston's skiff last June.