Will be there July 11-15. Arrive on the 10th if you wanna grab a brew

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Will be there July 11-15. Arrive on the 10th if you wanna grab a brew

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Will do.

You fishing with Yergens again?

yes

So I have been catching up on this season and had a question. Why the gloves when lipping the fish? I know they have no teeth so is it to protect the fish?

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So I have been catching up on this season and had a question. Why the gloves when lipping the fish? I know they have no teeth so is it to protect the fish?

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They don't have teeth but their mouths are like extremely coarse sandpaper and will shred the skin off your hands pretty quickly.

Go find some of the videos of the guys feeding the tarpon at Bud & Mary's down in Islamorada and you'll see dudes with bloody hands & forearms where the poon chewed on them a bit.

I got excited last year and handled a fish without gloves. With the adrenaline pumping I didn't notice it. After the adrenaline stop pumping I could tell my thumbs were a little tender - The next day I knew very well what I had done!

Real men don't wear gloves

Awesome. Count me in then.

Season 2 Episode 7: GOLDEN FLY PART 3



Great Episode. I've really like having Andy on the show, it makes up for the infomercial episode. Show producer makes his second cameo, picking up two Deep Eddy todies @ 21:43

Mill's two-handed strip with the rod under his arm...never seen that before. Learn something new most episodes.

standard issue when fishing worm flies @ that spot. it's a little weird until you do it a few times

BTW, Mills is a good dude and happy to help you if run into him at the Trading Post or around town

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you'll see dudes with bloody hands & forearms where the poon chewed on them a bit.

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I met that girl after an Astros game in about 96. Couldn't walk right for a week.

Smacks @ the jetties like the two hand strip too. They love a fast bait and totally bug out when the fly stops. Keeping it moving with the two hand strip is best chance for a hookup.

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you'll see dudes with bloody hands & forearms where the poon chewed on them a bit.

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I met that girl after an Astros game in about 96. Couldn't walk right for a week.

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I like your style dude.

Hey Finn, any way to PM you? You seem to know the Galveston area pretty well and wouldn't mind some advice.

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Hey Finn, any way to PM you? You seem to know the Galveston area pretty well and wouldn't mind some advice.

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I don't do the PMs on here but I'm happy to share what info I've got- but start a new thread.

And honestly, for the West Bay/Christmas Bay complex I'm happy to share publicly because there really aren't any secret spots.

The thing is that if you look at Google Earth and study the area above the ICW from Bayou Vista down to Freeport there are literally hundreds of square miles of marsh that rarely get fished because:
1) you have to have a boat that will float shallow- my boat has an 8" poling draft and even that is limiting back there, and if you're running a big tunnel-hull bay boat you better know how to handle your machine in skinny water where you need to get up on a plane and run in just a few inches. I have to pole out to water that's probably 18" to get up on a plane.
2) you cannot effectively wade this marsh because you will sink to your balls in mud, I was out yesterday and my push pole sinks 3' into the mud
3) a lot of the marsh is up to an 8-mile paddle one-way from the closest access point
4) it's full of hungry reds

Finn nailed it.

I'd add:

2.5) If it isn't ball deep mud, it's inches shallow shell.

10-4. Appreciate the feedback, guys.

Happy to help.

https://instagr.am/p/BB6AJcGOMJu

So. Was he throwing to the head or the tail?

I don't know if he threw at the head or tail... But I do know I want that guys shirt.


Watched the science episode last night, pretty good stuff. It'd be neat to have access to their Google Earth data to time the migrations here in TX. Good to know that 79 degrees is the magic number.

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Mill's two-handed strip with the rod under his arm...never seen that before. Learn something new most episodes.

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He's legit. I noticed that Rob doesn't coach him at all compared to a normal tournament angler.

I agree. Andy Mill is legit.

Season 2: Episode 8 "Ground Zero"



Interesting episode, Dr. Ault has the 'bible' laying out on his desk I see. I know that water temp is the biggest factor in the equation but it's very telling the way he mentioned that tarpon headed up the East Coast hit every major river system on the way up. Bait flowing out. Spreadsheet updated.

Ayto, did you see the Dimmock pics? SK paid a little homage to 'Book of the Tarpon' there.

Bosso was jacked up about that fish he hooked in Rob's territory. Cool stuff.

I can't believe I didn't post this story here. It's written by the guide I fish with over in the Panhandle. Good dude that I'm pleased to call a friend.

The Tarpon Bite

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"THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN FAST, OKAY?" I say to my angler, whose lips have curled into a half-smile. "The line is gonna burn your hand if you do it right." He continues to search my face as I explain the violent hook-set, looking at me as if he's just been made accessory to a crime. I rock back against the poling platform and drain my coffee, sweat already tacking my shirt to my back.

The tarpon bite is why I guide. Not because "I get to work outside," and not because "I love all saltwater fish equally," and certainly not for the financial stability that guiding provides. I'm not there for the pull, or the jumps, or the moment I get to grab a fish's face. I'm there for the eat.

My below-average looks made me a poor candidate for Hollywood, and a trust fund isn't in the cards, so hiring a guide for 120 days a year was out of the question. The only way for me to get front row access to the greatest split-second in flyfishing was to be on the pushpole, helping others get close enough to take their shot.

Many first-time experiences shape us throughout our lives the first kiss, the first hangover, the first time seeing Tombstone. For anglers who have never watched a tarpon garbage-can a fly, it can be a life-altering experience.

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That was a killer episode. It's about time they dropped some science on us, and the aerial shots are glorious. I noticed the Dimmock pics, CP. Very cool, but tragic to see the monster tarpon hanging there.

I bought 'A Passion for Tarpon,' but it's been real easy to put down. For some reason, it hasn't captured my attention like some other books. I'm not a big reader by any means, but I knocked out 'West of Key West,' 'Fishing Yesterday's Gulf Coast,' and most of 'Seasons on the Flats' even though I bought the Andy Mill book first.

Looks like Miami could use some newer tracking devices. Surely there are smaller options than those submarines.

I use Mill's book more as an encyclopedia for technique, fly patterns, and info than a 'read'.

[url=http://www.drakemag.com/back-issues/2015/spring/1385-the-tarpon-bite.html][/url]

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the first time seeing Tombstone.

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That was a great read.

Silver Kings Season 2: Episode 9 "Tarpon School"

I liked it. Last week we saw Bosso high stick the hell out tarpon when he was on the bow and this week we get to see Mrs. Fordyce semi-trout set! Sure would be cool to attend that fly fishing school just to get to spend the day with Chico Fernandez, Steve Huff, and the rest of the cadre.





Check out how hot the water is getting over there. It's the afterburner of hot water described in the science episode.

That's a cool water temp graphic. I can't remember the last time I saw a resident tarpon, so I'm really looking fwd to some warmer temps. I tried to fish a power plant hot water discharge a couple of weeks ago, but the water was full of manatees. The manatees attract yankees, which made the entire area loud, obnoxious, and unfishable.

Finn, I read a similar story from Jeffrey Cardenas (re: tarpon fishing being about the bite). I think the title is "the first 30 seconds." Jeff says the fight and release aren't as meaningful as the prelude and the bite.

I found a small brewery near Sanibel that produces an IPA called Megahops Atlanticus. Not my favorite style of beer, but worth a shot when the batch is ready....and now it's time to watch the next episode of SK...

I liked the part when Chico was teaching Fordyce's wife how to cast and he said that husbands should never try to teach their wives. Mrs. Finn agreed 100% with that sentiment.

I just had a desk pop.

https://instagr.am/p/BCY0s49jJUC

Giggity!