# Sarasota Tarpon



## feelin' wright (Oct 7, 2007)

Went on vacation last week in Sarasota. We ended up getting a house on Jewfish Key which is less than a mile from long boat pass. The area down there is absolutely beautiful but the tides are crazy down there as their tide swing is much swifter and alot larger. Unfortunately I had several issues with the boat that prevented me from fishing as much as I would like but I was able to go out one day with Capt. Geoff Page to look for tarpon and boy did we find one. 

The capt picked us up at our dock at 6:00 AM on Tuesday to go look for our poon as this is on my bucket list. At first they were a little hard to spot but we soon found a very nice pod and the capt began tossing blue crabs out to them. It wasn't long before we had our first and only hookup. The stella began screaming and soon after we found out what was on the line. 

The fish fought like hell and we had several close calls with the tarpon wrapping the line around some crab bouys. The capt done a great job of untangling the line and we were soon tight back to the fish. We played tug of war for the next 3 & 1/2 hours with me gaining a inch and him taking a foot. Thank god I had some help on the boat because I dont think that I could have fought the fish by myself for that long. The capt was great in working with me on my technique and I found out how little I did know about catching a big fish. 

After about 3 hours I was able to get the fish close enough for a leader touch so I felt better that we had a legal catch but we still wanted to know what the fishes weight was. As soon as the capt touched the leader the fish decided boat side was not the place to be and began pulling drag at will. 30 minutes later we had the fish boatside again and the capt grabbed the fish but had to let go as the fish just went ballistic. 15 minutes later the fish tail whipped us and left us with soar arms and a broken heart. Capt Page estimated the tarpon to be between 150lb +. Not bad for my first tarpon..... 
On our way back in we begain speaking about how to catch snook as I had never caught one and the capt was nice enough to throw the net around a barge in the gulf and soon we had 100 or so pilchards for snook fishing. 

We ended up catching several snook this week (sorry no pics) and after getting 2 our of the 3 fish I was targetting (still need my permit) I felt that it was good enough so I relaxed the rest of the week. 

All in all it was a great trip. If anyone needs a charter in the sarasota area I would strongly recommend capt page (941-586-3756). He definetely went above and beyond on this trip. Little things the capt done really made a difference in our trip. He even gave my 2 yr old daughter a mirror lure key chain which made her day. 

All in all it was a great week. I am sure we will be back down their again next year going after her again.


----------



## BCNGATOR (Dec 16, 2007)

Glad you had a good time down here. I moved to Sarasota 5 years ago for my job. Inshore fishing is excellent, and the Tarpon have been on fire so far this summer. Growing up in Pensacola though, it is quite a run from here to get Red Snapper. 

Tarpon fishing is quite addictive and I have the bug. There are plenty of snook to be had on the beaches. Just walk along the waterline and they cruise up and down the beach just off the shore. Most people do not even notice them.


----------



## Ruger7mmmag (Jun 3, 2011)

I grew up fishing out of Bradenton/Sarasota. Great fishing of all kinds and really miss the Snook fishing as they aren't up here in Mobile. Yeah, you have to run to get red snapper there, but man are you in a GREAT spot for spear fishing. Where else can you run 25-30 miles to lose most boats and still be in 90-120' of water allowing for great bottom time? Plus, the natural lime stone ridges make for great grouper habitat and of course my favorite, spiny lobster! 

Funny thing, the only fish I didn't catch while living down there was tarpon. I even caught a massive sturgeon one time under the I-75 bridge, but no tarpons so congrats on your trip. Heck of a fight!

Ever been down to Boca for tarpon? Pretty cool to see them boil up in that pass. Of course, you have to fight the hammerheads for them!


----------



## feelin' wright (Oct 7, 2007)

We were planning on making the 60 mile run to Boca but decided against it since the boat was acting up a little bit. We did get some snook in the dead trees on the gulf just south of long boat pass. Also went into the mangroves and got some with DOA cal jerk baits. I definetly need some practice fishing in the mangroves. I swear those roots move to grab your hook.


----------



## Ruger7mmmag (Jun 3, 2011)

lol Yeah, you could stock a tackle box snorkeling around them. Longboat Key Pass is a great place to fish for Snook at night if the tide is moving. We used to nail them just fishing from the shore. Plus, that area is great for "blue crabbing" and "shrimping" with a few flounder mixed in as well.


----------



## FishGolfDrink (Apr 19, 2011)

Next time you're down there look this guy up if you want to catch snook till you're arms are tired - www.madsnooker.com ... I went out with him easter weekend with my 2 brother in laws. We caught probably 50 snook and lost 25-30 more. Unreal


----------

