Tarpon In Cancun

[marcusearlt]

Well, all the hype is true. Tarpon are some real performers! All the jumping and runs and head shaking a guy could ask for. (Even with the "baby" tarpon we caught) What a blast we had out there in the lagoon. I like to to think of myself as a do-it-yourselfer (oil changes, blah blah blah) so it was a little different having a guide for two days. Do I hook my own sardine? Anyways, I did hook my own sardines, but the girlfriend never hooked a single one. I am her voluntary guide back home anyways so big deal there. Our guide was really fun and joked around with us, but when this guy saw fish he got serious. He could spot fish all over in places I only saw water. He would yell "TARPON, 40 ft, 10 o'clock!" or "2 SNOOK, 30 ft, 3 o'clock." No blind casting, only sight fishing, and as soon as you see them they are usually gone. Your window of opportunity is very small and your casts MUST be accurate. Lot's of snapper and barracuda to keep things interesting.

Day 2, missed 6 Tarpon on the fly. Overall, we had a blast and it was worth every penny. Will definitely get a Tarpon on the fly within one year. The salt has much to offer.

[Feathers and Fins]

Marc, tI would rather catch 2 to 50lb tarpon over the triple digits every day of the week. They fight better and are more acrobatic. Cancun is nice but there is IMO no place on earth like Florida's Treasure Coast. There are tarpon year round in the mosquito impoundments that readily take a little yellow jig or a fly and its closer to home. There are also some canals that between July and August are more loaded with tarpon than Roaring River is with trout. You don't have to go to an exotic location to quench your addiction and quest. Looks like you had a blast and that little munchkin tarpon is about as much fun as a man is allowed on light gear

[rainbow]

I don't necessarily agree that the bigger ones don't fight well. I have caught a 90 and a 150 and they put up a ton of fight. Little ones are scrappy but the big ones are like trying to land a freight train. Regardless though, tarpon fishing is a blast. If you like the tarpon you should get on the big bull mahi mahi. talk about acrobatic and lit up colorful.

[sfiser]

What guide service did you go out with? I have looked into going to Pesca Maya lodge but always curious about what guides people used and how they found them

[marcusearlt]

F&F- I've already started looking at some closer and more easily accessible places for tarpon. Cancun was nice but all the plane hopping and TSA strip searches I could do without for just a straight fishing trip. I will look in to Treasure Coast for sure. Tarpon are apparently available from Galveston all the way to Most parts of Florida, with more opportunities on the fly (canals, lagoons, etc) in the Florida areas. We were already in Cancun so I figured why not hit the water a couple days. I'd like to get a bigger fish eventually but I don't really get all hung up on size that much, little 5 lbers like the one in the pic will do for the next trip or two, I just wanna go fish period.

Rainbow- I've eaten mahi mahi and would love to catch those too. Those are the wildest looking critters, I'd probably forget what I was doing and just stare at the fish and let it get off my hook. Those colors and shape are unreal. You have caught these before?

sfiser- I found a web site, www.cancuntarponfishing.com. Standard prices, nice boats, and expert guides. Only downside was some the gear, kind of on the lower end of things than what I expected, especially the fly gear. We get all the way out to our spot around 6am and the guide gives me my set up for the day. It was a Sage graphite 3. A very slow action rod, imo, around 25 years old. I have no idea why I left my gear at the hotel, major brain fart. Take your own gear if you have it or just double check what the outfitter offers. Pesca Maya looks like a the real deal to me.

[Feathers and Fins]

Marc, St Lucie County, Martin County and Indian River County make up the treasure coast. Plenty to do down there and you don't need a guide I think between Justin and Myself we could send you to some great spots and "freelancing" is so much more fun than a guide. Fort Pierce is home to record Gator Trout and Sebastian Inlet has some of the biggest redfish around the canals and intercostal is great for Tarpon and Snook but best places is the St Lucie spillway and Taylor creek spillway for tarpon IMO. Its a great place for a family vacation with West Palm so close and Orlando is about a 2.5 hour drive north.