One more to add to the bucket list

Jaw-dropping action.... on the fly.

http://vimeo.com/27267942

Added!

CM

I need a smoke after that one. Badass.

There is a small lagoon in Nicaragua stuffed with Tarpon from 40 to 200 pounds. They get fished on maybe 25 days a year. They bite. That's why I try to get back there every year.

My heart is racing and I was totally caught up in the action.




Incredible; giant hard-fighting fish, sun...



Someday.

Even the baby tarpon (10-30#) rip line faster than I can imagine, and have the line burn scars from last year. The power of adult tarpon is hard for me to fathom.

I have a friend that has fished the HILL TIDE and I need to go with him. He has landed them up to 180lbs and has had ones just as big
eaten by Hammerhead sharks while tring to get them in!! It doesn't matter to me if I get one on a Bug rod or bait. That is on my list also!

I'm not sure how those fish are still on the line after the initial run...I guess you're lucky if they still are.

Those dudes remind me of steelhead anglers, just at the wrong corner of the country.

Fish on...

Todd

Next time we go we will try a big ole live crab under a baloon.

here is another one about Tarpon on the fly... except these crazies do it in float tubes...

its called Tapam: A Fly Fishing Journey

Great video. I've been fascinated with tarpon ever since I saw the 7-foot beast on the wall at my grandparents' house in N. Carolina as a young lad. My grandfather died when I was 5, so I never got to hear the story of how he caught it, but I bet it was a good one.

Someday....

That was bad A$$

Cool!

My moment was at 1:35 when the fish left an underwater roostertail of mud as it ran at and then by the boat while the angler is dropping the F-bomb. Crazy.

i liked the dog nipping at the fish hahaha

"you know, these guys, there lives revolve around these fish"

That's all of us...that statement explains us. fvcking incredible video. Seeing those lightning fast runs and the tail walking made my balls all warm and tingly.

I gotta give the elitist bug chucking crowd credit - they do make killer internet videos. Sucks every bug chucker (and non chucker) in hand over fist.

Edie loves some poon

I love that they call them POON!

People that call tarpon poon are probably the same ones that call sturgeon gators and think they spit the hook!

dont you all know fish spit?

Shark?

Guys that call 'em poon are likely kin to the brotherhood that uses terms like: metalhead, ironhead, steelies, steelface, nates, brats, and other low class appellations, let alone bobbers and floats.

Calling a "float" a bobber is like calling a "rod" a pole. come on people, live in the now! haha.

Points for using "appellations" in a sentence.

At the risk of sounding ascot-ish...I have to agree with you on that one.

"Chromer steelie" might be the worst name ever given to a steelhead...ever.

I can go with "nates" for the wild ones...and I usually call the hatchery fish worse than brats ...not that I mind eating the summer runs that I'm leaving here in just a bit to try and catch for a few days

Fish on...

Todd

"It's all about the tarpon."

Simple, elegant, powerful.....

Clearly, they have not referenced the much higher class "Ascoteer's Guide to Fish Terminology and Diction" that you are fond of.





When I am bobber dogging, nothing irks me more than a hook spitting gator jawed nate metalhead.

Thanks for coming through Coley. I was disappointed when no one picked up on that when I posted it. Paydirt delayed is OK.

My hunch tho is that nobody's got the fishin' slang down like the southern bass bubbas. No ascots for them however, unless the Stamster determines otherwise.

I filed it away for a rainy day.

Happy to help, and my pleasure of course.

I'd like to sign up for that trip. Got a 12 wt I can borrow?

Agreed that it is bad but I think "Steel face" has got to be the worst.

I did some tarpon fishing about 10 years off of Islamorada. It was challenging but I nailed some small ones. When the live shrimp was on there it was too easy. I loved feeling that shrimp flip its tail faster and faster and faster until.....no more flips. That is the moment when you set the hook and than all freaking hell breaks loose on the water.

But your sig line says: "go hard or go home" when what you really mean is that you're only up for it when it's so easy KK can do it. tsk, tsk. No wonder you're in charge of ascots only by self proclamation.

I write, hoping for an appreciative audience. Every once in a while, it pays off. I've long been puzzled by the out of sorts salmonid nomenclature of the PNW. Bucks and does are generally accepted terms applied to deer and goats, and that is how male and female steelhead are labeled in B.C. Cocks and hens are nearly universal poultry terms, and have been used to label male and female Atlantic salmon and sea trout. I'm gonna' guess it was some bubba transplant that couldn't keep two words straight, let alone an entire paragraph, who somehow popularized bucks and hens for PNW steelhead.

I will tell you one thing Salmo G, If had to say that is an "amazing cock" every time I saw a really nice buck it just wouldn't be the same. Language changes with time for the better sometimes......lol.

The head of the fraternal order laid down a rather masterful zing. Thought it pains me to say it, well played!

And now he's hiding out in DEFCON mode.

Clearly you've never raised chickens then.

Typo.

WHAAAAAAT????





P.S.

Coloquialism would have been my choice but I wonder what STEELIES are called in Russia or if it is a direct literal translation. I am thinking it is just a Northwest hick thing.

I spent my Honeymoon and second Honeymoon in Key West. Of course there was the usual drinking and debauchery but there was also Tar poon fishing. I SPRAINED MT THUMB, trying to cast a 12 weight. After that, spinning gear was able to get me a 50 pound "lil guy".

Came back the next year and hooked and brought to the boat, on each of 4 days, one fish over a hundred pounds. On those 4 hour trips you only have time to hook 1-2 fish and play them out. On the light spinning gear the guides were supplying, it took well over an hour to subdue these things.

I'll be back!!

Nice rooster. Going hard with . . . the fly rod, right? If so, super! If not, sorry, no street cred for spinning/casting gear achievement in this discussion. BTW, is there a fly rod missing from that photo? Can't see it; maybe it's the glare . . .

Justin called me just before I headed to Belize, but a last minute adjustment was not in the cards. When I go gamefishing, Baja or elsewhere, true to your order of the ascot, my travel quiver, as usual, will contain only fly rods. It's not about going hard or not, it's about doing what gives me the most satisfaction.

It's not about you Stam, but going hard and spinning/casting gear in the same sentence is an oxymoron. Sorry but any number of 200 pound tarpon or any number of 50 # roosters on casting gear will never be considered "going hard" by any angler who's done it all.

Back to DEFCON ascot level 5 alert.

"Going hard" and "making it hard on yourself" are not the same thing

Going hard is getting harder I bet.

"It's not about you Stam, but going hard and spinning/casting gear in the same sentence is an oxymoron. Sorry but any number of 200 pound tarpon or any number of 50 # roosters on casting gear will never be considered "going hard" by any angler who's done it all."


Salmo I think your ascot must have cut off the air to your brain. I have come as close to having done it all as most folks I know. I have caught tarpon, sailfish, tuna, peacock bass, snook and many other game fish on both the fly and conventional gear. When it comes to going hard imho there are lots of ways to go hard that are as hard or harder than flinging feathers with a fairy wand. In the words of one of my favorite singers it seems "Your expirence is limited and underfed."

lol

Sometimes I think the best thing about flyfishing is that you have a built in excuse when you don't catch anything...and "going hard" and "flyfishing" are mutually exclusive terms...you can "go hard" without a flyrod, and you can "should just go home" with a flyrod, too.

Fish on...

Todd

To put it in perspective, my father in law says that real fishing involves a net and pays well. Sport fishermen are just a laugh for him. I can definitely see his perspective....

i foresee a snoopy rod tarpon tournament... thats as going hard as it gets!!!

Only if you fly cast 4/0 tarpon flies with that snoopy rod.

Man, the bait thugs around here sure can be defensive . . .

JB, gotta' agree, pulling net in unsteady weather, that's going hard whether it pays or not.

And you know this how?

That could be true for those who are so insecure that they need to catch a fish.

On the internet one of the best things about fly fishing is that it is so easy to push bait thugs' buttons.

Dave,

You're partially right, but please, let's not take all the fun out of this, altho I understand the attraction of attacking the messenger instead of the message.

BTW, would you care to relate how you found it consistently more challenging to hook up tarpon and sailfish on casting gear than on fly gear?

Followed to the natural and logical conclusion I may not go home, but I may be sent home.

Sg

If challenge is the name of the game, what's the graphite rod and advanced fly line for?

To make your challenge less challenging?

I don't *need* to catch fish, but that is kinda the point, after all...and as Dan pointed out, if we're not into taking advantage of technological innovations over the past 70 years then approximately "zero" flyfisherman these days would ever be on the water, as I suspect they've "suffered" more expensive and high end innovations than all other gear types combined.

'Course, I'm sure that doesn't matter in the "go hard" discussion

If you're too advanced to "need to" catch fish, then you oughta be using exclusively cane rods, cat gut, and nylon leaders, with sparsely tied flies with only natural components.

Then you'd really have an excuse for not catching anything.

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. I'll stop saying "it's a good excuse for when you get skunked" when flyfishermen stop qualifying every "none for me today" with "but I was flyfishing", as if that's an excuse at all, much less a good one.

Sg

Brief. In Yakatat. Never said it was more
challenging on gear.I thought you were talking
about going hard. No fly rod needed to
go hard.

Want a challenge fish dries for winter steelhead.
Go hard or. . . .

Dan,

In a word, convenience. I've thrown away the only silk line and gut leaders I ever had because the upkeep is a PITA. Everybody sets their bar somewhere. However, you're welcome to come over some time, and I'll show you my collection of bamboo rods and reels made in England (key elements of a "purist"). Don't fret; no germs will get on you.

Todd,

Totally agree that sounds whiny ("but I was flyfishing"). But I never, truly never, hear that. But if I did, I'd find it annoying in the "what's that got to do with the price of milk in Chicago" kind of way.

As for who spends the most, I don't know and don't care. I used to think fly gear was way over-priced compared to conventional gear; not so much any more. Besides, I think the bass guys have us all beat. As for cane rods, etc., see above. In becoming more of a "Complete Angler" I've acquired a fair amount of plastic rods and casting and spinning gear. Makes my head swim at times.

Dave,

True, but does any fishing count as "going hard?" Maybe the guys who jump out of helicopters and man handle marlin. I think that qualifies. So far I've passed on the winter steelhead dry fly challenge, altho I know it can be done under select conditions. I think I set my bar at reasonable probability.

Aunty M,

I think it's a pretty narrow market. I think Stam is the only buyer.

Sg

Hell, if that's all it took you'd have a whole closetfull by now

Fish on...

Todd

If you define fishing as casting a lure out and reeling up a fish now and then, of course not.

The adventure surrounding the casting and reeling bits is typically what draws the line between hard/soft or fun/not so much depending on your perspective.

My favorite kind of "fishing" leaves a guy feeling pretty whupped at the end of the day, usually for quite a few days in a row. Helicopters aren't hard core, they make everything easier

".... I must have been born without the need to be better than anybody else gene. But I may have gotten two of the don't disrespect what I do genes.."

Yeah, me too. A misunderstanding or two with standing, but sometimes when it looks like there's a button that can be pushed, well, in my defense, the Devil made me do it. And would likely make me do it again if the chance arises. I don't give a hoot how you or anyone else fishes, but when someone persistently seems to have a short and curly hair up their azz about fly fishing, that usually indicates an opportunity to seek and push an entertainment button. Seldom fails. Heck, I've fished gillnet, purse seine, beach seine, fish traps, spinning gear, casting gear, and trolling gear, but in the end nothing gives me as much satisfaction as fly fishing. So getting back to the original thread topic, I wouldn't chase tarpon with anything but a fly rod.

Have a good time in Baja.

You're welcome...you wouldn't respect me if I let that one slide.

Fish on...

Todd

I was about to label that one a "Zzzzzzzzzzzzing!".............but I figured everyone already knew.

Oh, fly caught chinook too. Good on ya'.

Come on, littleshtick is your hero, not mine. Nuts to ya'.

Selective memory maybe, but I don't recall any difficulty hooking up the coho at Stamfest. And while I seldom ocean fish, I have a friend who does, with fly and herring. And day in, day out, ocean coho on mooched herring is way, way easier than taking them on a cast, not trolled, fly. I did not mean to imply I've done it all, but within the fraternity, or clique might suit you better, collectively they have. To the last man, no one's come back reporting catching the mentioned species as being more challenging with casting gear. Maybe you'll be the first, . . . after you learn to cast.

Glad to read you found the time to go fishing.

You're reaching, but I'll play. Are you drinking yet? I'm about to begin. You mean the reel faces the other end of the rod? I'll swap ya' fly casting lessons for boat rod handling lessons, OK?

The gay stuff is getting boring Abu.

and gay...

C'mon guys.... hate two see two such likable dudes getting into a whizzing match over such trivialities. What started out as pokin' fun and pushin' buttons doesn't sound quite so brotherly at page 5. Different strokes for different folks and call it good.

We can't all like the same things. Take women for instance. There is no one right flavor. Course when they look and cast this good, who really gives a damn about what flavor.

LOL!

At least you know what you want! That can't be said by a lot of lost wandering souls in this world.

Give Stam a spin or casting rod and some live shrimp and he is good.

As a life long of fly fishing fan who has (literally) 21 fly reels (all good ones), 9 spin reels (mostly good ones), and 5 level winds (good to bad ones), I can say that I know where both Stam and SG are coming from.

I get annoyed by lots of fishermen but a lot of fly guys take the cake and eat it. They can be so awkward and egotistical, it never ceases to amaze me. Far fewer gear fishermen behave this way because in the gear world you either catch them or you don't, in the fly world you can make videos where you don't catch them and be considered a "Jedi".

Fly fishermen are often judged on the gear they are wearing and casting ability, just like that video above which I can tell you she is not that great of a faster and I can point out lots of poor technique, but she does all the little things to look right like the way she holds the Spey rod after the cast. None of these merits in the fly world are about catching fish which I think is why so many guys like Stam don't care for it that much. I don't blame him. Catching fish is why we fish. Casting is fun and I do take it seriously but I also don't confuse my motives or make excuses like so many fly guys.

I fish with an old man sometimes, president of a fly club, been fishing around here for thirty years, does everything to look right, has a good cast, and admittedly has caught 3 fish in 30 years. Last time a swung flies a hooked 3 in a day in an urban river and a lot of that has to do with all the learning I got from not fly fishing. Fly fishing doesn't give you enough feedback and trains people to think it is okay to catch 3 in 30 years because they are fly fishing. Hate to say it but it is true.

Just some thoughts, not trying to fuel the fire......

I should add to my above post, the old man has caught 3 steelhead in 30 years, not simply "fish".

Well put, JasonB.

I should add, that I have thought about this old timer a lot and respect him in his choice to not catch steelhead. He is doing what he loves with a fly rod and when the day comes it means A LOT to him. So that is a beautiful thing I guess. BUT, and this is a HUGE but, I have to admit that when I fish with him I see him doing things all the time that hinder his catching. Like ten little tiny things that screw his drift in one way or another every time. I am very polite of this old man and he is a good friend so I hate to sound like I am talking crap but if only he would learn some technique, pay attention to others et cetera. It is like he is trying to make every steelhead a miracle fish on purpose. The more I think about it the more my head spins and believe me if I even bring advice up it rubs him the wrong way every time, he just watches me catch the fish.......

WHOA!!! This thread definitely took a left turn somewhere along the line. I noticed it had reached 6 pages and wondered how much more was left to say about tarpon after the first 2 pages. I opened page 5 for a preview, and it became all too clear what pages 3-6 covered.

As long as we're throwing regard for topic integrity out the window, I think I'll try to draw parallels between gear preference and political extremism (not sure about the validity of that last word, but I think I heard it used before).

On the one hand, you've got Stam, who seems to lean mostly to the right politically and prefers conventional tackle to "fairy wands." Then, there is Sg, who tends left politically and prefers fly fishing to "bait thuggery." As a borderline socialist, I enjoy all kinds of fishing and believe all fishermen (and fisherwomen) should be provided an opportunity to fish tarpon, even of someone else needs to pay their way. Coincidence? Almost certainly, but it poses an argument no less worthwhile than that over what gear type makes one fisherman more hardcore/accomplished/better than another. Even so, I went back and read every tasty morsel from page 3 on. As someone who loves a good argument, regardless of whether it resolves anything, I had a good laugh or 20.

What's my point? I don't know. Happy Friday.

Oh, and Stam: nice rooster cock!

disclaimer: I don't know either Stam or Sg well enough to know where their political allegiances lie; I just figured as long as I was going to make an outrageously pointless post, I might as well throw a healthy dose of conjecture into the mix. Whatever it takes to have no point is my motto.

I'd say that Stam and Salmo g.'s political allegiances are likely the thing they share most in common

Fish on...

Todd

That's true Stam, you know me. Now for the good of the order and not being guilty of wasting more PP bandwidth, I'm done pushing your ascot fly button, for awhile anyway because eyeFISH is right; this is getting goofy.

FF2, Todd, I think far more than political leanings, what Stam and I share the most is a passion for fishing, so much so we'll waste pages of PP arguing about ascot patterns and colors as though it really matters.

JB, I think I've witnessed equal opportunity fishing gear discrimination over the years. Right here on PP I've read multiple dissings of "yellow" fishing rods, and maybe it's more about the person holding said rod than the gear itself. Being older than a few of you, older than grand-dad Stam even, my old yeller rod has landed more salmon and steelhead (about the only rod I owned in those days) than all the graphite spinning, casting, and trolling rods combined presently stashed in my garage. Kinda' ironic I guess.

2Many, fly fishermen who don't watch their backcast, if not tree huggers, are tree climbers, reachers, etc. cuz that's where their fly, leader, and line end up getting caught.

Sg

lol

My apologies to Stam for misrepresenting his political beliefs, of which I know nothing. The further this goes, the more I think I should have stopped at "Happy Friday."