Fly Fishing For Tapon In The Lower Florida Keys

Last tarpon season, I had the pleasure of spending several days fly fishing for tarpon with Kevin Jones (Deshutes steelhead outfitter) and Kevin Jurgins. Kevin Jurgins is a professional photographer, writer and runs www.fisheyesoup.com Here is his story and his photos.

Seals in the tropics, tiki bars, and a new addiction that stacks on top of the others....

By Kevin Jugins: May 2007

Fish Eye Soup

I just returned from a trip to Florida, meeting up with good friend Kevin Jones in Miami and continuing to the Keys, to go after "The Big Girls" (Giant Tarpon, in their annual migration)

We met up with Capt. Scott Yetter a pronounced tarpon junkie and summer time trout guide on the Missouri River. At the first glance at Scott's boat and Scott himself, you knew this guy was all about tarpon. A raised platform on the front of the boat with a specially fabricated t-bar for leaning into, a stripping basket to keep your line clear of any hang ups, and Scott the man of the sea, beard and all, with a plan to maximize the sun direction, tides, wind direction, and tarpon migration paths for every hour of the lit day.

One hour into the first day, we saw our first couple of girls approaching the boat. Jones with the rod, me with the camera, froze in our tracks "are you f*@!!*&^% kidding me? That fish is going to eat my fly? That fish is 7 feet long" Scott chuckled "yep". The next group that approached our boat looked like a bunch of seals swimming at us. That's how big these fish are (80 to 150lbs) After composing myself and realizing after many blown attempts, we needed to have our a game in full swing(no false casts, 50 feet and spot on accuracy with a 12wt. and 12 feet of leader, all the mean time with a heart beat of 220 beats per min.

Our first hookup came when we were poling a spot called "XXXXXX". Scott completely calm and collected say, "OK....4 seals 60 feet out....Jonsey take your shot". Jones lays out the perfect cast, behind the lead fish(second and third fish are not as spooky and will follow the lead fish. The second fish spins around to look at the fly, approaches it slowly, then engulfs. In an instant we are all screaming "she ate it!" as the fish went airborne 20 feet from the boat, all 6 and a half feet of her body catching the sun reflection....

7 jumps later, 4 fingers bloody with ditches from line burn....

we had our first up close look at one of the giants...unbelievable how beautiful these fish are!

I am now part of the addiction that has plagued saltwater fly fisherman.

Thanks Scott