Got the --- scared out of me

JSC

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,242
Location
Freeport FL
Been a long hot summer and this guy who is gettin older (not old) cannot take the heat like I could when I was younger so I went for the longest time between fishin trips that I can recall ... I also had some inner ear problems ... So Last Wednesday I got out for the 2nd time in 2 weeks ... I believe I caught 8 small red fish and a couple of good flounder .... not real good for this time of the year but could have been a lot better ... Well I decided to go into some "Marsh Sloughs" that I have caught a lot of Reds & Spec Trout in as well as Bass and a few Stripers ... I was chunking my ol Scoot A Jig Shrimp Tail towards the mouth of a slough at a fork in the main run ... working it down into about a 20 '+ hole and on this one cast I started reeling it in fast to make another cast when I had a hit and it was coming to me shaking its head like a Spec Trout will do .... then all of a sudden I went into a protective mode as here comes this fish in a high jump headed straight to me ... some how he missed me but hit the front deck before hitting the floor of the boat and what a bunch of activity all at once .... It was a Tarpon between 12 & 15 # .... Small for Tarpon but the first I had managed to land or should I say assist in landing .. the most jumps I ever had was a big one out on one of the piers along the gulf he was in the close to 100# class and I managed to keep him on for 3 jumps ... The next one was a couple of years back about 50 yards down the slough in the last deep hole (18+ feet) Got one jump out of him .. about the same size as this one that made me fear for my life. I was real fortunate .. did not have to clean my pants .... This was one of the times when I did not have the camera with me ... The fish had left me with a pile of scales that I could save some .... but ... when they dried out they all blew out ... There were several more of them rolling around but could not get another one to hit ... :cool: :bigfish: :bigfish: :exclamation:
 

AtticaFish

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
5,445
Location
Attica, OH
That is my kind of 'pants checker' fishing trip! Clean pants... but i bet your heart-beat was up.
 

toadfrog

Active member
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
2,811
Location
OKLAHOMA
Blood pressure pills help . But if you don't have those see if that little black label bottle staying cool in the live well will calm your nerves . Hope you payed him back for that at supper time .
 

JSC

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,242
Location
Freeport FL
TF "Hope you payed him back for that at supper time . "
Turned him back as soon as I got myself back together ... they are not a "Table Fare" fish but they can really put up a fight ...

Guys I had heard of such things but the 1st time this had happened to me ... I had taken all my Rx-s before I went out may have helped some
 

JSC

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
1,242
Location
Freeport FL
"Can't wait to tangle with a tarpon some day!"

I hung the 1st one (and largest .. 3 jumps) Off of Crystal Beach Pier which I understand was the 1st Pier to have a Tarpon Landed on it -- that was back in the 50's just after it was built... I hung the one I am speaking of in about 69 (this pier was wiped out by a Hurricane back in the late 70's or early 80's .. it was a really good location) So it has been 35 +/- years since I hung that one and have only 2 more on since, but have not spent time on targeting them ... They are not as many in this area as you find down south .... I hope one day to get down south and tangle with some Snook ... can't do it all but we can hope to.
 
Back
Top