By now I’m sure everyone knows that David Dalu and Captain Scott Collins got into the Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament due to a last minute injury to one of the competitors. The duo went on to make history once again, trouncing the competition by catching 3 weight fish and 12 releases and becoming the first team to win all three tarpon tournaments in the same year. After Tuesday’s fishing it was over, and they could have taken the rest of the week off - congratulations on an extraordinary accomplishment.

Tarpon fishing is still worth pursuing, even though the “tournament season” is officially over. Duane Baker and I fished the Everglades backcountry last week and were rewarded with quality shots at 50-130 lb. fish. After we both caught crazy, multi jumping 50 lb-ers, Duane tied into an extremely stubborn, one jump slob that tested his 10 weight Pro 1 to the max. After 70 minutes of tug of war, both angler and poon were expired and I knew I didn’t have to worry about bow time for quite some time. The 115 lb. king was released, and all Duane could exhaust was a simple, “this is the last time I bring my 10 weight back here”.

I also spent a day in Biscayne Bay chasing the “grand slam”, and while for whatever reason the poons refused to swim, the summer time bone and permit fishing was as expected - happy, medium sized tailers and channel edge schools of crab munchers. The day was enjoyably spent with friends Mike Hamilton and Captain Eric Herstedt, and somehow, even through the video ineptness, we managed to capture a couple of cool moments on the cam.

Lastly, I spent this Thursday in the Florida Bay backcountry with friend and up and coming fly fishing phenom Jared Rakob. Our goal for the day was simply to go out and have no pressure, flat out fun. I think both of us needed to catch a few fish without much thought - and that’s exactly what we did. We caught bonefish, snook, and reds before 11 am, and actually started talking about catching the super super slam (tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook, redfish) on fly in one day. Sounds like a goal we might be going after very soon, as this is definitely a summer time pursuit.

I’m fishing several days in July and August with friends and on several of the trips professional world class photographer Pat Ford will be along to record the moments. We’re going to be chasing “whatever” floats our Mirages, but, the thought of a “Super Super Slam” really has my juices flowing. I wonder how many times that has been done???

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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David Dalu and Capt Scott Collins have done it again. Following up on last month’s impressive Golden Fly win, the team set out to prove it was no fluke and did so in dominating style. Their total for the week was 21 releases which re-sets the all time tournament record. The team did all of their damage exclusively on the ocean, taking advantage of extremely strong and low outgoing tides that created some of the best ocean fishing most could ever remember.

Their total included a 9 for 12 fish day on Tuesday (David’s lifetime best day). This would have set the all time one day record as well, had it not been for the team of Carlos Duncan and Capt Rob Fordyce. Breaking in Carlos’ brand new, two tone Maverick Mirage HPX outfitted with a 115 hp 2 stroke Yamaha, Carlos posted a 10 spot the same day! Both teams were fishing in the same “vicinity”, and could witness each other’s historic damage. 19 tarpon caught on the ocean by two boats fishing within shouting distance of each other still has everyone at the Lorelei shaking their heads and mumbling to themselves.

I had the opportunity to sit with David and talk about his record breaking week. I think I knew this already, but, I have to tell you listening to him talk about the importance of the team’s preparation, research and development into everything tarpon, and his personal physical training for the tournament rigor makes me know immediately that this team will be formidable for years to come. This team is serious- as David says, “if I’m going to make this kind of monetary investment and be away from my family for 10 days, I’m certainly going to prepare, prepare, and over prepare”.

David is gracious to credit much of his success to tarpon guru and mentor Ray Fletcher from Big Pine. He has spent hours picking the tarpon master’s brain and it has certainly paid dividends.

Also, I heard some unbelievable stories about Captain Scott Collins. David and Scott have been fishing together for several years, even before Scott was a licensed guide. The team chemistry is obvious and the friendship is more important than the fishing. How clutch is it for Collins to make a move on Wednesday with 30 minutes before lines out only to have Dalu catch 2 in the final 18 minutes of fishing time? Or how about catching 4 fish on Thursday in the last hour of fishing behind the team of Duncan/Fordyce? David nicknamed Scott “Hercules”, for he poled constantly into the 20-25 mph east wind the last two days of the tournament.

Based on conditions, David mentioned that he fished primarily Monic Tropical Clear Floating fly lines. There is no doubt that these lines help for clear water situations on the ocean. Monic takes a real commitment to learn how to fish, but, as I’ve said before, you will obviously catch more fish once mastered. In one week of fishing, the team hooked 42 tarpon while landing 21. Interesting to note, Rick and I also hooked 42 poon but managed to only land 7. After a great first day catching 5 and grabbing the early lead, the wheels fell off of our bus.

So, the Dalu/Collins team just keeps breaking records. Last year they were the only first time team in history to win the Hawley. This year they own the new 33 year record and have become only the second team to ever defend (Eizo Marahushi and Captain Randy Towe won 4 straight in the mid 90s). What’s next? Well, I know the team is focused on the Grandaddy of them all, the Gold Cup. They are booked to fish this year but are not officially entered in the tournament. Hopefully, there will be a last minute cancellation that will allow them to shoot for something that has never been done before - a sweep of the 3 tarpon tournaments in one year.

I’ll be fishing next weekend, back on the water looking for the laid up poons.

So, until then,

Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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This year’s tarpon season has certainly been a challenge to those who enjoy slick calm, tranquil tailing and laid up conditions in the backcountry. May has been an absolute blow out, with only a few days that appeared like summer. For weeks the winds have blown southwest to northwest and rarely in the east quadrant.

I was in the back last week, and for an hour first thing in the morning the fishing was absolutely epic. We hooked a fish on almost every cast, then the wind shifted abruptly to the southwest and it was over.

Last week’s Golden Fly Tarpon Tournament is a prime example of how wind conditions can affect the outcome of a tarpon tournament. Many teams produced outstanding results fishing primarily on the ocean. Winds blew from the southwest to west and dirty water near the main channels separating the ocean and Florida Bay meant extremely hungry poons.

Ocean fishing can be like this. With southeast light prevailing winds and clear water it becomes a numbers game. Catch a fish or two a day, get four bites and you have had a good day. But let the wind blow hard, particularly out of the west, and give that water a tinge of dirtiness, and those are the days to catch 4 or 5 fish. Ocean side tarpon fishing is a game of geometry and lead. Much has been said about geometry and the biting of fish. When a fish turns towards you and away from the fly, it is not a refusal - it is a “bite”, you have “bitten” the fish with your fly. Lead on the ocean is typically 20-40 feet depending on water quality. Bottom line is that the fish on the ocean can’t see the fly land, and if it does, it’s over. Throw it out in front of them, adjust it if necessary, and let them swim up to it.

To be a good ocean side tarpon fisherman, you must be able to recognize the fish’s line and understand the poon’s reaction to your fly’s movement. In a sense it is very similar to many bonefish situations.

The back is different in many ways. If the fish are “laid up”, the game is one of accuracy. Put the fly 2 feet in front of its’ nose. It is like redfishing - the fly has to be right in front of his face and it is clearly the biggest casting challenge in tarpon fishing (other than of course the 70 foot backhand into a 25 mph northeast wind!). If the fish are swimming, the lead is shorter than on the ocean - only about 10 feet. Lead to swimming fish in the back can change with water quality, so you might have to lengthen the lead if the water is crystal clear.

Rolling fish is the other common back situation we fish to often. Again, this a game of accuracy. Rick Murphy taught me years ago, “throw it inside the ring, don’t lead the fish”. Early in the tarpon season, I’m always leading these fish having just come off a serious bunch of bonefishing - I always have to go through “Rick re-adjustment”. The other important factor when fishing rolling fish is speed. I try to do only one false cast when getting the fly to the ring. Rick says you have 5 seconds to get it there - about one false cast.

If you are going to consistently catch tarpon on fly, and especially if you are going to be a serious tournament competitor, you need to develop the ability to catch them on both sides of the bridges. Weather will typically dictate where you need to be, and then you will need to adjust your style to the conditions. Both the ocean and the back have unique challenges that through the season provides enough variety to keep it interesting.

It is no secret that I prefer to spend my tarpon moments away from boats and jet skis hidden somewhere in the back looking for those laid up black logs. But sometimes the ocean provides the only opportunity to get shots. One of the weekdays this past week we returned to the ocean midday from the back, and I counted 34 boats from Long Key Bridge to Robbie’s Bridge. We found an opening at Matecumbe and staked up among the masses. The strings started coming, the water was dirty, and after about 10 shots I finally hooked a nice size poon. It was a nice ending to a pretty good day, kind of like icing. But there is no way I would do that every day, looking at the same houses and same boats running around casting over the same fish. To me, the ocean is the perfect place to cap off a day, maybe even pop a cold one while casting to the last schools swimming down the beach.

In this year’s Golden Fly, David Dalu proved the value of having an ocean and backcountry game. He was one of the few if only angler in the field to catch fish in this year’s tournament on both sides of the bridges. And because of that versatility, he and Guide Scott Collins are this year’s Grand Champions.

I’m in the Hawley next week with Rick and my practice season has been pretty decent. I’ve hooked fish everyday, and, having fished a lot on the ocean, I certainly have my casting arm warmed up.

I fish this Friday and Sunday, and then the 5 day tournament starts Monday. I’ll be reporting on the results,

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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The 2008 Tarpon Season would have to be classified tough at best and to some non-existent. The first couple weeks of April were pretty good as summer like conditions produced a good flow of fish on the ocean as well as ample opportunities in the back. But since the cold front that hit the week of April 14th, fishing overall has been extremely poor.

I’ve fished two days (one with Rick Murphy and one with Honson Lau) and have had very few shots. Of course, today is a workday, and the wind has laid down considerably. I’m fishing both Friday and Saturday this week, so hopefully I’ll have a little something to report.

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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Day 3 is in the books, and Grand Champions Ned Johnson and Pathfinder owner Captain Tim Klein are still celebrating. Ned managed to catch a 11.1 lb. weight fish to add to 9 releases (Most Release Award). Probably not coincidental, the last time the tournament was won with only one weight fish was in 1982 by Carl Navarre, Ned’s Grandfather. This along with the fact that Ned has come close in several tournaments made it a very special, first victory.

Maverick Mirage owners Thane Morgan and Captain Craig Brewer caught the biggest bone on the last day, bringing in a 12.2 lb. giant.

Tournament results across the board were marred by the cold front that seriously hampered fishing. Most teams reported getting only 2-8 shots per day. As usual, the shot count produced by Mark Krowka for me out-shined the rest of the field. On day 3 we had incredible, 22 shot fishing at giant mudding bonefish, some of which were on rays. I went 1 for 2 on releases, and hooked a single, huge bonefish off of a ray that crushed my fly closed. That fish, along with the break off on Thursday, would have won us the tournament as we believe both fish were seriously over 12 lbs.

But, the bottom line is this - despite incredible bad luck, I fished the worse tournament of my life and didn’t deserve to win. Simply pathetic and so bad that Marcy Krowka has convinced me to go see an eye doctor this week (something I’ve been putting off for about 2 years).

So, it’s tarpon season and I’ve racked my 9 and 10 weights. My 12 lb. leaders are tied and in the stretcher as this year I’m fishing the Don Hawley Invitational Tarpon Release Fly Tournament in June with Rick Murphy.

I’ll be reporting on all my practice days and hopefully get some cool video to go with it.

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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The cold front that hit this past Monday really has put a hurt on the bonefishing for this year’s Keys Spring Fly Bonefish Tournament. After two days of extremely brutal fishing, only one weight fish has been caught, a 10.13 lb fish by angler Mark Richens fishing with guide and former angler champion Mark Cockerham.

Mark Krowka and I had only a 5 shot day in Biscayne Bay on Wednesday, followed by a 14 shot downtown Islamorada day 2. I fished poorly but did manage to hook a giant bone of at least 12 lbs. The fish broke off which admittedly was most likely the result of a wind knot (yes, a wind knot).

So, entering day 3, the tournament is wide open and anyone can win. We’re heading back to the bay as winds have shifted to the east and hopefully the big boys will be back feeding.

I’ll report on the final results this weekend,

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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I finally got a copy of the video we made Christmas week while fishing with Frank Juliano and Jared Rascob. Fishing that week was just incredible with each evening filled with dozens of shots at tailing weight fish.

Filming bonefish action is certainly not as exciting as tarpon. They don’t jump, and sometimes the bite is not even seen. Not so with this fish - you can see on the video that he was a single, tailing in extremely shallow water. When he sees the white crab it is literally drilled into the sea grass.

The one thing that struck me while watching the video is how little I do during the “fight”. Big bonefish usually have 2-3 very strong runs of at least 100 yards. There is really nothing you can do to influence the time of the fight. Simply let them run, then wind it back in, let them run again, and wind it back in. Once they get relatively close to the boat and you are on the fly line, the key is to pull in the direction the fish is swimming. This is totally different than with tarpon.

You can see in this video how I pull sideways in the direction the fish wants to go. Also notice a real key in that Frank keeps spinning the boat in the direction of the fish. At the end of a fight, we keep spinning the boat and sometimes it may take up to ten 360s of the boat before the fish is netted. The main reason we do this is to keep the fish a distance from the boat until he can be planed up to the net. If you try to bring him close to the boat too soon, their tendency is to dive under the boat for cover. This can be disastrous.

I hope you enjoy the video - I know anyone who fishes for big bonefish will understand the rush.

I had a big day with Mark Krowka this past Friday and will be reporting on that soon.

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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This past week Larry Zarrella and I had the opportunity to spend 3 days with Rick at his Grandma’s house on Chub Cay. Northeast winds of up to 35 mph hit our face each day, as well as a consistent dark cloud cover. Conditions like this would normally spell disaster on your typical Bahamian bonefish trip, however, I must say, this was one world class experience that I won’t soon forget.

We boarded Rick’s Cessna at Tamiami airport at 8 am, and, after a short 40 minute flight, the dirt strip was in sight. A quick check through Customs and then a 20 minute ride to other end of the island brought us to Grammy’s.

Rick’s Grandfather built this house in 1972. It has stood the test of time and several hurricanes, and is perfectly situated on the lee side of the island, facing miles of white sand and grass flats that rarely ever see a skiff (in 3 days of fishing we never saw another fisherman). A Hewes Redfisher is kept at the house, and is luxurious by Bahamian standards.

What I really loved about this trip was the flexibility and that we weren’t tied to a “lodge schedule”. Andros Island Bonefish Club has for years been my favorite Bahamian destination, and I’ll continue to go there to fish with Rupert and Nick and chase those famous west side giants. But the feel at Grammy’s place was totally different.

The first day we ran literally 300 yards from the house to the “Grammy Flat”. Larry’s first cast produced a nice 9 1/2 lb. weight fish, and, two hours later, we had caught 10 bones from shots at singles, pairs, and schools. I waded, Larry stayed on the boat, and it was just an incredible start! Rick then insisted we run over to an inshore reef to catch dinner. On the first cast using a gulp shrimp I caught a 10 lb cubera, then Rick caught a 5 lb yellowtail, then Larry caught a nice 12 lb mutton - dinner is served.

After a great day of fishing the second day, we got back to the house, dropped Rick off to clean the night’s dinner, and Larry and I went back out to bonefish. Flexibility. The tide was huge in the morning, so we slept in. Dinner was fish, so we caught it. Snapper ala Kathy, fried snapper, ceviche, sashimi. The trip was just perfect.

The last morning, we woke to clear and sunny skies, and only a 15 knot wind. We took the time to make another incredible big country breakfast, and, knowing the tide would be falling at about 10 AM, we made the run out to one of the many big fish flats. Rick poled for about two minutes when the first tailer was spotted, then another, then another - to my amazement, the white sand flat that I was looking at, which stretched at least two miles, contained an uncountable number of bonefish. I’m talking hundreds, singles, schools of 50, 100, just unreal. We all jumped out and had one of the most incredible two hours of bonefishing I can ever remember.

I was also very impressed by the size of the fish on Chub. I did not catch a bone that didn’t take me into my backing. The fish there are typically 4-7 lbs., with the opportunity to catch big 10 lb. plus giants. Oh, and by the way, Chub Cay bonefish love the white crab. Check out the video of Rick’s skinny tailer. I think that fish is one of the longest bones I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, he was skinny. Catching a fish over 12 lbs on Chub is not uncommon.

Bottom line, I’ll be back. I’m already working on Rick. July(calm). October. This place is going to become one of my regular trips. Bonefishing as it should be - easy and fun, no stress. And fried mutton snapper.

This weekend I’m fishing with Charlie Johnson from Maverick on Saturday and Mark Krowka on Sunday. Hopefully, I’ll have something to talk about.

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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I’m convinced now. The new Mirage is big time fishy.

Captain Duane Baker and I proved it on Saturday, going 5 for 7 on bonefish and catching two weight fish. All of this action took place in the afternoon on the incoming tide while the outgoing morning tide produced only a couple of shots. A bad combination of no wind and little current had us both discussing the possibility of us heading to the backcountry to look for poons. We knew the wind was suppose to pick up and eventually blow 10-15 mph out of the southwest. And it did, almost at the same time the tide turned.

The fish were mudding and tailing on grass flats in pairs and small schools. When the presentation of the fly was perfect, the generic brown fly was drilled.

I’m heading to Rick Murphy’s place on Chub tomorrow morning to wade the white sand flats that the place is known for. We’ll probably do a little sustinence sushi fishing in the snapper rich channels - I’ve packed the soy, wasabi, and ginger! I’ll be reporting on this trip at the end of the week.

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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My new Maverick Mirage HPX-V is finished, and I had the opportunity to break it in on Maverick owner Scott Deal’s home waters of Vero Beach. Charlie Johnson and I splashed the boat and met Scott and friend Jim O’Conner on the water outside of his house. The plan was to get some good, running video of the new boat and possibly capture the ceremonial first catch.

While I don’t really want to go into details about my still inadequate video technology, all I can really say is thank God Scott brought his camera and captured the moment.

The boat is flat out amazing. Rigged with a 115 hp two stroke Yamaha, the boat did 57 mph at 5700 rpms. This was two guys, a full tank of gas, and no tweaking! I think this may end up being the fastest Mirage ever built.

And I think the boat is fishy. The first shot of the day produced a 12 pound redfish that absolutely drilled my Duane Crab bonefish fly. I thought the fishing overall was very good, with each flat producing several shots and everyone getting some fishing and catching time in. What really amazed me was the size of the trout - fish over 7 pounds are common here but they are incredibly finicky in the clear water. We also had shots at oversize resident snook that ignored our offerings.

On Sunday I had the chance to fish with Carlos Duncan from Houston, Texas. Carlos is a superb fly angler and past Grand Champion of the Golden Fly Tarpon Invitational Tournament. Our main goal for the day was to put a little bonefish slime on the new Mirage. Also, I have been talking to Carlos for quite some time about the ride of the Mirage - I wanted to show him what it could do.

Winds were blowing 15-20 knots out of the northeast, and when I turned right in Whale Harbor and out onto the oceanside on our way to Key Largo, Carlos asked, “Aren’t you going to run the back?” I ran to Key Largo in very rough seas at a comfortable 46 mph and we arrived dry and not sore. As a Whipray and Marquesas owner, Carlos was shocked, convinced, and is now joining the team. Oh, and he caught a bonefish. Great day!

I have several bonefish days coming up and will report on my practice for the Spring Fly.

So, until then,
Tim (Flatsheadd@aol.com)

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