30MAR18

It said---a picture is worth a thousand words. I know... there are literally 100s of "guides" who claim to be tarpon guides. They all look the same. 

The truth is- here at "Ground Zero"-- there are but less than a handful of pro tarpon fishermen who have dedicated 30 or more years to the fish.

So let the images talk and then you decide :) 

6 hours--last Monday- best fish 180lbs.

"On the hunt" - North American Turkey Grand Slam attempt:
I've got the Osceola down and leave Sunday for Texas to attempt a Rio. 

Enjoy the images!

www.GiantTarpon.com

call or text

727 597 0957

2017 Ends With A Bang

Happy New Year!

 After Irma we still had 3 weeks to go yet before I left to deer hunt in the Midwest.

We had inconsistent action in Tampa Bay. On two occasions there were no fish to be had. On a 3rd attempt. we had tarpons rolling all around the boat, but only were successful in landing 1 of 2 on a long day.While any time a GiantTarpon takes flight is a good day, our clients anticipate more consistent action and so do I.

I headed back to the south. It was there that I hit the big numbers of fish. There were no shutouts and we had multiple trips where we flew double digits of tarpon. This was more like it!

Temperatures stayed mild through December. Three days following Christmas, I was still jumping tarpon to 180 lbs in just 4 feet of water in the Captiva area.

Old Man Winter finally arrived shortly after. We took a blast of Arctic air and then a couple of reinforcing cool fronts. Water temps plummeted into the mid 50s.

While those atypical temperatures put a screeching halt on the tarpon fishing-it was needed. We have not had a winter in two years. The lack of cold water allows all of the fish to scatter out throughout their range. While some benefit from that, as a whole, it is the formula for a weak cycle of fish all year. We want the adult migratory tarpon to leave as they should.

Trout, redfish and sheepshead are the "bread and butter" species of winter. As it should, that is what is going on now. Snook and juvenile tarpon have made it deep into the backcountry where they belong. The migratory fish such as GiantTarpon, cobia, mackerel and kingfish have moved out. The stage for a good cycle of fish in 2018 is set and welcomed.

Now is the time to book for the best tides and moon phases for the remainder of the year.

I've attached some images dating back to the last blog on October 12th 2017. As you can see, short of the extremities of winter, we catch tarpon all year. No-tarpon fishing is not necessarily best in May and June. When is it best? Anytime the water is above 68F degrees AND the fishing pressure is minimal.

Feel free to contact me anytime to discuss the opportunities we have throughout the year.

Screaming Drags and Tired Arms!

Robert McCue
www.GiantTarpon.com
(727) 597-0957

12OCT17-


We were virtually unaffected by hurricane Irma that passed 150 miles to the south. Naturally the storm killed tourism and forced a lot of cancellations post the storm. Fear of the possibility of "more to come" mostly generated by the media had many people trying to hold off their plans in October.

In short-we lost many days/trips over this time period-some justified-some not. For those who continued with their trips-we produced the GiantTarpon on nearly every trip.

The best fishing of the year is going on right now and will last-at minimum for the giants-at least another month.

Here is a video and some still shots taken last Sunday.  There is pleny of hotel space available. The mornings have cooled off considerable. The hours of light to dark are noticeable decreasing. This all triggers the tarpon to stage and gorge.

Inshore the redfish have been everywhere.  I am able to still produce big livebaits for those looking for trophy snook.

Let's gooooooooo!

Screaming Drags and Tired Arms!

www.GiantTarpon.com

28AUG17
Monday-

A low system ( unrelated to Harvey in Texas) has been parked over us for several days now. That's kept me in port.

I've been busy in the office trying to catch up on life. Thank you for the notes and gifts of gratitude. That goes along way with me !

High pressure returns mid week. Snook season opens September 1st. Sc hool is back in session-college students seem to be back during the week. That's a slow period for all of us in our state's industry-tourism.

The autumn equinox falls on 21`SEP17. The change in light to dark ratio is a biological timer to the fish to move and gorge.

Let's gooooooo!

Enjoy the images!

www.GiantTarpon.com

Friday-
11AUG17-

We weathered a tropical storm ovewr a week ago. While its be3en a full year of atypical weather-the cycle of tarpon has been it's best in several years.

So what to do when Mother Nature throws you a curve? Keep fishing! Father Time always prevails.

Here are some images from the past week.

Screaming Drags and Tired Arms!

www.GiantTarpon.com

1AUG17
Tuesday-

Sunday morning started out wet. As I suspected, weather conditions had moved the main body of fish. On the hunt we went-but not for long. Next we dodged storms. Finally-I got the baits out at a spot of speculation. 10 minutes later we were tight with a 200lb giant (image above).

Once we landed and photographed the beast-the "bucket" was filled and we headed back to higher ground. One and done-smash and dash.

Weather was not avoidable on Tuesday. The day was spent preparing for the rest of the week.

I anticipate the rivers to be draining recent rain waters for the next few days. Last night-I did see that the tide went out-that's a good thing!

I'll be fishing hard the next few days and will be back here after I make this strike.

Screaming Drags and Tired Arms!

28JUL17

Friday-

High winds and general inclement weather in April and May set the spawning cycle of tarpon back several weeks. while that offered many challenge back then-t5oday reap the reward of an over-abundance of an already exceptional cycle of fish.

When is tarpon fishing best? Now! The crowds are gone. The fish are returning from spawning with the sole purpose to regain lost body mass. In short-they're biting!

Not only is now the time to fish-now is the time for the giants. By fishing the bottom, we can specifically target the giant females.

Giant permit are moving in as close to shore as they'll be all year. We've been catching some brutes to 35 lbs. The fish hold tight to structure. Some finesse accompanied with pure physical strength are staple to landing one3 of these lifetime fish.

Enjoy some of the images from the past few trips!

Screaming Drags and Tired Arms!

(727) 597-0957
www.GiantTarpon.com