Tarpon Day Three

Fished Monday with the Mikes in Islamorada. Things started out tough and conditions were terrible, but we persevered. It definitely paid off. We got into a mutton snapper bite that was a blast. We also caught a grouper. While we were catching muttons, Ace hooked a nice tarpon in the 50-70 pound range on a jig. We fought the fish for close to 45 minutes. We had the fish to the boat several times but we finally broke him off when the tarpon swam into a minefield of crab pots. Game over. Pro Tip: Changing the direction of pull when fighting a tarpon tends to confuse the fish and break his will to fight. This brings the fish to the boat quicker and can shorten the fight.