tarpon and jacks

[Steve Pitts]

Well Steve H -

It would appear that you have more luck in competitions than you do with jacks

I don't know if you are aware, but back home we are experiencing a real heatwave. It was so sticky last night that I stayed up 'till 2.00am (couldn't sleep) and ran through the video footage that I shot in May.

Some nice shots of your tarpon and young Christopher's too.
Some of it was so good that I've dropped it into the Fishing in the Caribbean film.

You know - this film is suffering from 'one last cast' sydrome.
Just when I think it's finished, we go off to Tobago again and catch something else!

When Mike returns, I will have to call it a day I think and get it wrapped up.

Cheers
Steve

[Stephen Hull]

Steve P & all

I'm no good at winning prizes either - this is the first time I've won anything since I got a bottle of wine in the school raffle - aged 7!

Back at Plymouth Pier this morning. Arrived just after five with some good livebait (for once). Marc opted to stay in bed - well he is on honeymoon after all! All was quiet and no sign of any tarpon. At 5.15am the tarpon started moving in-shore and were crashing the bait at the end of the pier - time to get a hook in the water!

In contrast to Monday the bait crashing only lasted for around 15 minutes. Thereafter the bait seemed to split up, although there was sporadic surface activity (mostly bait) and the occasional tarpon surfacing until 7:30am when I left.

By 6:30am no bites and I'm starting to drift off. Suddenly the float is away. As the slack line is taken up I start to wind into the fish. Brief moment of resistance followed by that sinking feeling as I realise the fish hasn't hooked up. Lob another bait out quickly and five minutes later the float goes again, but after two seconds and only taking a couple of yards of slack the fish lets go...

And that, as they say , was it...

The Plymouth tarpon seem to be a bit more fickle than their Sandy Point counterparts. Marc was also out with Grandslam on Monday/Tuesday evenings at Plymouth and didn't get any hook ups, whereas when they went back to Sandy Point they got several hook-ups.

At Plymouth the fish don't seem to grab the bait and run like they do at Sandy Point. The bites tend to be more tentative and often the fish drop the bait after a couple of seconds. Whether this is to do with the more coloured water at Plymouth - the fish don't feel the need to run-off with their prize - or is just some temporary quirk I've no idea. Obviously requires further research!!

Steve H

[Stephen Hull]

Another trip on Grandslam for tarpon yesterday afternoon, joined by Marc and Claire. Fished about 100yards off the 1st jetty at Sandy Point where the tarpon were crunching a big shoal of friars. By 4pm Marc had landed 3 fish to 45lb and lost a fourth at the boat, as well as having a couple more takes. I was still waiting for my first bite...which duly came and I muffed it and the second, and I muffed it again.. - there was a strong cross wind and the fish were running towards the boat, making it hard to hook them on an 8ft boat rod. Finally at the third attempt I hooked up with a fish of 20lb or so which after about 5 minutes of fun was getting tired. I was feeling smug about bullying the fish in on my boat rod having seen Marc sweat for half an hour to subdue his 45 pounder on his Exage. Within 5 yards of the boat the fish made one last desperate (and spectacular) leap followed by a loud crack! My stop knot had been pushed up the line and got jammed in a ring when the fish leapt and took line. Fortunately (!) Claire managed to record all this on video for posterity! Hey Steve - there's another minute's film for you - how not to catch tarpon!

After that, a few more missed bites as the sun went down. Last cast I eventually caught a fish - a small red snapper of not much more than 1lb!
But all in all a great afternoon and just goes to show that when they are in the mood tarpon will feed at any time of day.

And of course, Steve, who should we see on the beach at Sandy Point not long after their plane had landed, but Mike and Richard - easily recognisable at 300 yards by white legs and floppy hats!

Steve H

[Steve Pitts]

Steve

That footage will go in the 'You've Been Framed' section of the film.

I expect that Mike and Richard had hit Sandy Point straight from baggage reclaim knowing them.

Please keep me informed of their movements, as I was thinking around mid-day (UK time) that they would be down at Jack Bay or SP for an early morning session, whilst I was stuck at work.

Cheers
Steve

[Stephen Hull]

Steve

Spoke to Mike this morning. They caught nothing at Sandy Point but had three barracuda and a snook at Buccoo this morning. They said there were lots of tarpon there too! By the time you read this, we will all hopefully be fishing off Plymouth Pier for tarpon.

Wish you were here!

Steve H

[Steve Pitts]

Steve

Wish you were here!

Steve H

Whatever gave you that idea?

I'll have you know that I have spent a very enjoyable morning being dragged around various equestrian outlets by the female members of my family, then a liesurely stroll behind a trolley at Sainsburys and to round it oFf I mowed the lawn and did some weeding in the flower beds.

Came in to check out myTobago and there was your message ..........

You've really made my day!

Give all your newfound buddies my regards and catch one for me.

Cheers
Steve

[Stephen Hull]

Steve

You're not missing much fishing action - we all pretty much blanked again this morning - although it was a lovely sunrise. Marc and I tried for tarpon at Plymouth jetty but the fish were far less visible than earlier in the week, notwithstanding that the red sardines were still pretty plentiful. Live bait nearly all died overnight - another powercut. Ended up fishing with baby catfish which we caught at the jetty using the cast net. Had one tarpon bite, but muffed it again! Marc caught a small snook right under the jetty. Kester says he has been fishing the Plymouth fish quite hard the last couple of months and thinks they are becoming a bit hook shy. Certainly most of the takes we've had have been pretty tentative. No idea why the fish were not crashing the bait again this morning - we were fishing the last 2 hours of the ebb which should have seen the tarpon gorging themselves on friars on the Turtle Beach side of the jetty, but there were only signs of an occasional fish either side of the jetty and none further out.

Mike and Richard popped along from their session at Jack Bay - they hadn't had a sniff, although they had managed a few small jacks and snappers at Pigeon Point yesterday.

Steve H

[Matt Jenkins]

Steve,

Bad luck on the tarpon but it's good news for me that there are some around the jetty. I'm bringing a load of sabiki rigs over so hopefully that'll help in the case of your overnight bait deaths! eventually manged to get some mono leader too. Counting down...18 days!

Matt

[Graham W]

Fished Batteaux Bay at daybreak this morning after seeing big predators swimming only a few metres from shore line yesterday even though the beach was busy.Fished for a couple of hours with lures but no takes only from a Laughing Gull when braid got wrapped around its wing, but after giving me a good pecking it flew off and continued feeding.I will be moving
down to Crown Point soon and will try Sandy Point ,Canoe Bay & Pigeon Point.By the way where is Jack Bay?

[Stephen Hull]

Matt

The Sabiki's should work well at Plymouth jetty - there is a whole pile of small stuff under the jetty - jacks, catfish etc etc. If they won't take the Sabiki, try baiting the hooks with a little bit of fish and take off the weight and let the bait drift down.

Graham

The big fish I have seen at Batteaux Bay were snook under the jetty, but I never caught any. When you get to Crown Point, Sandy Point, Pigeon Point and Canoe Bay/Friendship/Kilgwyn are all worth a try with lures, although at the moment Jack Bay (Plymouth) isn't producing anything. A better bet would be Buccoo Bay - Mike Ladle reported a lot of activity past the cliff/deserted house half way along the Bay. To access this shore, walk along the beach until you reach the cliff and walk through the grounds of the deserted house. Turn right onto a track through the bush, immediately past the entrance gates and follow it back to the shore. Worth a shout early morning.

Steve H

[Steve Pitts]

By way where is Jack Bay?

Hi Graham

You will not find Jack bay on a map, because that isn't its real name.
It's a small sandy beach, which produces jacks on a regualr basis, but anyone who fishes it with me is sworn to secrecy.

It is the only place on Tobago, that I decline to give info. on but there are clues to its location, if you care to go back over the 50-odd fishing related posts for the past three years

Tight lines
Steve

[Phil Dean]

i've read everyone and haven't a clue, long may it remain that way.

[Matt Jenkins]

Steve P,
I feel the steve H may have just given the game away..from studying the photos i think i have a good idea where it is! My lips are sealed. I'll see if a carib can get steve H to confirm!
Matt

[Steve Pitts]

Sorry to dissapoint you Matt

But Jack Bay is in fact a mythical Nirvana - a Valhalla, where all jack addicts go after being laid to rest on a funeral pyre of Carib crates, rod and reel clutched to his chest, in readiness for the after-life.

I'm sure you've heard the old saying -

Old anglers don't die - they just smell that way.

Cheers
Steve

PS
Here is the rest of my avitar

[Phil Dean]

cracking fish steve.

[Steve Pitts]

cracking fish steve.

A tiddler Phil - courtesy of Jack Bay.

In reality, we have had lots more blanks here than I care to remember, but when it comes good - well - need I say more.

[Stephen Hull]

Steve

I reckon I've had one fish from 9 attempts at Jack Bay! Must be my bad lure technique! But like a lot of places out here, if the bait isn't there, then the big predators won't be there.

Met up with Mike and Richard this morning to fish Sandy Point with lures - well actually I couldn't get any livebait. The tarpon were swarming around the first jetty but studiously ignored every lump of plastic or metal that we threw at them. I tried a local jig (which is reportedly good for snook - lead head with white nylon bristles) on the basis that this is the lure that most closely resembles a fly (which still seem to attract interest when the tarpon and feeding on friars) and can be retrieved moderately slowly. On one cast the lure got dragged thirty yards sideways - line was coming off the reel so fast I couldn't close the bail arm! This may have been a case of casting the lure over the back of a tarpon and the fish taking fright as the fish didn't hook up. I subsequently spooked another fish which leapt out of the water when the lure dragged over it. But no postive takes.

When the tarpon are gorging on friars they just mill around and within the shoals and occasionally gulp down a slug of friars. I don't think they are in a mindset to chase a lure retrieved at any speed. In contrast, flies are highly visible (often white) and rcan be etrieved fairly slowly. This may be why tarpon are prepared to follow a fly when they won't show an interest in a (more realistic) lure. However, they will still take a livebait in these circumstances (the bigger the better).


Steve H

[Steve Pitts]

Sounds frustrating Steve.

You're right about the fly gear being a suitable technique - don't you have any?

I am raffelling a 10wt Fulling Mill 4-piece + Okuma reel, 10wt floating line and a box of 30 flies for BASS. A fiver a ticket, if you're interested.

Oh - the draw is tomorrow at noon (thought I'd better mention that)

No fly gear?
I have two words to say to you......

FISH HEADS.

Please get hold of a few buckets of scraps and pre-bait around the jetties or off the beach for a couple of days. I'm convinced that you don't need flying fish - anything will do, as long as the tarpon are there, you should be able to condition them to the pre-baiting.

They are used to it at places like SP and I would bet a tenner that you'll at least get a few hook-ups after a minimal amount of pre-baiting. Whether you land one, of course, is up to you and the tarpon.

Go get 'em Steve

[Graham W]

Managed to break my blank run by taking a small Barracuda and a Wrasse-like fish with a big mouth on a Mag-popper surface lure at Pigeon Point yesterday evening. I had been using a shallow diving lure so maybe the Mag might bring me a few more fish on my last week here.
I need a good fish to test my Beastmaster and Fireline braid which is performing very well.I feel more confidant now that i've caught. Any advice from the experts would be welcome.

[Matt Jenkins]

Well all these reports are going to make the next 11 days to very quickly! I can't wait now...exams are all over and i'm counting down! Hows the courland river looking? Has it started flooding yet? Hoping theres some big tarpon just sitting off plymouth waiting for my plane to land! Anyone whos out there or who will be out there from the 27th july i'll be found at the end of plymouth jetty early morning and evening. Tight lines everyone,

Matt