Say Hey Bill Kiene..........Tarpon Trip

[k.hanley]

I know you just got home buddy, but how about a report on your trip down to the Northern Yucatan? :D
Cheers, Ken

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hi Ken

There were 4 of us last week at Tarpon Cay Lodge in the MX Yucatan about 3 hours drive northwest of Cancun. I fished with an old friend Larry Cullins of Atwater, CA. John Yen and John Lutch of Davis, CA were with us as well.

We had lots of action on the Baby Tarpon which ran 5 to 10 pounds along the mangrove shore line, in shallow lagoons and up small creeks.

We had 2 days out of the 5 that were calm enough to go out looking for the 'Grande Tarpon'.

On our third morning we ran west for about 45 minutes in search for big ones but we did not find them that day. Our friends did find some and John Lutch hooked one that was around 80 pounds for a short while.

On our fourth morning it was also calm so we ran down there and were lucky to find some huge schools of giant Tarpon, 50 to 150 pounds, chasing bait on the surface which was visible for over a quarter mile. Some fish were actually jumping completely out of the water. It was a “movable feast”.

We went upwind and free drifted down into them. There were hundreds of fish that swarmed around our boat as they feverishly chased bait fish. Larry hooked the first fish which our guide estimated at 80 kilos. It was an awesome fish that ran out a 100 yards of line and then made two really spectacular jumps before breaking off.

After that we tied up some stronger leaders and hooked 5 more fish running 50 to 80 pounds. We boated 2 of them. The entire thing only lasted about 2 hours but it made our entire trip one to remember.

John Lutch land one around 60 pounds that day too. They did not get out as far as we were and did not get into the big schools.

Then on our last day is was fairly windy so after running down there we decide to go in along the remote coast in shallow water to see if we could find some. Jon Yen hooked a big one that day but it broke off.

Food was great and Beto took good care of us at the Hotel San Felipe. We went out to the barrier island after lunch to swim, snorkel and siesta in hammock under the palapas two of our days. We also went on a small van tour with Beto to Rio Lagartos where huge flocks of flamingos reside.

I was the only one who had previously fished for Tarpon so it was a momentous trip for all. We were already talking about next year.

[Lee Haskin]

Great report Bill,

TCL is truely a special place. I can't wait to get a crack at those off shore fish....and I am packing the 12 wt.! :shock:
Does Marco still have the same guides at San Felipe?

Were there any specific types of baitfish patterns that worked better than others, for the ocean fish? Size? Color?

Did you stay with floating lines or did you use an Int., or clear tip?

Thanks again Bill, you are the "man". :wink:

Lee

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hi Lee,

They have the same guides who are very good. I think they have had plenty of practice there now after 3 seasons of fishing.

We used big #3/0 Sea Habits but I'm sure other bait fish flies will work.

We lost some of the big fish because our 50# shock tippet wore through so we went to 80#. We did not think the fish would be that large.

They are actually 50 to maybe 200#!!!!

20# breaking tippet is OK though.

We used Sage 10 weight Xi2 rods with Rio WF10F Tarpon lines.

You might want to have an outfit set up with a clear tip or clear slow sinking line for when the fish are found but not feeding.

I think we will recommend 10 to 12 weight outfits now.

It was a real thrill to have the big fish on, especially the big "bill fish" type jumps.

I hope you hit them good Lee.

__________________________________________________ __________

PS: Lee is one of the group of anglers who has helped pioneered this area with us along with others like Rick Jorgensen and Leo Gutterres.

[Lee Haskin]

Hi Bill,

OK. It is good see that TCL still has the same guides. They are terrific, along with Marco's skiffs.

I am planning to use a Rio Clear Tip for the 12 wt. , and an Ultra 4, 10 line for the 10 wt. setup.

With those big fish around I'm surprised you didn't start with 80# bite. :wink:
80# with the 20# twisted leader should be perfect.

This was the setup our group used in the Keys, and it never failed for fish to 140#! (Thank you Leo!!)

Good information, Bill. Thanks so much. Hopefully, the weather will be favorable for us next week.

I was fishing reds with a group in Louisiana, last month, and we had terrible weather the entire trip! It happens. :(

At least you had the one memorable day....and I'm sure the babies, we love so much, were still available, right?!

Cheers,

Lee

[Rick J]

Hi Lee - are you heading down there next week? We have a group scheduled for July 7-13. Last year around the same time period we really had great fishing and managed 3 of the 5 days out after the big fish and found them each time. We were using 10 wts and size 1/0 and 2/0 flies - Leo did very well on the green Toad fly. But any streamer type pattern seemed to work!

Most everyone used floating lines - I used an intermediate tip part of the time

Best regards,
Rick J

[Lee Haskin]

Hi Rick,

Good to hear from you!

Yes, our group will be there just before you. We are there 3 days and then back to Isla Blanca for the remaining days.
We are doing Marco's Grand Slam Tour.

I saw the pictures and heard the story about your trip. You guys really hit it right on for the big ones. They certainly are a test of your knots, equipment, and fish-fighting skills, aren't they??!!

Have a great trip! It will be fun to compare notes when we get back.

Best,
Lee

[k.hanley]

Bill that sounded like a terrific adventure! Nice job. We have much planned for growing the program options in the Yucatan. The next few years with Keith and Marco are going to be quite exciting down there. We're exploring photography outings etc.... and of course continiung to expand and explore the fisheries. Thanks for the post.
Cheers, Ken