# Recommend Any Tarpon Flies?



## skinny_water (Jun 11, 2008)

Thats a common problem with Tarpon flies. Thats why you don't see many tied with the basic mustad and tied on the fancy Owner or Gama hooks. Maybe they are flies that they tie in house, and they will upgrade the hooks for ya.

What type of fly was it, and what type of hook did it have? Possibly a circle hook?
-Richard


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

well, tarpon are just like that. Their bony mouths are hard to get a hook set all the time and even when you do those insane jumps and head shakes usually throw the fly back at you anyway.  

As fer those old Mustads, lots and lots and lots of tarpon have been boated using them, but as with any hook they have to be sharp with a strong point like a triangular bevel. The "thing" with the newer "boutique" hooks is they are much sharper off the shelf than the older styles were. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with a properly sharpened Mustad 34007 hook for any kind of fish on fly.  

Assuming your hooks are sharp the first thing I would do is make sure your rod tip is pointed at the fly when they strike, preferably an inch or three below the water and you have minimal slack in the line and you don't set the hook until you feel a tug. This of course is just technique for getting a good hook set with any fish on a fly.

For small tarpon I've had good success with small light wire circle hooks. I've fished for, but not hooked any big tarpon with 4/0 circle hooks like you'd use with live bait. I suspect they'll work too, I just have nothing to back that up yet. But what I have tried with circle hooks and flies has worked as you'd expect with circle hooks and bait.

You didn't say how small your hooks were, but I could imagine going too small for tarpon too. Even the little ones have relatively large mouths so I wouldn't go any smaller than say #2 no matter how little the fish are with a #1 or 1/0 being about right for most situations.

Keep at it though, odds are you'll get one to the boat eventually.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Try some tied on Tiemco 600s. Sizes 1/0-3/0


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## dacuban1 (Sep 9, 2008)

Congrats on even hooking one. They are hard even on spinning. I heard theres thick schools of tarpon out there right now between ceaser and angelfish. Is that where you saw them?


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## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

I wish we had that problem up here in Jacksonville. The fact that you got 5 tarpon to eat was a pretty damn good accomplishment. The problem could be the hook, the tarpons' bony mouths, or hook set technique. Since you can't do anything about their mouths, you might try a different hook (well sharpened) on the same pattern , and a review of your hook set technique.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> Congrats on even hooking one. They are hard even on spinning. I heard theres thick schools of tarpon out there right now between ceaser and angelfish. Is that where you saw them?



It was by a grass flat off of Viscaya by Key Biscayne.
I don't know much about Biscayne Bay.
I have fished Flamingo more than I have fished BB. 


And about the hook size, I have no clue what size it is.
But it's pretty small. 
It's actually smaller than the size one would use to live shrimp for snapper.
And it's a regular J-hook.
How do the circle hooks work?
As for the hook set, I had the rod tip in the water with little to no slack on most of them.
And I just pulled really hard on the strip set like I usually do for every fish I catch on fly.
It just wasn't working.


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## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

Sounds like it was just one of those days. Still exciting to see that many.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> Sounds like  it was just one of those days. Still exciting to see that many.



Yeah, I was hoping to catch one because I have never been able to boat one on spinning or fly period. 
So it would have been great for my first poon to come on fly. 
Most of them weren't too big. 
The biggest was probably around 25lbs, but definitely fun.
And would be easier on my 8wt.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

There's a few things you didn't say about the tarpon you were in.... What size were they? What was the size of your fly, and the size of the hook it was tied up on? Along with a visit to the Miami Fly Shop you might want to add a trip up to the Ft. Lauderdale Fly Shop... Both owned by the same folks, but many of the tarpon flies at the Lauderdale shop are tied by.... me.

Seriously I tie different patterns and sizes for everything from the babies in Coot Bay to the giants along the coast of Flamingo (we were in big fish yesterday but the weather shut down most of our shots...). Think of it this way, you use different sized nails for different jobs - and different hammers as well. Your rod size is the same as hammer size, the flies, like nails, have to be job specific to give you much of a chance.

If you're getting bites, you're more than half way there. Learning to stick the fish is another job entirely... If you do fish for smaller fish (say under 30lbs), keep your hooks on the small side- nothing larger than 2/0 and at times as small as a #2... And if it's the smaller fish, ask Dave at the Lauderdale shop to show you the smallest rabbit strip flies that I tie for them, they're a little hard to miss - fl.green with a black tail on a light wire #2 hook...

Hope this helps.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> There's a few things you didn't say about the tarpon you were in.... What size were they?  What was the size of your fly, and the size of the hook it was tied up on?  Along with a visit to the Miami Fly Shop you might want to add a trip up to the Ft. Lauderdale Fly Shop...  Both owned by the same folks, but many of the tarpon flies at the Lauderdale shop are tied by.... me.
> 
> Seriously I tie different patterns and sizes for everything from the babies in Coot Bay to the giants along the coast of Flamingo (we were in big fish yesterday but the weather shut down most of our shots...).  Think of it this way, you use different sized nails for different jobs - and different hammers as well.  Your rod size is the same as hammer size, the flies, like nails, have to be job specific to give you much of a chance.
> 
> ...



I'm going to take a picture of the fly.
It's a fly tied by forum member Aaronshore.
It's white, around 3 inches, maybe bigger. 
With some green, and some flash.
The tarpon were anywhere from 10-40 lbs.
There are some bigger ones mixed in.
A couple small ones, and the others ones a little bigger.
I'm not into the whole hour long fight type stuff, so I don't intend to go after any bigguns. 
Although I jumped a nice one easily over 80lbs in Buttonwood canal one day trolling some MirrOdines through the no wake zone. lol


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

Go to the Lauderdale Fly Shop and take a look at LeMay's flys. Better built and thought out, no question. Top quality. Capt. Dave's there Weds-Sat. till 5PM. It's on US1, east side, couple blocks south of Commercial Blvd. You can take I-95 up, and over on Commercial. Well worth the trip. Real old timers Dave and LeMay, and I fit in between.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I picked up some flies from the Fly Shop of Miami.
I picked up some redfish flies, peacock bass flies, and tarpon flies.
I tried out one of the peacock bass flies on my way home.
It got crushed a couple times. One was easily over 3lbs and the other looked to be over 4lbs.
I didn't get a hook set because they struck right under me at the edge of the bank and I pulled the fly out of their mouth due to the angle I was in.
But the lead eyes fell out of the fly. 
The only other time that has happened was with a cheap bass pro clouser.
The peacock flies I picked up look great, and the fish obviously like it.
But it fell apart too easily. 

What I also found a bit odd was that I saw a live shrimp swimming in a brackish water canal. 
Right down the bank from where I had the two peacock bass crush the fly.


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

If it's obvious that the loss of the lead eye was because of poor tying or however they were attached. Take it and similar ones back for an exchange. That's what I'd do. It is also why I recommended LeMay's flys from the Ft Lauderdale store.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> If it's obvious that the loss of the lead eye was because of poor tying or however they were attached. Take it and similar ones back for an exchange. That's what I'd do. It is also why I recommended LeMay's flys from the Ft Lauderdale store.



I'm definitely going to go to the Ft.Lauderdale one from now on.
It's just that the Miami one is closer, and I had drove by it one day and spotted it so I knew where it was.
So I went there instead of listening to fellow forum members including Lemay.


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## dacuban1 (Sep 9, 2008)

> > If it's obvious that the loss of the lead eye was because of poor tying or however they were attached. Take it and similar ones back for an exchange. That's what I'd do. It is also why I recommended LeMay's flys from the Ft Lauderdale store.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


If you go to bass pro at dolphin mall talk to capt Jerry. Hes usually there in the afternoons. He ties flys from his house and are bad a$$. The ones at the store arent the ones he ties. Also if you go to dons bait and tackle, Ashley ties as well and his are even better.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> > > If it's obvious that the loss of the lead eye was because of poor tying or however they were attached. Take it and similar ones back for an exchange. That's what I'd do. It is also why I recommended LeMay's flys from the Ft Lauderdale store.
> >
> >
> >
> ...



Sounds good. I should be going to BPS today at dolphin. I need to get a trailer tire for my trailer.
I also stop at Don's whenever we get live bait on our way to 'mingo.
Although lately we've gone straight artificial and have done better than with live bait. 
I'll stop next time and pick up some flies.


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## pancholo (May 10, 2009)

The only recomendation that i can give you it to use circle hooks 3/0 from Owner... there is a catch that they have this bend that makes it tricky when tying to maintain alignment with the profile but tarpon dont tie flies ... they wont notice ... also gamakatsu has a line of circle hooks with no offset on the hook that would be an EXCEllent replacement for traditional fly tying saltwater hooks


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

The Miami Fly Shop has a very good selection of flies... the only reason I touted the shop I tie for is that I just delivered a few patterns that were specifically for baby tarpon.... Ask Dave to show you the Crystal Schminnow, tan/white, purple/black, and brown/orange on a #1 hook or the Swamp Doctor in fl. green/black on a #2 hook (both patterns with a wire weedguard for use around mangroves). Another very good baby tarpon bug is the Speed Bug, a soft foam head popper in any color, size #1 hook...

While we're on the subject, I've been in tarpon of every size this past Wed & Fri... and couldn't buy a strike with solid shots at fish up to and over 100lbs. It's particularly tough when there's lots of smaller 10 to 30's in the same area while ladyfish, jacks, and everything else were just jumping on my angler's flies... but that's tarpon fishing. I'm hoping my anglers will come back for another shot at them.

When not on the water this time of year I'm filling orders for the shop. Here's four patterns for the big fish that are destined to fill a few bins. They're still on the drying rod now...


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

Picked up 10 of your flys from the Ft Laud shop yesterday. I always buy them in pairs in case of a loss.


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## dacuban1 (Sep 9, 2008)

those look nice!


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## Capt._A_J (Mar 5, 2009)

I concur the tiemco 600s is a great hook for Tarpon for I have caught many tarpon with this hook and feathers. It is a ruthless snagger! Beware.


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