Tarpon Rod????

Drifter · 12-16-99, 11:58 PM

My next rodbuilding project will be a 12-weight for those angry tarpon on the Florida flats. "Course I'll need a reel to go with it! Anyone have a suggestion for a good saltwater reel that will hold about 200 - 300 yards of backing at a decent cost? It must have a good drag--hopefully cork. I can't justify paying $500 for a reel.

David,

You got any deals on a 12 weight blank (4-piece)?

------------------
The Drifter <'(((><
------------------
The Virtual Fish Camp
Let's Fish The White River!
NGTO Fling on the "Hi"

WDNFLY · 12-17-99, 08:21 AM

Try Shikari for your blank. The web address is Shikariblanks.com. They are the only blanks I build with. I'm not sure about the 4pc situation. I have a 10x that is one very powerful rod. It's still n blank form but I plan ti build it for Tarpon, I like going light.
For the reel try J.Ryal's new large arbor reels. Very nice and the drag could stop a train. If yu can't find them locally my local shop has shipped stuff for NGTO members in the past so let me know if you need to contact them. If the make one big enough you woud be very pleade with both the performance and the price.

Chris England · 12-28-99, 01:14 PM

Check out Talon for blanks as well. Superb! http://www.talon-graphite.com

For the reel, you can't go wrong with Abel. But most importantly, you're not going to be looking for a "drag that can stop a train." In selecting a drag, make sure that it has a large disk surface, has no hesitation on the initial surge, and *can* lock down extremely tight for pulling a fish up off the bottom.

This may be somewhat contrary to the previous poster's advice, but bear with me for a second. I've caught a few tarpon in my life.

A #10 is barely sufficient... maybe for true flats fishing, down in the key's but even then it's going to be tough especially if you hook a fish over 100lbs.

Here's problem #1... When the fish pulls you across hells half acre, very often he'll lay up in deep water (we're talking fish in the 160lb class here) That #10 is going to be hard pressed to lift the fish off the bottom, and get it up beside the boat where you can release it safely. Fighting big Tarpon for a long time is frowned upon in FL. (about as much as seeing a corn chunker on a trophy trout stream. You'll definately get hollered at if you fight it too long. in the parts of Florida I fish, the locals are a little more abrupt at letting you know if your doing something "against the rules" so to speak. Especially if you're boat has an out of state # on it.)

The stress that a long fight puts on these fish is immense, and you owe it to them to get them in quick (but not green) and release them alive.

The second problem with a light rod and a big Tarpon is going to be preventing it from gulping air. When a tarpon is starting to get worn out, it porpoises to the surface and grabs a gulp of air. When it does this, the fight is back on. It's like giving the **** fish a gulp of gatorade, and a snort of coke. You have to *attempt* to prevent this by submerging your rod, and keeping the fish from gulping by applying downward pressure.

Third and lastly, is more of a fighting issue, and won't apply so much to smaller tarpon. Side pressure. When you fight large fish, you break them down by constantly applying side pressure. You apply pressure to the fish in the exact opposite direction that it is moving in. When it is swimming from your right to the left, your rod will be horizontal and you should apply pressure in the opposing direction. In this case the rod will be on your right side, and you'll be pulling the rod to the right. Insufficient side pressure just won't get the job done quickly.

Hope this helps.

BTW: If you're serious about getting into saltwater fly fishing, you need to read Lefty Kreh's book on the subject. He even spends a little time talking about the optimal rod designs for various types of fishing.

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12-16-99, 11:58 PM	#1
Drifter Former Director, HOF Join Date: Dec 1998 Location: Newnan, GA and on the banks of the Tuck Posts: 5,843	My next rodbuilding project will be a 12-weight for those angry tarpon on the Florida flats. "Course I'll need a reel to go with it! Anyone have a suggestion for a good saltwater reel that will hold about 200 - 300 yards of backing at a decent cost? It must have a good drag--hopefully cork. I can't justify paying $500 for a reel. David, You got any deals on a 12 weight blank (4-piece)? ------------------ The Drifter <'(((>< ------------------ The Virtual Fish Camp Let's Fish The White River! NGTO Fling on the "Hi"

12-17-99, 08:21 AM	#2
WDNFLY Native Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: SYRACUSE,NY Posts: 194	Try Shikari for your blank. The web address is Shikariblanks.com. They are the only blanks I build with. I'm not sure about the 4pc situation. I have a 10x that is one very powerful rod. It's still n blank form but I plan ti build it for Tarpon, I like going light. For the reel try J.Ryal's new large arbor reels. Very nice and the drag could stop a train. If yu can't find them locally my local shop has shipped stuff for NGTO members in the past so let me know if you need to contact them. If the make one big enough you woud be very pleade with both the performance and the price.

12-28-99, 01:14 PM	#3
Chris England Native Join Date: Oct 1998 Location: Cumming, GA Posts: 922	Check out Talon for blanks as well. Superb! http://www.talon-graphite.com For the reel, you can't go wrong with Abel. But most importantly, you're not going to be looking for a "drag that can stop a train." In selecting a drag, make sure that it has a large disk surface, has no hesitation on the initial surge, and can lock down extremely tight for pulling a fish up off the bottom. This may be somewhat contrary to the previous poster's advice, but bear with me for a second. I've caught a few tarpon in my life. A #10 is barely sufficient... maybe for true flats fishing, down in the key's but even then it's going to be tough especially if you hook a fish over 100lbs. Here's problem #1... When the fish pulls you across hells half acre, very often he'll lay up in deep water (we're talking fish in the 160lb class here) That #10 is going to be hard pressed to lift the fish off the bottom, and get it up beside the boat where you can release it safely. Fighting big Tarpon for a long time is frowned upon in FL. (about as much as seeing a corn chunker on a trophy trout stream. You'll definately get hollered at if you fight it too long. in the parts of Florida I fish, the locals are a little more abrupt at letting you know if your doing something "against the rules" so to speak. Especially if you're boat has an out of state # on it.) The stress that a long fight puts on these fish is immense, and you owe it to them to get them in quick (but not green) and release them alive. The second problem with a light rod and a big Tarpon is going to be preventing it from gulping air. When a tarpon is starting to get worn out, it porpoises to the surface and grabs a gulp of air. When it does this, the fight is back on. It's like giving the **** fish a gulp of gatorade, and a snort of coke. You have to attempt to prevent this by submerging your rod, and keeping the fish from gulping by applying downward pressure. Third and lastly, is more of a fighting issue, and won't apply so much to smaller tarpon. Side pressure. When you fight large fish, you break them down by constantly applying side pressure. You apply pressure to the fish in the exact opposite direction that it is moving in. When it is swimming from your right to the left, your rod will be horizontal and you should apply pressure in the opposing direction. In this case the rod will be on your right side, and you'll be pulling the rod to the right. Insufficient side pressure just won't get the job done quickly. Hope this helps. BTW: If you're serious about getting into saltwater fly fishing, you need to read Lefty Kreh's book on the subject. He even spends a little time talking about the optimal rod designs for various types of fishing.