Big fish need a grand plan

There have been a few reports of tarpon hook-ups around the waters off Anna Maria in recent weeks. Exciting for some, terrifying for others.
It's unlikely you'll just chance upon one of these powerful giants in the course of normal fishing, but if you want some advice on how best to deal with them here are some top tips from the good folks over at www.tarpontrips.com

1. Setting the hook.
You don't need to set the hook hard with tarpon. Because of the tarpon's hard mouth the best approach with most types of live bait hooks is to drop back about 10 feet of line and let the line tighten up or just leave the rod in the rod holder until the tarpon is stripping line off your reel. Another trick is to put the rod tip in the water and reel fast! All of these tarpon hook setting techniques allow the hook to hit one of the three soft spots in a tarpons mouth, the corners on either side or the button in the middle.
2. Set the drag right.
Many anglers set the drag to tight for tarpon fishing. 20% to 25% of the line weight is a good rule. Remember knots weaken your line up to 25%. If you are tarpon fishing with 20 pound test line set the drag at 4 to 5 pounds. A good way to be sure of the drag setting is to use a hand held scale to double check your setting. If the tarpon keep breaking your line use heavier line! Maintain your drag and keep your drag washers clean, to keep a drag running smoothly try lubricating the washers with a little STP. Bridge fishing has its own rules and requires the most drag and maximum pressure.
3. Let the tarpon run.
Tarpon are strong and usually give you a very hard initial run. When tarpon fishing often lines are broken starting the drag. If you are fishing in open water let the tarpon run until it looses some steam then apply pressure. If you are fishing around obstacles that might cut your line use heavier line and tackle, put more pressure on the tarpon and chase the tarpon with your boat.
4. Good knots.
Learn how to tie the best knots for tarpon fishing. To tie a hook or swivel on to monofiliment line up to about 50 LBS a palomer knot is hard to beat and lots of anglers like a loop knot. For heavier mono try an clinch knot or uni-knot. For joining heavy leader to the main line a surgeons knot is my favorite but a well tied blood knot or a uni-knot work. Be sure you pull your knots up tight!
5. Proper leaders.
A tarpons body and gill plates are abrasive and can damage line in hurry. A light leader set up for tarpon fishing would be 3 feet of 60 LB fluorocarbon leader tied to 10 feet of 40 LB leader attached to 15 or 20 LB doubled main line. For bridge tarpon fishing try 6 to 10 feet of 100 to 125 LB leader tied to a heavy barrel swivel or directly to a doubled 20 or 30 LB main line. If you use lead weights be sure to attach them with light copper rigging wire so they will drop off before the fight, they can be like bullets when a tarpon throws the hook.
6. Fight a tarpon right.
If you are tarpon fishing in open water and you hook up with a tarpon be ready for a strong run and some jumps. This is not the time to apply a lot of pressure. After the initial frantic run start to apply pressure. The rod is for fighting the tarpon, the reel is for storing the line. Try to avoid fighting the tarpon with the rod high over your head. Keep steady pressure on the tarpon by holding your rod tip down and pump up, reel down, pump up and reel down. Use the rod to pull the tarpon to you without reeling, use the reel to pick up the line you have pulled to you by dropping the rod toward the tarpon and reeling fast. When the tarpon jumps let off pressure or "bow to the king", this keeps the line from being cut on the tarpons gill plates and body. If you feel a strong run point the rod tip at the fish and let it run on the drag resuming pressure as the run slows. When you feel the pressure let off pick up the slack by reeling fast until you can put the pressure back on. It's always best to fight a tarpon as close as you can without getting to much line out. This will reduce the chances of getting cut off and makes it much easier to control a tarpon. The most common mistake anglers make is not being alert and prepared for the power these fish have. Trust your drag and put plenty of pressure on these big fish.
7. Bridge tricks for fighting a tarpon.
Tarpon love current and bridge passes. Tarpon fishing at bridges is a situation requiring the best skill and experience. Many tarpon have been cut off on the concrete pilings. This is where an experienced tarpon fishing guide can really help. Boat control and the ability to chase a tarpon are key elements. When tarpon fishing we usually anchor up current of the bridge pilings and let our baits drift back to the tarpon. We use a quick release line and a float to hold the anchor line, when you hook up with a tarpon quickly release your anchor and chase the tarpon. If you're lucky the tarpon will swim away from the bridge and into open water where you can enjoy the fight. If the tarpon stays in the the pilings good luck! We usually give chase, apply a lot of pressure and try to shorten up the line as much as possible. If it's not a big tarpon you can pull it out of the pilings. You must work quickly as a team with the angler aggressively getting the tarpon under control and the boat operator watching the line and positioning the boat to keep the line clear of the bridge pilings. You can either pull the tarpon out or get cut off so put the pressure on. Once you clear the bridge try to position your boat between the bridge and the tarpon. Tarpon will usually swim away from the direction of pressure. Tarpon are big strong fish and you must trust your tackle and drag to overpower them.
8. Keep the tarpon's head up.
When you get the tarpon close to the boat keep the tarpon's head up so it won't start another run. Learn what pressure is to a 100 LB tarpon and keep the pressure on!

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