Tom Rowland bows to a big Tarpon in Sandy Key. Watch this episode now on Waypoint TV.
Question- Why Bow To A Tarpon?
Keith Rivera-
Why bow down when a tarpon jumps out of the water?
Answer-
Keith,
Thanks so much for your question. This is a good question that we get from time to time.
Tarpon are a fish that have a really hard mouth with the exception of a few key areas of softer tissue. Sometimes you get lucky and the hook finds a home in the softer tissue and there is probably no need for bowing when the tarpon jumps out of the water. However, no one is able to tell if the hook has found a good home until the fight is over and you actually reach in and take the hook out.
This Tarpon is showing how they accelerate when they hit the air. Watch this episode now on Waypoint TV.
Often, the hook has barely penetrated the bony, hard parts of the fish's mouth and a bow is necessary to keep the hook in their mouth.
The idea behind the bow is that the fish will accelerate as it leaves the dense water and hits the less dense air. Combined with the drag of the line in the water, especially fly lines, the hook can pull out easily. Anglers learned long ago that a bow at the right time would throw enough slack in the line to keep the hook set in the tarpon through the jumps. It worked really well and those anglers who were using this technique were landing far more fish. As with anything, the word gets around pretty quickly and soon the technique became commonplace.
A bow comes in many forms. Here I am dropping the rod with a light drag to give the fish some slack in the line. Many people will do an exaggerated bow at the waist and shove the rod forward like a spear. Watch this episode on Waypoint TV.
20 years ago, our hooks had to be sharpened with a file and even with the most skilled hand, the hook was not as sharp as most chemically sharpened hooks that anyone can buy today. The hooks were also made from much heavier gauge wire making it even more difficult to set the hook. Things have gotten better every year and I find that more and more hooks are penetrating the hard mouth of the tarpon resulting in a much higher percentage of tarpon landed versus 20 years ago.
Even the babies require a bow. Notice how tight the line is even when bowing. This is what can pull the hook from the fishes mouth. Watch this episode on Waypoint TV.
With the advantage of sharper hooks, you might think that the need for the bow might be less important today than it was 20 years ago. However, other technology has changed as well. Most tarpon fishermen that I know have welcomed the fluorocarbon material into their leader setup because of all the advantages it offers. While being thin, practically invisible and abrasion resistant, it also has a quality of extremely low stretch. Additionally, our fly rods and spinning rods have become better fighting tools by incorporating stiffer materials through the rod while leaving a softer tip for casting accuracy. The lack of stretch and stiffer rod makes the bow a valid technique today as well. Throwing slack by bowing as soon as the fish breaks the surface will help to keep the hook in place and land a few more fish.
I hope that helps!
Tom Rowland
To catch the most tarpon it is important to pay attention to the details. Having a knot that makes the fly swim unnaturally can result in less bites and getting fewer tarpon to the boat. Let's take a look at three of the most commonly used loop knots for tarpon.
Bonefish, permit, and tarpon all in one day. Watch Tom Rowland, Rich Tudor, and Captain Nick Labadie land a Grand Slam in Big Pine Key using Daiwa TD Sol Inshore rods, BG MQ spinning reels, and J-Braid. See why this Daiwa saltwater setup dominates Florida Keys flats fishing.
It’s about 6:30 am, just as the sun is beginning to peek over the horizon and Capt. Labadie is charging ahead to the crew’s first destination. Since tarpon are the easiest of the three to catch in low light conditions, this is where Labadie opts to start. Rowland and Tudor remark that they were somewhat surprised at first by the guide’s choice to fish right in front of the coastline resorts and houses. On a day that they were purely targeting tarpon, the Saltwater Experience hosts would tend to go somewhere a little more remote. Labadie chose this spot because he knew the fish would be there, but, more importantly, it was on the way to their other targets, eliminating the need to backtrack later and burn up precious time. Read more on Waypoint…
S15:E2 - “Key West Birthday Slam” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowand and Rich Tudor are joined by Key West guide Nick LaBadie.
S14:E10 - “Yellowjacks Of Home” (2019)
Tom & Rich don't have to travel far for yellowjack & other desirable fish in the Middle Florida Keys
S14:E6 - “Everglades Snook And Reds” (2019)
Captains Tom Rowland & Rich Tudor head to the fertile grounds of the Everglades to target game fish.
S14:E4 - “Lower Keys Tarpon” (2019)
Tom & Rich fish the Lower Florida Keys for tarpon and find the jackpot.
Daniel Andrews of Captains for Clean Water discusses the state of the Everglades with Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor on Saltwater Experience Television show. As seen on the Discovery Channel, Waypoint and Sportsman Channel.
You know you are approaching the halfway mark to Key West when the Seven Mile Bridge approaches into view. If this is your first time visiting the Florida Keys, you will quickly notice stretches of unaccessible bridge close by. Built from the instruction of Henry Flagler, Flagler had designed a railway that transported people to Key West, known as the Overseas Railroad. Due to a hurricane in 1935, the railroad bridge was destroyed (now referred to as the Old Seven Mile Bridge) and a new bridge was built in it’s place in 1982 for automobile use only.
Located on Duck Key, Hawks Cay Resort is a perfect location for fishing, sight-seeing, and diving. Only a mile away offshore, fishing at Hawks Cay is an easily accessible activity to do at the Florida Keys. Though there is a great variety out in the water, here are my top five favorite fish to catch near Hawks Cay:
Tarpon are the ultimate gamefish. They are big and athletic, they jump when hooked and make insane drag screaming runs. People from all over the world descend on the Florida Keys to try to catch them. They are called the Silver King and that name stuck for a reason. They are the King of the gamefish found in the Florida Keys for several reasons:
S13:E8 - “Doctor Tarpon” (2018)
Olympic Champ Steven Holcomb Turner Rowland and Dr Boxer Wachler wrestle tarpon and beat Keratoconus
S13:E6 - “Tarpon Invasion Bahia Honda” (2018)
Tom & Rich visit a key Tarpon migration spot, Bahia Honda, where they experience an epic Tarpon show
S13:E5 - “Baby Tarpon And Bones” (2018), Tom & Rich check on the status of Baby Tarpon and Bonefish fishing after Hurricane Irma.
Renown Middle Keys fishing guide Jeff Malone (Tarpon Time Charters) took us out for baby tarpon and he did not disappoint. We have always heard great reports from anyone who has fished with Jeff, and it was not just dock talk. He knows his stuff he is a true guide on the water every single day.
August 2, 2018 - Marathon, Florida Keys Captain Jeff Malone heads out in the morning to catch Tarpon on live mullet and crabs with customer Miles and his daughters. Landing one Tarpon and breaking another off at the boat the girls caught their first Tarpon in only a couple hours. Stay tuned next week for Part 2 when they head to the back country to do some "fun fishing"..
July 11, 2018 - Marathon, Florida Keys (PART 1 of 2) Join Captain Jeff Malone and customers as they set out to catch Tarpon on live pilchards.The day started out great going 2 for 4 on Tarpon and gets even better in part 2 next Thursday when Jeff gets them on some nice permit on live crabs.
March and April 2018 - Islamorada, Florida Keys. Highlights from this past month in Islamorada, fishing with Captain Rich Tudor. Tarpon, Snook, Sharks, Snappers, Barracuda and more.
April 7, 2018 - Islamorada, Florida Keys Captain Rich Tudor takes his friend Matt and family out for some exciting Tarpon fishing and then tucks away in the mangroves to catch big Mangrove Snappers for dinner!
April 5, 2018 - Islamorada, Florida Keys Captain Rich Tudor takes his sons Reed and Austin out for some sunset Tarpon fishing using live mullet at the bridges.
Jesse Simpkins of St Croix Rods comes down to visit and test some St Croix Mojo Salt and Mojo Inshore rods on the giant tarpon of the Florida Keys. Mission accomplished!
Check out this SLO MO tarpon jump right next to the boat.
St Croix Rods are the perfect tool for the Florida Keys Tarpon. We like so many of the models, but it is hard to beat the Mojo Salt and Mojo Inshore for outstanding quality, incredibly durable boat rods for a charter boat. Day in and Day out, these things stand up to the abuse of these giant fish and (sometimes) the abuse of the clients.
March 26, 2018
Its a windy day in late March and Captain. Rich Tudor explores new spots along the mangroves catching Snook and juvenile Tarpon on live crabs in Islamorada, FL.
WEBSITE: http://www.saltwaterexperience.com
Rich Tudor of Saltwater Experience takes his boys fishing for tarpon after school in the 3rd episode of Saltwater Experience Weekly.
Using crabs and mullet the Tudors go out in search of some early season tarpon in the Florida Keys and find some big fish.
Check out the very first episode of our new project Saltwater Experience Weekly. We will put out a weekly show on Facebook and Youtube that will show exactly what is happening in the Florida Keys and beyond.
I only have 6-8 flies that I have tied for my tarpon season. Sure, I mess around on the vise and tie up all sorts of creations that I hope will unlock some aggression in the fish, but the truth is that I use light and dark Keys style flies, light and dark Steve huff Ballyhoo flies, Worm flies and light and dark Toad style flies regularly. With those flies, you can probably get a fish to bite.
What was the jerk bait your were using to catch tarpon feeding on glass minnows?
Too much handling is too much handling. Even if it is with the best intentions, too much is too much. Too much time out of the water is not good for a fish. After a long fight, a tarpon needs oxygen and rest to be able to recover and swim away without predation. If we fight the fish quickly and release it quickly, the fish will swim away with 100% chance of survival. Fight it for an hour then pick it up out of the water, drop it in the boat 4 times and then try to release it...not so much.
The idea behind the bow is that the fish will accelerate as it leaves the dense water and hits the less dense air. Combined with the drag of the line in the water, especially fly lines, the hook can pull out easily. Anglers learned long ago that a bow at the right time would throw enough slack in the line to keep the hook set in the tarpon through the jumps.
I had never seen a Bull Shark attack a turtle before or since that moment. I was millimeters away from jumping exactly between the shark and turtle and I knew how bad it could have been. At times like this, I feel like there was someone watching me who either put the shark in the picture or kept me from jumping 1 second sooner...
The Palomar knot is an excellent knot to attach a hook, swivel or lure to the end of the line. Bass fishermen have used this knot for a very long time and saltwater fishermen have also taken note...