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.

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!

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.

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...

Fishing out of Islamorada in August can be very good.  Generally the weather pattern calls for very calm days and slick conditions.  Often, the Everglades can hold some incredible fishing for tailing redfish...

It is the morning fishing that helped me build a career out of tarpon fishing.  Being able to navigate the tricky waters of the Florida Keys in total darkness gave me an edge over many guides that would wait until the pale light of dawn to leave the dock.

I was ready to give the super quick answer of The Florida Keys, because it is the very best area in Florida to fish year round.  When you ask about other areas, I have to say that I don't have as much experience in other areas as I do in the Keys...