I'd like to talk to someone about estuarine tarpon behaviour. I've been going to West Africa for a few years and we are just starting to figure it out but so far have only got one tidal slot when we catch reliably. From what I can tell from the internet it seems a bit like Boca Grande but muddier. We have a slightly rough bottomed slope going from 35 to 70 feet cut through with a few "canyons". What we observe in our limited experience is that the fish come up on the end of the incoming tide as it slacks off. At this time the surface water is clear saltwater having pushed back the muddy river water. We think they are moving up out of the upstream hole to feed on baitfish and we always see surface activity in varying amounts before we hook up. Because so few people know what they are doing not many fish are landed. My friend and I practice catch and release anyway but this season so far had about twelve fish between 150 and 270 lbs by length and girth measurements, nothing smaller I swear, and at this time of year (Dec/Jan) and in that place, that's about the size we've seen on the surface aswell. If we got one long enough and fat enough to break a record we might bring it in if IGFA rules have been followed. There are definitely 300+ fish here. We're using livebaits on Owner 5111 SSWs dropped back into the hole from the boat at anchor on the beginning edge of the slope, or we use suspended livebaits at various depths, or both. Tides run at up to 4 knots.

What's the best way to fish these murky waters and where the hell are these fish the rest of the time? Are they the same "stock" as yours? Do these stocks mix in mid atlantic? Anyone point me at some good reading material? Got Frank Sargeants classic already. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Tjaman

So of us have experience fishing natives that live our rivers all winter.

I learned to tarpon fish many, many years ago cutting menhaden in half with scissors, and sitting 50-80 feet from the lightlines on the old Skyway bridge. We would drop a half bait behind the boat every five or seven minutes, and eventually it would have tarpon eating them at the surface. We would freeline a full dead (or live if we had them, but dead works fine) bait and catch them -- literally -- all day long.

Lately it seems that nobody can catch tarpon without live crabs, but try that.

I would say that when they ain't in that river where you're seeing them, they're either up higher or in the open water it runs into.

God, would I love to fish that. Is there a chance you would write a story about this on our web site?

Check it out. My address is garypoyssick@mac.com and the site's TheOnlineFisherman.com. Our readers would LOVE that story. And man, could you get some pictures to send us????

I'm always looking for cool content, and this is DEFINITELY cool content.

Good luck!!!

Thanks for the info.