"Hit and Run" Fishing Charters

I’m not sure where all these fish came from while I was in Japan, but I am stoked that they’re here now! 🤩

It took some searching but once I located a bait ball (over an acre in size!) there were at least one hundred tarpon all in the mix, and they were chomping! We had tarpon boiling on baits all around the boat for hours with little to no care that we were there just a few feet away. It was quite the contrast from a few months ago when hundreds of reckless boats had the fish constantly running for their lives everyday. 😵‍💫

Not only was it awesome to witness so many relaxed tarpon behaving naturally in the absence of extreme fishing pressure (very rare in my area), it was pretty wild to see such a natural spectacle play out right in front of your face. To me, this is what it’s all about!

Find the tackle below on the Melton International Tackle website (link in bio) 🎣

Reel- Shimano North America Fishing 14000 Saragosa

Rod- Shimano North America Fishing Teramar 8’ XXH

Line- 🇺🇸 CAST Fishing Co™️ X12 80lb Casting Braid.

Hook- BKK Hooks Americas 7/0 Mutsu circle

Gloves- Pelagic Wireman

Batteries- Pro-Guide Batteries Lithium

Boat- BoylenPoint Contender Dealer 25’ Bay

Motor- Yamaha Outboards 300hp

The boys found that pod of silver at the end of the rainbow! 😉👌. The fish were chewing pretty good for us after the storms and there is a CRAZY amount of them out there right now!!!




Reel- 14000

Rod- Teramar 8’ XXH

Line- .co X12 80lb Casting Braid.

Hook- 7/0 Offset Heavy Circle

Gloves- End Game

Boat- 25’ Bay

Motor- 300hp

Yesterday, the gods granted my boy Jeremy his BIRTHDAY wish when this beautiful fish decided to send it to the sand for birthday ! 🥳🏝️. Happy birthday bro!

P.s Notice how I said “the tarpon decided”. We only get shots like this when the tarpon swims up into the shallows on its own during the end of the fight and the opportunity presents itself to jump out of the boat and finish the battle from land. I wire the fish in the water and have a buddy waiting with a camera nearby before a quick release. Minimizing handling time is a must to protect the resource and I NEVER drag the fish anywhere just for a photo. I’m more than stoked to capture photos like this of the fish we all love, but only if the fish decides. 😎


Reel- 14000

Rod- Teramar 8’ XXH

Line- .co X12 80lb Casting Braid.

Hook- 7/0 Mutsu circle

Gloves- End Game

Boat- 25’ Bay

Motor- 300hp

This beauty was the largest fish landed of our five-day tarpon bender with the guys from 🤩💪! This chunky, pre-spawn mama put up a serious battle in heavy seas for mí nuévo amígo Sergio.

Thankfully, the trusty 7/0 offset heavy circle found its mark right in the “button” yet again, penetrating through the top of the fish’s bony mouth, allowing Sergio to apply maximum pressure throughout the fight. Sergio was able to subdue his new in less than 25 minutes! That’s the proper way to do it, both for you, and the fish. Congratulations on a great fish bro! 🤩 🎉



Reel- 14000

Rod- Teramar 8’ XXH

Line- .co X12 80lb Casting Braid.

Hook- 7/0 Mutsu circle

Gloves- End Game

Boat- 25’ Bay

Motor- 300hp

While sight-fishing tarpon on the beach, I spotted a stingray WAY up on the sandbar being closely followed by two cobia! I had to do a double take because the fish were in a mere 2 feet of water. I’ve fished this spot literally hundreds of times before for hours at a time and I’ve never seen anything like this there.

With a quick reaction and couple of well-placed live baits later, we doubled up! The smaller one pulled the hook at the boat, but the big one was destined to become Sushi (a couple of chaotic gaff shots later 😅).

After the fish was bled out, quickly put on ice, trimmed, brined, and allowed to age to perfection in the fridge for four days, the boys and I had a Sushi experience in the boat to remember 🍣 👌👌👌. If you’ve never tried cobia sushi, I highly recommend it!!!



Reel- 14000

Rod- Teramar 8’ XXH

Line- .co X12 80lb Casting Braid.

Hook- 7/0 Mutsu circle

Gloves- End Game

Boat- 25’ Bay

Motor- 300hp

Persistence has been paying off this week for my brothers from 💪! More to come from our 5 day tarpon bender.

I’m not going to lie, this season has been a challenge… up until the last few days! Though we were generally successful most trips, high winds, sky high barometers, and generally sketchy fish hugging the bottom tested my skills (and mental fortitude 🥵) as a sport fishermen.

HOWEVER, a fresh big batch of fish has moved in on the new moon, the water quality is the best we’ve had in years, and the weather is finally breaking to a more normal pattern! 🤩 We found good numbers of happy fish in many of my favorite spots where they have been largely absent so far. This week is setting up to be stellar and the best tarpon fishing of the year is certainly yet to come.


Reel- 14000

Rod- Teramar 8’ XXH

Line- .co X12 80lb Casting Braid.

Hook- 7/0 offset heavy circle

Gloves- End Game

Boat- 25’ Bay

Motor- 300hp