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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
May 31, 2001
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Hayes and Tuard Connect Large Tarpon on Fly Rod
For the most part, hooking tarpon on the fly rod has been tough for Team Pro-Line. Capt. Mike Locklear has been working hard to put his clients on schools of silver kings off the flats of Homosassa, Florida.
However, the team "Too Hard" named from Buddy Tuard of South Carolina scored the week before Memorial Day Weekend. Dr. Jim Hayes managed to jump a tarpon on a brown fly tied by Dr. Bill Grimes.
The 100 pound tarpon ate the fly among a pod of 60 fish in 5 feet of gin clear water and on sandy bottom. It is a story in itself about how we found the school that I will not go into other than to say I owe Paul and Jack a beer.
The tarpon peeled out of the school and ate the fly so up close and personal that Jim said, "that fish made my trip." We got two nice jumps before the fish got into the fly line backing and threw the fly.
The next day the intense Buddy Tuard put the fly across the backs of a nice school of perhaps 30 fish and hooked up. The fish did not go anywhere and Buddy could not move it. The school stayed calm for several minutes when Capt. Locklear instructed Dr. Hayes to break out his fly rod and try for a double header.
With a loose drag, the school hung around the boat long enough for a shot or two but our efforts were not rewarded with another hook-up because we could not get a head on shot.
After a few minutes the large tarpon swam offshore within the school at a speed of about 5 miles per hour. We retrieved the fly line and reeled the knot of the butt section into the rod tip with the aid of the Mercury Opti-Max. At that moment, the fish was broke off and could be wearing a orange/yellow pattern fly. The fish never jumped. We considered it a caught fish even though the fish was still green.
Have a Nice Day!
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