Tarpon Guide Suggestions

[Throttlehead250]

Can anyone on here point me in the direction of a good tarpon on the fly guide, im thinking the everglades might be my best bet but im open to suggestions. Id honestly like a lodge type situation where i can stay where i fish for a few days, the keys might be better for that type of thing.

Any help is appreciated.
Robert

[karstopo]

http://www.scottsommerlatte.com/fishiin ... ishing.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Scott Sommerlatte guides in Texas and Florida I believe and is from SE Texas. He definitely has a lot of experience with fly fishing for Tarpon. My dad has fished with him and his approach wouldn't be described as laid back.

http://www.flyfishmarco.com/floridaflyfishingtypes.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wright Taylor is from SE Texas as well and has guided the Everglades area around Marco Island for years. He's a fly guy too.

[Ron Mc]

Kevin Townsend
http://ktadventures.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

KT made his mark as a Port O tarpon guide.
I fished with him for two days filming a Guadalupe bass episode for his tv show, and he's a hoot.

[Finn Maccumhail]

Where do you want to go?

If you're looking to hit up prime guides in Florida for the migration you might have some issues. But Flywater Expeditions and Shallow Water Expeditions are probably the top outfitters in the Panhandle area. They generally fish between Panama City and Apalachicola. I don't really have recs for further south on the Gulf coast or the Glades or Keys.

In Texas, Somerlatte & KT are really the only guys who target poon that I'm aware of.

[Throttlehead250]

thanks for the suggestions guys, I really would like to fish in Florida, i am kinda focusing my search on the everglades though, i really want to experience that back country fly fishing.

[Ron Mc]

ah - nevermind, I was thinking Texas coast. Well if you ever do, remember KT. Matagorda Bay tarpon are getting BIG.
http://www.gulffishing.com/txtarpon.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Scott used to guide here, but moved east with his family.

[texasag07]

I never fished with Dave hunt that's based out of Miami, but he fishes the park as well as biscayne bay and Miami.

When I was down there picking up my boat in November we were going to go after night time Miami poon on the shrimp run. He hadn't been out that fall for the run and didn't really feel comfortable taking my money without knowing how it was fishing. After deciding a trip wasnt going to work out he spent another half hour on the phone with me explaining fishing in the park and up and down Florida coast to give me a better shot to locate a poon on my own. Between that info and info on my own I found good sized juvies on my own, just none to the boat.

That right there lets me know he is a good guide that has the best interest of his clients in mind.

Also call mangrove outfitters in Naples,fl and ask for any guide rec's. the shop and staff there are great.

I love the Everglades and will be back as much as possible.

[Finn Maccumhail]

Shit, can't believe I forgot about Dave Hunt.

I fished with him in January 2014. I was in Miami for a few days with the wife for a corporate trip and I got to tag along. Miami's not really my scene (South Beach) so I tried to go fishing. Well, right when we got there Miami gets hit with a massive cold front. North winds howling, highs in the low-50s, water temps dropped to the mid-50s, etc.

I had one day where I was going to be able to fish and Dave was up front with me that the fishing wouldn't be very good, if fishable at all. Offered to refund my deposit. I decided to go because I didn't know when I'd get back. He tried his best to put me on fish but the tarpon had bugged out for warmer water in points south while the snook and reds were all hunkered down in the mud.

He ran me all over Whitewater Bay, back into Hell's Bay, and even up into Oyster Bay. But the conditions were terrible, low-50s, howling wind, very little fishable water. Only fish I caught were some dink trout & jacks dredging deep channels.

Anyway, he knows his shit and will work hard to put you on fish.

[texasproud11]

Ron is that you in the cypress tunnels episode!?

[Ron Mc]

Ron is that you in the cypress tunnels episode!?

absolutely
we had a blast - we fished Seidensticker's ranch one day (I've met the Seidensticker's and they let us hike the bank, but I save it for a trump card), and then fished Hagy's private water (church retreat) on Hondo Creek the next morning.
That last morning we had all the film he needed in 90 minutes.
He's also hooking alligator gar on a 5-wt in that episode.
Jimbo took this from the bank

[texasproud11]

The gar fishing looked intense.

[texasproud11]

Put me on your wait list for some lessons from the master

[MobyYack]

I have personally caught large tarpon in ft pierce florida at the manatee research center or anywhere in that intercoastal area using large mullet

[jimithing]

Anything everglades you fish with Jeff legutki, William Faulkner or kevin mihailoff (for chockoslokee area) and for flamingo part of the everglades bob lemay is your man. As far as lodging everglades city has a rod and gun club there and flamingo has campgrounds (can remember if they have lodging). And of course there's the chickees you can use to do you bring your kayaks butnyounwould need more than a couple days to do any of that. It would take several hours paddle from the ramps to get even to the closest ones but at least the tarpon for the next couple of months will be in nearby areas like 10k islands which isn't the worst paddle. Way better if you had a boat or a motorized canoe.

[Finn Maccumhail]

Anything everglades you fish with Jeff legutki, William Faulkner or kevin mihailoff (for chockoslokee area) and for flamingo part of the everglades bob lemay is your man. As far as lodging everglades city has a rod and gun club there and flamingo has campgrounds (can remember if they have lodging). And of course there's the chickees you can use to do you bring your kayaks butnyounwould need more than a couple days to do any of that. It would take several hours paddle from the ramps to get even to the closest ones but at least the tarpon for the next couple of months will be in nearby areas like 10k islands which isn't the worst paddle. Way better if you had a boat or a motorized canoe.

William Faulkner died in 1962, you've been fishing with a ghost.

[jimithing]

http://www.gulfcoastguideservices.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; shhhhh! I won't tell him if you don't. Plus the whole specter/ghost thing helps to make it easier to sneak up on them fish. I think I may try it out in about 50-60 more years.

[Throttlehead250]

Thanks guys for all of the suggestion! Well i ended up pulling the trigger and lined up 6 days of fishing out of Islamorada with Jeremy Chavez, i had an awesome time with him in Louisiana with the bull reds and ended up running into him at the fishing show and found out he was guiding down there in the time frame that i wanted to go. So im very excited to be fishing out of one of the tarpon capitols of the world! now i just have to count down the days lol