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advice/help....

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Adrian 
#1 ·
Barracuda´s, powerfull fish that have a short but furious attack. once hooked not the toughest fish to fight, but indeed very spectaculair. In my waters there are lots of them to be found, most of them varying from 10 inches up to 3 or 4 feet.
Sounds wonderfull, most of the time when I am back here in the Netherlands I wish I could chase those toppredators.
But on the other hand, they have razorsharp teeth, these things are huge and cut/tear up everything that´s not metal. And this is my problem. I am going to Aruba in November and this time one of my projects will be to catch a Tarpon. On the fly would be the very best and most awesome thing, but catching and picturing one at all would proof me right that they are there. So even live-baiting could be an option. The concern is that in this beautifull tarpon water there´s lots and lots of those nasty Barracudas too. Last time I am sure I lost a few tarpons, but I lost a lot of material due to barracudas ripping up the gear with their teeth.

Anyone got any experience with the use of leaders on tarpon rigs? I am thinking of making some titanium wire-traces to put in front of the tippet, to be sure no evil mean barracuda will tear up my line. And to at least land the bastard that ruins my streamer:whoa: Anyone got some suggestions?
Also some tips on easy tyable good working tarponflies are always welcome.
 
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#2 ·
For cuda's some kind of wire is the only way to go. I've had them chew through 100lb fluro like a hot knife through butter.

As to how the tarpon will react to a wire tippet I'm not too sure. They are reputed to have a keen eyesight. They certainly have big eyes! Maybe if the water is a bit on the cloudy side you might get away with it?

My experiences with Cuda's is they are either hanging out in packs or big solitary singles. If you find yourself getting bitten off more than once, maybe moving to a different spot in the same general area might work? One other thought would be a blitz on the cuda's with a spin rod. Give them enough aggravation and they might just quit the area for a while at least.

As far as flies go for Tarpon I like a small orange shrimp style fly but anything that imitates the general baitfish in the area (small mullet, sardines etc.) should work. Stu Apte's tarpon flies are as basic as it gets and they catch a lot of fish.
 
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