Who loves tarpon?

Knocked off from work this arvo - working on a catchment management plan for a home town creek - needed to get away from the desk so raced out to same creek on dusk to cast some mid size clousers at tarpon - caught about 20 - 30 and jumped off more - they are great fish for fun - fully recharged my batteries ( and inspiration) to get me back into the office (& management plan) tonight.

These fish are real survivors - in the creek in question up to half of the original fish fauna including barra were lost to poor water quality due to weed infestation and management neglect - but the tarpon keep on coming and growing - mind you we hope to have some barra chewing on their arses real soon as we get the creek's connectivity to the estuary re-established!

Regards - Jim.

Good work Jim I also love those Tarpon ,In the lagoons around here in Mackay they can be a real savior on an otherwise blown out day where you can drive for about 5 min and be casting to rising/boiling fish right in the middle of town!

Yep, they pull hard and they can be fickley to tempt around
the NSW border area. My local ones are smaller this year than last when we got some around 60-70 cm. But they are taking small white streamers much better. Love those strong runs and unpredictable jumps.
Robert

Have fished for them a fair bit myself up the Upper Noosa River and Kin Kin Creek in Sunny Sunshine Coast. And I agree they do fight quite hard on a 4 or 5 wt fly rod, however they are very finacky (if such a word) at times. Most times you see them boiling all over the place and no matter what you frow at them, they turn there nose up at it.

I find surface Gurglers, small steamers and deceivers work best, in white and red.

Haven't fish for them in a while due to winter, so will try my luck soon.

Anyone else have any good spots around the Sunshine Coast? and what do you fing works best? (apart from plastic explosive)

Tight lines and good hunting...

Small wiggle minnows are all I use
You can fish them as a bug on the surface ,
or with a steady retrieve subsurface minnow!!
Good fun to tie also!!
Rod

Gota love the tarpon!! What flys do you guys like most for them?

Gary

Small wiggle minnows, what do they look like and do you have a picture of them?

I heard from a bloke on the weekend that if they shut down, he just uses a size 22 hook with bead eyes, and maybe/sometimes alittle flash. Do I believe him, I don't know but will try it next time in case.

Tight lines.

Ive usually been able to crack the (lock jawed) Noosa fish on small 8 or 6 shrimp patterns,olive is a fave colour. Jed Hollis (noosa guide) carries Nymphs in brown or olive for when they wont take anything else up in KK creek.When they are less fussy I use Clousers with a bit of red or polar fiber minnows(smallish),but when in the mood they will hit most flies(with in reason). poppers of course are most fun. quinny

The most fun is poppers eh Quinny, the best fun I reckon is to troll fly poppers slowly on a fly rod, the hits are explosive and the hookups most positive, it gives them a chance to get excited and really hunt the fly down. Can save a blank session too. Robert

Wollybugger .....A wiggle minnow is a surface/subsurface fly it incorporates a foam body with a sort of bib on the front and when you strip it steady it will swim wiggle style about 4-6 inches under the surface.Tarpon in the lagoons aroun here love en and they are good th use in heavy weed,I use them for Barra in a larger size 2/0 in Teemburra and also in Faust with sucsess.
Rod

This is a larger size one that has been a bit battered by Barra

Cool flys..flies ??

Are you talking about the Goose ponds or the water near te Botanic Gardens.

There are Tarpon and small Barra in both lagoons Brett....But I have caught heaps more Tarpon in the botanical gardens!!
Rod

So you must be one of those blokes I have seen casting off the small jetty thing . ;)

Might have to give it a go.
I picked up a few thumper Tarpon (60cm+) last summer around the sugar wharf . The new "security" fence has stuffed that up.

If and when the pond at the botanical gardens fills up the Tarpon fishing there can be awesome, nothing huge but non stop action can be had ;) I think it was early 2003 when it filled last and as it flowed out under the culvert through the flooded grass we lost count of what was landed :o

I was wondering if there was Barra in there, we've seen plenty of Mullet and the Tarpon and now with a better setup at the culvert hopefully a few more will find their way in.

Neil :)