Chasing King silver with Capt Jim Lemke.
Testimonial by Keith Collins
I first fished with Capt Jim Lemke 6 years ago, I have fished with him many times since then and I have not used another tarpon guide since.
Why, you might ask?
Capt Jim has put me on more tarpon, consistently, than any other guide.
The crucial difference boils down to the fact that he is the expert at fishing for tarpon day or night.
And let me explain those differences and their benefits for you:
Typically you meet at the boat ramp at about 11.00pm, perhaps midnight, depending on the tides (not during the baking heat of the day, it is comfortable fishing). You are fishing under Tampa’s bridges, about an 8 minute sail away for tarpon that are cruising the shadow line ambushing baitfish lit up in the street light from the bridge above you (not 45 minutes sail time, and then start looking for fish, so you get more fishing time).
Capt Jim quietly move in and ties up the boat under one of the bridges, and the tarpon cruise the shadow line RIGHT in front of you. You will usually be straight onto fish. Fishing the bridges with Capt Jim is like nymphing for trout, but these are not trout, they are tarpon 45” to 75” long.
Think of casting 15 to 20 feet, this is not a typo (Not “give me 70ft at 11am” into a 10 knot wind).
You will routinely get 50 to 70 shots at fish, with precision, because you are sight casting so close to the fish, and quite often you will get more. (Not 3 to 5 shots on an average day, 8 to 10 on a good day).
IT IS VERY EXCITING!
You can reasonable expert to jump 3 to 5 fish a night, sometimes more. How many fish you get to the boat is up to you!
Here are some tips to improve your success:
Capt Jim will supply a rod, reel and line however it’s preferable to use one of your own that you are comfortable casting. Practice casting very short lines, nothing more than 25’ maximum, before you go to fish.
I strongly recommend use a #12 weight and that you will be under gunned. I say that tarpon fishing for night is like shooting elephant with a .22 rifle. These fish can easily run to 175lb, I would not and will not fish a #10 weight.
You are sight fishing for BIG fish right at your feet, I now cut the front 4 feet off my flyline to give me a more aggressive taper because it makes a 12’ to 15’ cast easier to execute.
I routinely fish light to increase hook ups: a 40lb fluorocarbon leader (yes, that’s light), 6 feet long, straight through. I tie a perfection knot at one end for the fly line junction and tie the fly on using a uni-knot. No biminis or snelling (believe me, I am quite capable of building complex leaders but it is just not worthwhile unless you are chasing IGFA records). I pre-tie 15 leaders for a night’s fishing and load them onto a spool. After 1 bite from a tarpon a leader is wrecked, so when this happens I simply cut it off, pull a new pre-tied leader off the spool and re-rig quickly, saving time.
Capt Jim will provide tried and proven ties specifically tied for Tampa Bay tarpon by Ron Cavalier, probably one of the best saltwater fly tyers on the planet. If you want to tie your own use tarpon capable hooks and tie relatively small, the baitfish under the bridge are not large. The largest hook we use is a #2/0. The longest fly we fish is 3”, 2.5”-3” being the norm sometimes down to 2”. Fish larger and you will get refusals, these fish are selective.
To close, let me repeat: THIS IS REALLY EXCITING FISHING!
I can strongly recommend fishing with Capt Jim. I have enjoyed fishing with him in the past and I will continue to fish for tarpon with him in future.
Capt. Jim Lemke
813-917-4989 cell
