NO. 2 - CAPTAIN GONZALEZ

BOW TO THE SILVER KING

With razor-sharp eyesight, a metallic armored body, and a head like a brick, hooking into a tarpon is no easy task for even the most seasoned of anglers.

In the Florida Keys, however, PENN Fleet Captain Gonzalez has a few tricks up his sleeve to make tarpon fishing look like a piece of cake.

The action heats not under the scorching tropical sun but rather bathed in the light of the full moon where schools of tarpon are staging in deep channels. This is the ideal time to catch hundreds of trophy fish swirling below the surface but even with tarpon rolling right around the boat, there are never any guarantees.

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“It’s like a mind game, the tarpon know what I’m doing and I have to stay one step ahead of them. Always.” - Captain Gonzalez

THE KEY TO THE KEYS: TARGETING TARPON

Lurking in the most exotic locations where palm trees sway in the breeze and clear green water shimmers in the sun, tarpon can be found converging in schools. In Florida, the southern tip of the water provides the perfect conditions for tarpon to spawn and gorge on the coral-dwelling palolo worm.

A typical trip on Gonzalez’ 27-foot center console starts at in the wee hours of the morning when the moon is still shining. The party typically leaves out of Key West Harbor and empties the captain’s pinfish traps into his livewell. “I like to start with 150 to 300 pinfish,” Gonzalez says.

The captain then heads to the tarpon feeding grounds, where his wealth of experience has taught him the tarpon feast on the incoming tide, which is quite different from where they eat on the outgoing tide. Instead of pointing his bow towards the crowd, Gonzalez prefers to find his own fish. “I’d rather see five fish feeding than 1000 fish rolling hard,” he says.

Gonzalez anchors the boat 50 feet upcurrent of the tarpon and cuts a handful of pinfish to throw behind the boat. “It’s like a potion,” Gonzalez grins, “the smell turns them on.”

TOUGH TACKE FOR THE TOUGHEST FISH

With the tarpon in the mood, Gonzalez deploys one of his live pinfish on a Slammer® IV Spinning Reel and Carnage™ III Spinning Boat Rod. “The Slammer® is a tank, I like the big knob on the handle,” he says. Next, he sets up a Torque® Lever Drag 2 Speed Conventional Reel Size 30 on another Carnage™ III Boat rod, hooks a chunk of pinfish to the end, and pitches it behind the boat. Gonzalez says the compact conventional reel is bulletproof against these beasts with an amazing drag that helps to tire the tarpon out.

To target the world’s greatest inshore sportfish, Gonzalez surprisingly relies on the lightest line and leader he possibly can without compromising the result. He spools the reels with 50lb.Berkley Pro-Spec braid and adds a 20 ft. length of 30 to 50 lb. Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon. At the end of the line, Gonzalez attaches a thin-wire, non-offset 8/0 circle hook. He swears by circle hooks, insisting his hook up ratio is higher when using one. Even an inexperienced angler can manage to hold on to a rod with a thrashing fish when the hook comes tight in the corner of its mouth.

The rig seems light for a 100-pound tarpon, but Gonzalez claims anything heavier has the potential of spooking these intelligent and very stubborn fish. Instead, he relies on tough tackle and angler skill to beat up the trophy fish. “It’s amazing that a 100-pound fish will eat an inch-long bait.”

“IT'S AMAZING THAT A 100-LB FISH WILL EAT AN INCH LONG BAIT” - CAPTAIN GONZALEZ

TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE TARPON

Finally, when a man-sized tarpon takes the bait and launches head-high into the air, Gonzalez instructs his anglers accordingly: “DO NOT freak out!” When hooked and with line leaving the reel, Gonzalez cautions against high-sticking the rod. “When the fish jumps, point the tip at it,” he says to prevent excessive pressure on the line and to show this silver king the respect it deserves with a bow.

To shorten the fight, Gonzalez leaves his anchor and chases down the biggest tarpon with his boat. “We tighten the drag to keep the fight as short as possible,” he says. These fights can last anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour but after the hard work is done, there’s nothing more rewarding than witnessing the tarpon’s spirit crack and pulling in a tired goliath to the boat.

With the leader in hand, the angler quickly poses for their photo just before Gonzalez releases the giant back off into the clear green water. The fight may be over, but the thrill of the catch and insanely sore arms linger on for long after.

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CAPTAIN GONZALEZ'S TARPON GEAR

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