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Hatch Matching Tarpon Flies
2000-10-02 - Capt. Tom Rowland
Richard Cambria takes advantage of a "Golden Moment"
Capt. Tom Rowland prepares to land this big tarpon during a worm hatch
A guppy hatch can result in double hookups like Bill Patridge and Tom Penecamp experienced
This fish was caught off-guard when this shrimp fly fooled him
Occasionally, Mother Nature allows anglers and guides to witness a spectacle of grand proportions. All types of Fly-fishing have their "Golden moments". For trout fishermen, the Salmon fly hatch (Pteranarcys Californica) is reminisced in hushed tones and bragged about in fishing camps and bars. Permit anglers may once come across a day where the wind is blowing hard, the sky is crystal clear and the fish are eating everything that you throw at them resulting in multiple fish landed in one day. Striped Bass fishermen anxiously await the various worm hatches as do tarpon fishermen. Southern anglers anticipate the 17-year cycle of the Cicada. Bonefishermen tell tales of a specific moon phase which draws 1000's of swarming bonefish to the surface who eat flies voraciously. Whatever the specie, there are natural occurrences that make the fish go crazy and eat a natural bug, worm or fish that is easily mimicked with a fly but difficult to fish with any other tackle. For tarpon anglers, there are 3 events, which enable us to take advantage of the tarpon and hook great numbers of fish on fly. We refer to these events as "hatches" although they may not be hatches in the true sense of the word.

The Shrimp Hatch
Tarpon love shrimp and can not resist a live one. In the evening and morning light, when the conditions are slick calm and the tide is at the end of a very low outgoing tide, all the shrimp on the flats are flushed into the surrounding deep water and forced to swim with the tarpon and other fish. Needless to say, tarpon take full advantage of this opportunity and eat with reckless abandon. Tarpon will "bust" the shrimp on the surface of the water with a pop loud enough to hear from 100 yards away. Although often wary and elusive, tarpon are easily taken on fly during these "hatches" with shrimp-like flies and standard tarpon flies in natural colors. Because they are looking to the surface to feed, a surface fly can also fool the fish. My flies of choice include the Diggler, and Rowland's Frog lips.

The Worm Hatch
The Atlantic Palolo worm actually does hatch out of the coral rock and swim en mass along the surface to propagate. Tarpon feast these small worms with great busts and tiny sips. I believe that the Palolo worm has a narcotic effect on the tarpon and causes them to act drunk. At no other time can you catch a tarpon of 100 plus pounds on fly, twenty feet from the boat with the engine running. During a worm hatch tarpon are keyed in to the worms and will only eat flies that closely resemble the natural. For the worm hatch, I tie a variation of Fitz Coker's Worm Fly; an all rabbit fly in colors to match the natural.

 
The Guppy Hatch
Early morning calm conditions can also yield my favorite tarpon event, "The Guppy Hatch". When the tide is at a lower stage but flowing strong, various small fish are forced off the flat and onto the deeper edges. These fish will raft together on the surface and also swim by themselves. The tarpon will hunt these edges for the easy meals. Slipping up under the small schools of baitfish on the surface, the tarpon will attempt to get as may as possible. When I target a "guppy hatch", I always use a surface fly. In years past, I used a deer-hair bug that was about 4 inches long including the hackles but had continuous problems with it sinking. Recently, I have gone to using an alteration to Steve Huff"s Hot Lips fly and to Jack Gartside's Gurgler. We call the fly "Tom's Frog". It includes some different materials to make the fly appear more like a shrimp and to anchor the light weight fly to the water so that the bow wake of the tarpon coming to eat it will not push the fly out of the fish"s mouth. The fly is easy to tie and the strike is unforgettable.
Catching a big tarpon on the surface fly could possibly be the most amazing thing that you ever do in fishing. Usually, the light is low and the fish is invisible under the water. You cast to a roll or a fin exposed above the water. As you slowly wake the fly along, you have the feeling that the fish saw it, but you are still unsure. Suddenly, the tarpon explodes under the fly and ½ of the fish is out of the water. A loud pop still rings in your ears as the tarpon streaks off a few hundred feet. For me, catching one fish on the Frog is better than fifteen on standard flies.

The three events that I have briefly described are natural occurrences that tarpon find irresistible. It is a lucky angler who experiences any one of these. Many fish can be hooked and landed. If you are to ever attend one of the big 3, make sure that you have these flies and relish the moment because there are countless anglers who will never see what you are seeing.
Rowland's Diggler
Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 Wide Gap 2/0
Thread: Danvilles Flat Waxed Nylon Black
Tail: 4 strands Green Krystal Flash, small bunch of mustard marabou, 4 matched olive grizzly hackles 1 as long as the hook shank
Foul guard: 20 pound Mason Hard Monofilament forming a loop
Body: Mustard marabou tied in two bunches to make an even body
Collar: Olive grizzly hackle palmered and laid back with the thread
Head: Thread covered with super glue
Tying the Diggler
Step 1. Tie in thread at the eye and wrap back to the tie in point. Tie in a small short bunch of Mustard Marabou to provide a base for your hackles. Tie in 4 strands of green Krystal flash.
Step 2. Match 2 sets of 2 hackles that are wide and webby with a stiff stem. Tie in on top of the marabou. Make sure that they splay outwardly.
Step 3. Wrap thread up the shank and tie in an even bunch of mustard marabou in on top of the shank. Tie a matched bunch on the bottom of the shank to form an even full collar.
Step 4. Select a hackle and palmer it just in front of the marabou. Lay the fibers back with the thread slightly.
Step 5. Wrap a neat small thread head and cover with super glue.
Rowland?s Frog
Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 Wide Gap 2/0
Thread: Danville flat waxed nylon, chartreuse
Tail: Tan Bucktail with a few strands of Krystal Flash
Body: Foam over wrapped with rabbit strip
Overbody and lip: Foam
Head: thread
Tying the Rowland's Frog
Step 1. Tie in thread at the eye and wrap back to tie in point for the tail.
Step 2. Select a bunch of bucktail and remove all guard hairs
Step 3. Tie in bucktail
Step 4. Tie in Krystal flash
Step 5. Wrap back up to the eye of the hook and tie in foam and wrap over it back to the rear of the hook.
Step 6. Tie in rabbit strip and wrap thread back up to the eye of the hook. Palmer the rabbit forward to tie off point.
Step 7. Loosely pull the foam over the top of the rabbit and tie off behind the eye.
Step 8. Leave a big lip and push it up. Finish the fly and apply super glue over the thread wraps.
Rowland?s Dennis Rodman fly
Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 Wide Gap 2/0
Thread: Danvilles flat waxed nylon, chartreuse
Tail: rabbit strip
Foul guard: 20 pond Mason Hard Monofilament
Body: clipped cross-cut rabbit strip
Head: thread head as large as the hook eye

Tying the Rowland's Dennis Rodman fly
Step 1. Tie in thread and wrap back to the tail tie in point. Tie in the rabbit strip.
Step 2. Tie in Mono Foul Guard and pull the tail through the loop.
Step 3. Tie in the cross cut rabbit and palmer forward.
Step 4. Tie off rabbit strip and create a thread head.

Contact me via email to further discuss these tying instructions.

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