I fished Okaloosa Island Pier for tarpon yesterday. I hooked a giant at 11:00 and it almost spooled my Van Staal 275. (700 yards of braid)! An hour and twenty minutes later I finally got him to the pier and released him. We estimated his weight at over 150lbs. I was literally too tired to return today.

Pictures please! Thats incredible!

I got several pictures from tourists of me fighting the fish, but none when I had him laid up beside the pier. If you will pm your cell number, I will text what I have. I can't post pictures.
Thanks

Peach in action!!

Good catch, Peach!

How tall is that pole??? wow.

That one is 9ft. I also use a 10ft when I use live bait.

Shoot it looks about 12 feet...

Awesome man I bet that was fun.

That's cool. Awesome catch.

The Man don't play
Congratulations

ALL I SEE IS THE FIGHT NOT THE FISH. PICS OF FISH OR HE GOT OFF.LOL

Great catch Peach!

Peach, I really like that set-up you're using. What did you hook her up on? Did you roll Kevin out there to watch you fish?

Kevin is still not ready yet. His surgery was a lot rougher than he first thought. I hooked that one on a swim bait that Kevin and I put together. I'm going back in the morning, but supposed to be 90% chance of thunderstorms. Tarpon bite great in bad weather, but I don't like lightning!

Am I the only one noticed a leggy young thang taking pics of our man Peach?

nope i noticed right off the bat. lol

When you are over 60, you don't recognize things like that anymore. Or maybe hanging a tarpon is the only way I can get their attention!!

AWESOME

Nice. I caught a 150 on my grandfathers boat and he hit the button on his gps when we hooked it. When we landed it, i had fought that fish for 2.5 miles but that was on 20 lb mono.

Tarpon? Leggy young thang? Man. That’s a hard call.

wife and I caught a 175 in the St Lucie River on 14# line, got it to the boat 7 miles from where we hooked up 5 hours later. Wife and I took times fight that non jumping sonofagun.

I love a jumping tarpon but a non jumper will kill ya.

This one was a non jumper. That's why he ran so far. Braided line sure has made a huge difference. I remember many many long fights with mono.

Peach, we were wearing 100-125s out at Boca Grande on day, 20# mono/20 minute fights. Brother hooked a 70# non jumper that he fought for 45 min before breaking it off on purpose. He had been towed out into the Gulf almost out of sight by then.

Yep, I've fished Boca Grande many times. Back in the day, we used 20lb mono. Catching one from a pier with 20lb mono is a whole different ball game. An eighty lber off the pier, with 40-50 braid will generally take 15-45 minutes to catch, (like you said, depending on how much it jumps). With 20lb mono, you are looking at well over an hour for most of them.

That's so cool. One day...

That is awesome! I’ve got to get over there and fish with you one weekend.

I want to go fishing with you two also. Is this weekend good?

I caught my firs tarpon on Nicks grandfathers boat when I was 16 years old...on a flyrod. Good man and a hell of a guide.

I’m ready anytime. Thanks for the kind words Troy, i miss him every day.

If you are in the Destin/Navarre area during late June and the month of July, send me a pm. I will most likely be tarpon fishing.

Peach you got any prediction on what size sharks will be caught off Gulf State pier with the new Tuesday night shark nights via permits???? You put your name in?

I don't shark fish anymore, but last summer I saw a giant hammerhead chasing a 100lb tarpon. We estimated him at 14 feet. We also saw a tiger shark just as long, but weighed more. He looked like a submarine in the water. There are a lot of bull sharks around the Gulf State Pier. I'm sure someone will get a big hammer or tiger. If the tourist knew what was swimming around them, they probably wouldn't go in the water!