We had this idea on another thread, but I want to make it official so we can make it happen and happen right. Here is the idea.

I suggest that the second Friday of April, we have a meeting at Tampa fishing outfitters. If Thursday would be better that would be cool. Any night that week will work for me. I will have captain David I check on availability.

I have talked to Kirby at the Harborage at Bayboro High & Dry about the idea. The have agreed to allow us to rent temporary storage there for people that will participate. You can figure it will cost you ten dollars a foot for the month. Your boats get dropped and pulled free of charge, although we intend to tip the deckhands for their efforts.

We need four people that have boats that have never caught a tarpon and want to catch one. They will either put their boats at the Harborage for the school. Or meet us there with their boats. We can meet at the mouth in the bay, no problem.

We will all agree to one day of the weekend, and two nights during that Period, for a total of six outings. Four hours each. If the bite is on, who knows? We will coordinate where we are gonna fish, spread out, find the bite, and tighten up our positions. We will fish the skyway, the Gandy, and a few places you guys may never have thought of to catch a tarpon.

I will talk to a few of our friends and see who wants to help. Captain David works on Saturdays, but might come out with us one night, or we may decide to do Sundays once or twice. I am sure he will help with the class if he is off that night.

This is going to be really cool to do if we can pull it off. I am really good at coming up with these great ideas and then not being able to get one single thing done by myself, but if one or two of you would do this with me, I can bring the skill and a few friends like David, captain Cole, Scott, and a few others that might really be into this.

We could decide that we should pick the four weeks before the June full moon. And then that night have the class finale.

We will likely jump fish if we do that. The fish are not nearly as thick early may as they are in June, and the bite can every intense, but if we all work on it we can do the last two weeks of may and the first two of June.

I know a few of you agreed to participate. Can we get it going again?

Answer this:
Yes I have a boat but never caught a tarpon. I am in.
Yes I have a boat and know how to catch tarpon. I can do one or two days to help
Yes I can help. I will be a skilled first-mate for the unskilled captain.
Yes I want to catch a tarpon but have no boat.

For the last category, we will try really hard to get you a place on the boat, but each boat needs its owner/captain and one of us. If your friend is the boat owner, than out yourself on his or her boat.

Boat owners: we want you to come with one boat and one friend. Do not load your boat. We are going to assume we can safely fish four people on a boat, with people taking turns on jumped fish. It is a very frantic and chaotic situation, but if done right it is very safe and the most incredible thing you can imagine.

The reason we want you to come with only one friend is because we may want to put somebody from these forums on yur boat in addition to one of us. If we keep it to four boats, and all of you are experienced anglers but just haven't jumped a tarpon yet, you may not need an "expert" on your boat, because it ain't brain surgery. I doubt we are going to have trouble finding three more people besides me that know how to catch those big smelly herring.

We are able to track this with the software underneath the site, but I want to do this with four boats, maybe five. So it doesn't Need rsvp software to work. That is why it would be a good idea to really find out who can commit and who wants to do it. Kirby at Harborage could make this really easy, and that marina is right in between the Gandy, the skyway, and the manatee. It is the best marina in the bay,

IMHO.

Pick me! Pick me!

We have a 22' bay boat and really want to learn Tarpon fishing. We don't have all the various tackle but that can be fixed.
It would be me and the wife or kid.
I'm willing to meet and see if we can help.

Wow! Great Idea.... One question..... Does it have to be a bay boat or flats boat to be preferential....My Dad doesnt fish much but he has a 258 Mako cuddy with 14' of open deck space and 3' engine bracket twin 200 mercs and he only uses it to party. and he has only caught one tarpon his whole life when he was like twenty (like thirty two years ago) and i think he quit fishing with rod and reel then..only fishing he does now is with a speargun....If i tell him this plan I know he will be in for sure but i was wondering if the boat itself matters to" the powers that be"..... And i have never caught one... When i was a teenager I spent alot of time on redington pier outrigging but my bait never got hit....crappy luck i guess.... I am in for sure..as long as I get approval

I have a boat and I am in. 19' Cobia, center console. My 19 year old son and I fish all the time but have yet to catch a tarpon. We need help but we are in. We have room for a guide and a rookie.

We will make ourselves and our boat available for any and all sessions, anytime.

You're welcome to contact me by phone (727-488-9157) or by email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

We are (all) in.

I wanna do this bad! But don't have a boat. I've already scheduled a charter with capt Dave. I want to go out a few times before attempting from my kayak. Want to observe as much as I can. See what its like. Id be happy to pay expenses just to watch others fish. Just want to educate myself and not be idiot. Unfortunately I'm not around during the week. If the classes could be taped that would be great for those of us that cannot make it during the week.

I know there are a few other crazy kayakers that wanna do it as well!

CW you will fish on that 24 with me.

All boats are good. Maybe the last week we will do a kayak mother ship with four yaks on two boats.

May is gonna be better. Last two weeks of may and first 2 of June.

Full mooooon! We can fish offshore boats under the bridges and catch tarpon on them.

I have a 21' Robablo in the hunt, to guide you all around the secret spots. I am gonna talk to Larry mastery and see if he will do the school with me. I will ask. He is the best in the world, probably, and nobody knows.

That is where I learned. From the old man who taught Phil and mike Plastic and then me in turn. That old man left knowing more than we will ever learn about silvers. He was like roach.

Anybody know who roach was??? If not you need to read the front page once in a while.

Just saying lol

This will work, for sure. I will talk to david and San Fu and get the room. This is going to be a lot of fun.

The cost is simple. Next year the ones that learn this year do the same thing next year. You learn this year and become next year's teachers.

One more cost.

If any of you can do this, you can help David and Ganzi and me and DaveT to work the Blooming Place events this year. The founder is under the weather a little bit and can use more help.

Can we assume children are safe around you maniacs?

JULY

DaveT will be providing exact dates, task assignments and requirements, and what you can do. These children have been broken, abused, and need help. From people who care to show them that not all grown ups are dangerous.

Is that worth an experienced tarpon angler teaching you the ropes (leaders, actually)? There is a really good chance every one of you will land a fish.

I want to catch a tarpon. Gary, I'm not sure if I'll have my boat by then, but if not I'll chauffeur you around in your Robalo lol

I would love to be a part of the tarpon school! Got no experience with tarpon, no boat, and probably not the tackle lol! I could probably get everything I need if someone would tell me what I need.

poyssick wrote:
I can't wait! :@))

Mama and I would love to get in on this, we have a boat, 21' bonefish. all we have is light tackle gear. if we can both get the time off we would be in .that is on the bucket list. even if I need ti Hire Capt. Tim Whitfield for a charter down south this summer. I really want to be able to say I put one on the boat this year.

I am currently a senior in HS and would love to catch some tarpon before I head down to FAU. My dad has a 20 or 21 foot Sea Ray that does just fine for fishing and we get out whenever we can. What more do we need and what are the expenses?
Cause this is something I know he would be interested in for the right price.

This would great! My son and I are landlocked and I would love to see him battle a Tarpon landed or not he would be so excited. If there is any room left? We would definitively be game and very appreciative.

Gary, I'm the one who spoke with you about this at the picnic on Saturday. It was nice meeting and chatting with you.

Thanks Chris

I think we have six boats. Who wants to count boats, get phone numbers, and arrange with me and DaveT for this to happen?

The cost is Zero. I do not expect to have to personally supply pizza and soft drinks at Mr Lee's classroom, but I have been none to steal soda out of the box and forget to pay for it for two months.

So you guys buy dinner for the teacher, and he comes free. I personally fish light tackle, and we will talk about it, but the school is going to go with fairly heavy tackle. Any fish we catch are gonna be fought fast and released fast. You only can release one in five you jump on a good day. It is like combat. Very boring and then very chaotic. We will fish for grouper and snapper to pass the time when we are under the skyway. You catch big ones there.

But fighting tarpon for too long makes them tired, and the 600lb bull shark underneath our boats will eart them.

I would love to do this but can no longer offer a boat. If you have room for one more non-boating rookie, I would be in. If not, I would love to volunteer with "Blooming place". All in for that.