What Makes a Great Tarpon Fly

Twenty five years ago we were throwing Lefty Kreh's Deciever in sizes up to a wopping five inches tied on a 7/0 hook.

That was alot like tossing a small house cat!

Don't get me wrong Lefty's Deciever Fly is a great pattern and has fooled many fish, fresh and salt.

But we all found that Mr Tarpon likes little bitty flys also and more often a 2 inch fly tied on a 1/0-2/0 hook will get his attention.

Pattern's vary as do colors, Mylar, Chicken feathers, Peacock, Bunny fur, cow tail, Marribo, plastic, rubber the list goes on and on.

Some of the best Tarpon fly's are the simplest, a good friend and one of the best saltwater guides
that still fishes uses a small bit of sand colored bucktail tied in a 1/0 hook about 2 inches long, thats it and that fly is about all he uses for Tarpon.

I use about six differant Tarpon Fly's tied on 1/0-3/0 hooks and they vary from 1 1/2 inch ti about 3 inch in lenght.

I like Mylar a lot, but on the flat in clear shallow water if the sun is up high, Mylar usually will run the fish.

Bunny is nice and has earned its place on the Tarpon menu in the last few years.

But nothing is as important as proper fly placement


Many, many times I have had an angler turn and say to me " why did'nt he take that?"

" must be this fly!"

Well it could be but, more often the fly wasn't in the grab zone.

Tarpon a big lazy slow eater, rarely turning out of their way to gobble your secret Bunny Fly.

Remember when the Vet trimmed Bowser's ear's and he had to wear that cardboard funnel around his head so he wouldn't scratch at his new pointies?

Bowser couldn't see much when he had the cone on, had to be right in front, right or left a little,
up and down a little!

If when you make your presentation again to Mr Tarpon you pretend he's wearing a Cone like Bowser's.........Now you get it!