Revive - A Quarterly Fly Fishing Journal (Volume 1. Issue 4. Spring 2014) | Page 43

My first successful shot at a tarpon, if you can call it that, came and went in the blink of an eye. As I double-hauled and played line through the guides I struggled against the heavy swing weight of the 12wt blank. Speeding up to feel the rod fully load, I was firmly reminded by our guide to slow down my casting: “half the speed, half the effort.” I did my best to comply but my attention was so focused on the approaching mass of fish that his not-so-gentle reminders did little to help. I was instructed to lay the line down to the outside edge of the approaching pod and somehow the cast flew true. “Ok now let it sink, good, good, now get it moving!” I did as I was told and on the second or third strip the line came tight. Despite repeatedly having drilled into my head to do otherwise, I did what I knew best - trout set. The tarpon exploded through the surface of the water, tail-walked and the fly came loose. My heart was pounding so hard that I almost didn’t hear the string of expletives from behind me. I had just been benched.