A note from Mariano Kriebel:
“Testing new tarpon grounds deep in the jungle is always a challenge. Our day started rough, heavy rain and lightning left us in the car till 8 am. After a while we got out and started looking for rolling tarpon. A slight temperature change helped us encounter a group of active fish. Our goal was catch tarpon in areas we had never fished before and try some new sinking lines and flies.
As I positioned the boat I knew we had found something special. I had the opportunity to fish during this trip so I decided to tie a new fly that resembles a local forage fish and started casting. Two casts into the game I fell a very soft take, strip strike and got hooked with this nice tarpon. Fish on! The dance begins and thanks to my buddy Ricky’s boat expertise we able to avoid breaking off on structure and after 55 minutes landed the tarpon. Safely released back to his favorite bend he went. The experience of chasing your favorite fish and pulling it off is a priceless feeling.”
Mariano’s Jungle Tarpon Tips:
- Learn to tie the proper knots = practice
- Use top performance gear and appropriate rod weights and reels (rods, reels, lines)
- Pull hard and harder when fighting fish
- Practice casting and the practice some more
- Always keep the fish wet and practice safe releases
This week’s Reel of the Week from Mariano Kriebel, be sure to follow along on Instagram at @mariano.kriebel.
