During the December holidays, as I anticipate the year ahead, my thoughts inevitably turn to summer at my camp in Maine and fishing the mornings off the dock. In the meantime, since I am here in Palm Beach until May, I have been looking into fishing the Everglades for tarpon — “Silver King,” as it is commonly referred to — a species of fish typically only found in southern waters. So I was more than a bit stunned to read in the Wall Street Journal that a surf caster, using live eel bait intended for striped bass, caught a 70” tarpon off the coast of Rhode Island in the brackish waters of Long Island Sound. Apparently, I do not have to travel to the Everglades to fish for tarpon now. I guess on my way to camp in May, prior to a stop at Rangeley in Down East Maine, I will take a turn scouting for tarpon on the New England coast.
Reportedly, climate change, causing warmer northern waters, is spurring the tarpon migration from their usual southern habitats. Though this has created new fishing opportunities, if it were a tradeoff, I would rather the tarpon stay where they were, and the waters up north stay cool. The last tarpon I brought to the boat several years ago in the Everglades was “eyeballed” by my guide at 75 lbs. What a thrill it was in the predawn mornings, out in the shallow water, watching these fish dance on the surface before they flew out of the water to break off the line. That tarpon was a monster compared to my next largest ever catch: a 10-pound redfish hooked last year off Quantico with my nephew Rich. It is never too soon to dream of fishing the morning off the dock.