Wednesday, April 30, 2008

George H.W. Bush and the 135lb. Tarpon...

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President George H.W. Bush caught the above Tarpon while fishing in the Florida Keys just South of Islamorada Key. I have only fished for Tarpon a couple of times and handed off the monster I had hooked off to a friend and enjoyed watching him fight the 100+lb fish. Tarpon in the Keys are usually fished from "Flats Boats" and some center consoles. Compass Rose has become a popular boat fishing out of Key West for Tarpon and many other local species...

ISLAMORADA -- "Former President George H.W. Bush caught and released a 135-pound tarpon in the Florida Keys this past weekend, one of the largest gamefish the 41st president of the United States has ever scored."

"The fish bit a live crab Saturday afternoon and finally yielded after a 45-minute battle on 25-pound-test line, spooled on a Shimano Triton 15 conventional reel.
''It was a thrill of a lifetime,'' Bush responded via e-mail. ``A great fighting fish was finally baited.''