International VSX

Tough All Metal Ultra Premium Machine Cut Heat Treated Stainless Steel Main and Pinion Gears

Slammer

Serious penn reel targeting trophy fish. Full metal body over-sized, sealed drag located under-the-spool ensures consistent and smooth performance.

Spanish

Mackerel

Spanish mackerel with a SS reel

Photo courtesy of:
Bret Gamort
OnShore-OffShore
Magazine

Tarpon

JOINT EFFORT

Thursday April 4th 2004 my wife Carole and I Jim Anderson decided we would go fishing for Speckled Seatrout, Snook or a Red.

We went to Lemon Bay in Englewood Florida We put the boat in the water at about 11:30 AM and started out on the water. I started looking for the shallow spots to start fishing for trout. We always free line with a live shrimp and I use my electric motor to move around and locate the trout, along with my locator to keep an eye on the depth and the water temperature. We were in 2.5 ft. of water and 74.5 degrees water temperture. We had just caught one trout by 12:45 when Carole said I got one on, I was looking out the back of the boat and I saw a Tarpon jump out of the water. I said yes you do it is a Tarpon. Her line started to rip of the reel. I cranked my line in as fast as I could. Carole looked at me and said here take this pole I can't hold on to it I had just started to chase the Tarpon with the electric motor as she was handing me the pole. It was a Crowder E series ESS6610 6ft. 6in. Rod with a Penn 360 Slammer reel, 15# Trilene line, 25# Seaguar Flourocarbon leader and a 2/0 hook. It didn't take long and the electric motor wasn't enough to keep up with the fish as I could see the bare spool on the reel. I started the 50 horse up to start the chase.
I told Carole to come up here and drive the boat because I couldn't do both. She said, " I don't know how to drive the boat you always drive it." I said, "you are going to learn how to do it right now get up here in the seat."

The Tarpon ran back and forth across the bay four times and each time we crossed the intercoastal channel I was afraid a big boat was going to come a long and cut my line off. Fortunately this didn't happen. The Tarpon then decided to stay in the intercoastal channel. Some of the large boats would slow down for us and others would not. Some boats would stop and watch for a while. Two guys stopped and saw the fish and said they would bring dinner out to us later. I would say we followed this fish for 2 plus miles. Then at 2:32, one hour and 47 minutes later I was able to land this Tarpon. It was 56 inches from the lip to the V in the tail 30 inches at the girth 61 inches overall length it weighed 63 pounds.

As far as I am concerned this is the catch of a lifetime thanks to my wife Carole. I call this catch the Joint Effort because she hooked it, I played it and landed it while she drove the boat for me.

I owe the greatest fishing experience in my life I have ever had to my wife Carole.
Great Fishing To You All
Jim Anderson