Bow to the silver king: Captain Kleppinger's night battles with tarpon
by Penn Fishing 9 Mar 11:21 PDT
Captain Kleppinger's night battles with tarpon © Penn Fishing
The most committed angler will stop at nothing to land these nearly 200-pound beasts. Just ask PENN Fleet Captain Russell Kleppinger who manages to catch and release over 1,000 tarpon in a 7-month season.
In the height of it, Kleppinger doesn't see a lot of sleep; but he does see a lot of tarpon.
After a week of pulling all-nighters, Captain Russell loses track of time. "The tackle shop brings me bait and friends bring me cheeseburgers to the launch ramp. In fact, last year alone my clients released 1,117 tarpon," he notes. His best days see over 20 releases and he's caught two fish estimated over 200 pounds - talk about a battle!
"Like the kid I fought in high school and became friends with later, I've gained a lot of respect for tarpon." - Captain Kleppinger
The mighty tarpon
With undeniable strength and acrobatics, even the most experienced anglers must bow to the silver king.
Tarpon fishing is the epitome of a saltwater angler's battle against depth-dwelling monsters. With proper technique, the right gear, and a relentless attitude to match that of a tarpon, it makes tackling these beasts just a little easier. Widely considered the ultimate inshore sportfish. People travel the world and spend years just to get a shot at one of these huge, silver-armored fish.
Well guess what... it's that time of the year again! The tarpon are about to leave their winter haunts and are on the hunt for their next meal. Now is the time to put yourself and your PENN gear to the test against these drag-screaming, high-flying gamefish. Between their keen eyesight and tough hide, it's nearly impossible to hook a tarpon but if you do, you better strap in because you've just entered the fight of your life.
The unseen battle: Beating tarpon's razor-sharp vision
Captain Russell's flexibility allows him to fish on a tarpon's schedule and to follow the moving current, which is key to getting bit. "If the tide is right at three in the morning, then we're fishing at three in the morning," he says. Not only does the Captain adjust his schedule to the tarpon, but his location as well moving from Miami to the Keys with a half-dozen launch ramps to meet his clients.
Once on the water, Kleppinger is in his element. "People are amazed how much you can see at night," he says. When he's fishing Miami, the city lights illuminate the fishing grounds. "In the Keys it is so dark, but the stars are amazing," he marvels.
In the dead of night, Captain Russell generally fishes the beach, channel edges, or a bridge employing a slow cruise with a trolling motor. When the tarpon are located, he has two choices: live bait or lures. "Bait is the go-to, but I have clients who want to catch them on artificials, too." Tidal conditions determine his bait choice; Kleppinger will use baitfish on an incoming tide and crustaceans on the outgoing.
Tarpon have more rods and cones in their eyes, allowing them to even see ultraviolet light so night fishing helps to fool their razor-sharp vision. "Tarpon can see 5000 times better than people can. Like how we can't hear a dog whistle, we can't see the things a tarpon sees" he explains.
When he's targeting big tarpon in deep water or using heavier bait, Kleppinger breaks out a PENN® Fathom® Lever Drag 2 Speed in a 30 size on a PENN® Carnage™ III Boat Rod. When pitching light crabs or shrimp, Kleppinger switches to a 6500 PENN® Slammer® reels and matching 40 to 80-pound PENN® Carnage™ III Boat Rods.
His location determines his line choice too. In open water, he uses 40-pound Braid and 30 feet of 30-pound mono. At the end of the mono, he adds a three-foot section of 40-pound fluorocarbon. When Kleppinger is hitting deep water around heavy structure, he'll bump up to 50-pound mono and 60-pound fluorocarbon. To cheat the tarpon's sharp eyes, the challenge is using the lightest line possible.
Hook choice is critical; Kleppinger relies on a 7/0 to 9/0 circle hook. He likes a thin wire, non-offset hook. "I crush the barb so it doesn't further injure the fish," he adds. Kleppinger insists circle hooks actually improve his hook up ratio.
"Tarpon are warriors that will fight until the end. they are the ultimate gamefish." - Captain Kleppinger
Crushing the king's will
When a tarpon bites, he leaves the rod in the holder and cranks the line tight. "The bite is extremely violent," he explains, leaving the rod in the holder ensures the line will stay tight until the hook finds purchase. Then, he instructs the client to remove the rod from the holder and hang on for dear life.
"When the tarpon jumps, headshakes, or does anything crazy, point the rod at the fish," Kleppinger instructs his anglers. "Bowing to the king", as it's called, takes tension out of the line and allows the fish to thrash without pulling out the hook.
"A big tarpon could be 50 to 80 years old," Kleppinger says; removing it from the water causes it too much stress so before releasing the fish following the fight, he swims it beside the boat until it stays upright and kicks away.