THE TARPON KING OF THE PIRATE COAST

A Typical Day of Tarpon Fishing

EDITOR'S NOTE: Very little has been written about the tarpon along Georgia's Pirate Coast where the legendary Blackbeard once pillaged for wealth and treasure, and pirates once ruled with tyranny and fear. But this undiscovered-tarpon hotspot is without question one of the best places to catch the most tarpon in the shortest time. In a day-and-a-half of fishing, we had eight chances to catch tarpon, and we brought four fish to the leader and one fish along the side of the boat. This week, we'll look at the secrets to catching tarpon along the Pirate Coast and talk to Greg Hildreth of Brunswick, Georgia, the King of Tarpon on the Pirate Coast. He'll tell us where to find tarpon and how to catch them.

I'd been interviewing Hildreth for about 20 minutes when the second tarpon of the day attacked one of the live pogies we were using for bait. When that 90-pound fish jumped off the line, immediately a 60-pound tarpon took another bait and began to dance on his tail in the sky. We had on the third fish of the day for about 30 minutes before we were able to get the hook out of the second tarpon's mouth.

Question: Why were we able to bring that fish to the boat when we lost the other two tarpon?
Answer: The fish we brought to the boat got the hook in the soft part of its mouth. We played the tarpon for about 40 minutes and tired him out before we tried to reel him in. You don't need to get in a big hurry when you're trying to land a big fish. You'll find that many times these fish have more stamina than you do.

Question: What technique did you use to play the tarpon into submission?
Answer: Fly-fishermen call this technique the down and dirty. When the fish tires from a run, you use the rod tip to turn the fish over or to cartwheel the fish in the water. This tactic disorients the fish and allows you to gain more line quicker and prepare for the next run.

Question: How did you keep the line out of the motors when the fish was circling the boat?
Answer: I put my rod tip down in the water as far as I could reach as the fish moved towards the motors. This technique kept the line from coming in contact with the lower unit of the engine and prevented the line from being nicked or broken.

Question: After we got our pictures, the tarpon swam off and went on to fight another day. What did you do to help revive the tarpon and get the fish in condition to swim?
Answer: I held the tarpon by its lower jaw and moved the fish back and forth through the water so the water could flow over its gills, re-energize it and get it ready to go back into the water.

Question: What's the biggest fish you or your clients have ever caught?
Answer: Three years ago, I had a fellow catch a tarpon that was 84-inches long and had a 44-inch girth. That fish probably would have weighed 210-220 pounds. Once we hooked that fish, we had to follow it for 7 miles over 3 hours before we could lay a hand on it.

To learn more about fishing with Captain Greg Hildreth out of Brunswick, Georgia, call (912) 261-1763.

TOMORROW: TACKLE AND TIPS FOR CATCHING TARPON