We’re on our first drift of the evening, my father and I, when I feel a distinct tap at the end of my line. Just as I register what’s about to happen, my line tightens and my float disappears. It’s as though I’ve snagged a bridge piling and we’re drifting slowly away—that’s what it feels like as the...

This is the second article in a three-part series that explains how to catch Florida tarpon without hiring guides or staying in expensive lodges. In case you missed it, read part one of the series first. The first tarpon I ever hooked nearly knocked me into Florida Bay. My father and I were...

Warning: once you hook a giant tarpon, you’ll never be the same. If you’ve done it, you know what I mean—the world looks differently afterwards. If you haven’t, you’ve probably heard tarpon-addicted fishing buddies rant about it after a couple beers. Who can blame them? It’s been said that jumping a...