Captain’s Corner: Brent Gaskill

The Tampa Bay Times

Capt. Brent Gaskill
 
 
 

        Everyone should catch a tarpon at least once in their life.  If you keep coming back to catch more you’ve probably come down with a case of “tarpon fever”. In some circles this fever is highly contagious and can consume countless hours on the water.  The symptoms begin with a desire to purchase more tackle and gear specifically dedicated to the pursuit of tarpon fishing.  This is generally followed by severe lack of sleep and rescheduling your life around moon phases, tides, and solunar periods.  Developments in tackle over the years has led to more and more people being able to chase these spectacular fish with success.  Having the ability to cracker-cast a 4/0 reel on a long heavy rod used to be the norm on the beach.  Now, Spinning reels and lighter rods are built stop large powerful fish making it much easier for everyone to enjoy the sport.  If you go, be prepared to have your patience tested.  It’s not uncommon to see fish without ever hooking one.  I’ve heard tarpon fishing described as “starting out slow, and tapering off from there”. That being said, tarpon fishing can go from zero to hooking the fish of a lifetime within seconds.