Tarpon Fever

My first experience with the Palolo Worm Hatch happened almost by accident a couple of years ago. I had some friends in town for a few days of fishing. We had fished the early morning rollers out in the Marquesas but mid-day it was time to go in and rest up for a night trip.

I had heard a prediction of this fabled worm hatch from Jeffrey Cardenas, who owned the Saltwater Angler in Key West at the time. He was one of the pioneers of saltwater fly fishing here in the Keys so his advice was certainly welcome in my book.

I knew what to look for, rolling fish feeding on the surface. But what we saw as we rounded the corner of Ft. Zachary Taylor was nothing short of amazing. Tarpon rolling as far as the eye could see. They were feeding on these Palolo worms.

The sun glistened on the backs of these fish for about two hours and as the sun went down the fish disappeared. Their show was over until the next night.

Palolo worms "hatch" from the hard coral rock bottom of the ocean side of the Keys. I don't know too much more about it except they travel at lightening speed on the surface and mainly all in one direction - towards the reef to spawn.

Tarpon eat these worms and appear almost lazy and drunk on the surface of the water. They become unafraid of motor activity or being lined by a flyline. They are fixated on the worms.

Last night we had another shot at the worm hatch at Bahia Honda bridge. It was also a spectacle of tarpon feeding and most memorable.

One we start getting into the fuller moon phases the worms will quit and tarpon fishing will get back to normal again.

Permit are coming back to the flats now too, there are more and more around while some are small fish - others tip the scales at 20- pounds.