Ted Williams also claimed to have caught 1000 tarpon (and 1000 Atlantic salmon). I’ve caught a few, and lost more, but all juveniles. I hooked a larger one once, about 80 lbs, and all I could think in that 6 or so seconds was what the fuck do I do now. If you haven’t read it, Lords of the Fly by Monte Burke is a terrific book about tarpon obsession, and a terrific book generally.
The fish of choice among fly fishers may have edged into permit, which lives in the same waters as bonefish and tarpon, but is rarer and harder to catch. I finally caught one in January, but I have a friend who is permit obsessed and generally acknowledged as the best permit fisherman in Houston. He’s fished for them for 20 years or so, regularly and specifically, and a couple of years ago I asked how many he had caught and he said 120. That’s a great average. We were in Cuba, and he caught one that week, so I guess it’s now 121. Thomas McGuane wrote an essay about permit fishing, The Longest Silence, which is one of the best things that McGuane wrote.
In Florida, permit are considered the holy grail of fly fishing. Pompano are often mistaken for juvenile permit, but are much easier to catch. Pompano are also considered the best tasting fish in the world by many, so if you catch one, eat it.
The Spanish word for permit and pompano is the same, palometa, and for years they were thought to be the same fish. The smaller fish are almost indistinguishable. Permit are also said to be delicious, though if you told a fly fisherman that you’d eaten one they’d likely treat you like you’d eaten a child.
4th time this year seeing My Morning Jacket, this time in Bend, Oregon.
So nice to be out of the heat and see another superb performance by these guys.
I so excite to see them in Red Rocks in 2 weeks.
Met some nice Houstonians along the way last night as well.
