Bret Amundson | The debate about the “hardest fighting fish” may have just ended.
During our recent trip to Punta Gorda, I fought a tarpon for 23 arm-burning minutes. It was absolutely bonkers. We weaved through a crowd of boats, desperately trying to keep the fish hooked. It was chaotic. I would do it again tomorrow. The full video is on the Fish Hunt Forever YouTube Channel. Subscribe here. Here it is:
Dan Amundson and I were joined by Pat Kalmerton and spent 4 days on the water at Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach. We stayed in Englewood at a vacation home that’s available through Tarpon Real Estate. Big thanks to Lois Croft at Pure Florida for setting this all up for us!
Our goal was to do battle with soaring tarpon. Go head to head with a goliath grouper. And eat as much seafood as possible. Mission accomplished.
In this blog, I’ll break down how you can do this too. From what guides we fished with, what to expect on the water, where to stay and where to eat. There will also be a few tiki bar suggestions along the way. Scroll down for links to where we stayed, what we ate and who we fished with. If you’d rather hear us talk about it, you can download the podcast or watch this YouTube video:
The Fishing
The more I go to Florida, the more I like it. To be fair, fishing was the main topic of each trip I’ve taken. This year’s trip was tough to top. The best time to go tarpon fishing here is April – June. We arrived April 30 and stayed through May 4th. The fish are concentrated and it’s after the spring break season. It will get a little warm so pack sunscreen and sunshirts. I also wore fishing gloves and traded shorts for pants after getting burned. Our first day was with Captain Jay Withers. Jay has a show called “Guidelines TV.” We met Jay before sunrise and hopped on his brand new Pathfinder boat. Soon we were ripping through the darkness with blue and red led lights illuminating the water.
Jay Withers – Guidelines TV:
Our destination that day was Boca Grande Pass. This well-known tarpon area is legendary and it didn’t take long for us to see why. We’d be using heavy spinning rods with 8000 size reels. When you pick up the rod for the first time, you realize, you’re not walleye fishing in Minnesota any more. We were using 65lb power pro with a 60 to 80lb flourocarbon leader. A big circle hook tipped with a crab hung from our rod tips.
“Cast a little bit longer than the length of this boat,” Jay would say. Then we’d drift through hundreds, maybe thousands of tarpon stacked up in 30 to 50 feet of water. The crab would slowly drop to the bottom amongst the finicky fish. A light thump on your line might be a bite or it might be your line bouncing through the crowd.
Once you’d feel a thump, you’d reel down to feel if he was on. If there was a fish there, you’d reel fast to set that circle hook. While circle hooks are effective, it’s hard taking the walleye guy out of me. There was more than once that I’d try setting the hook and miss a fish.
Early on, while I was still getting use to the gear, I felt a thump and reeled down on it. I’m proud to say that I didn’t set the hook! Immediately that fish ran and the fight was on! You really don’t know how hard these fish fight until you’re tied on to one. I expected him to jump right away and instead he headed for the bottom, like other big fish have done.
“He’s trying to stay with the school,” Jay said before anticipating the jumps that were about to come. “Now when he comes up out of the water…” Jay was cut off before he could finish the sentence. The tarpon had gone straight to the surface and was flying high above the saltwater. He was trying to explain the technique of keeping the rod tip down during the jump. As I found out, it’s easier said than done.
As he ran once again, Jay put a cushion on the butt of the rod. This gave my stomach a little relief. The tarpon was on fire and line was peeling out of the reel. The high-pitched wine made me giggle and I held on for dear life.
“Now he knows he’s hooked,” Jay said with a laugh. But, as fast as it started, it was over as the line snapped. Tarpon guides count fish like hitters in baseball. So far, we were oh-for-one (0-1). It’s illegal to lift a tarpon over forty inches out of the water, so bringing one boat-side and touching the leader is considered a catch. But it isn’t always easy to do that.
“When he ran, he was running through maybe 500 fish,” Jay said. “So that braid was pinballing against other fish. It happens. There’s not a lot you can do. Forty percent landing ratio is a solid day.”
Similar to other fishing experiences, tarpon have bite windows. As the day goes on, more and more boats show up. Most of the time, they all take turns and go to the front of the school to drift through them. There are some learning curves and ethics that come in to play. Thankfully we had experienced guides who knew how to navigate the chaos. Occasionally, we’d be just feet from other boats and when the bite was on, there’d be fish being caught everywhere.
After a few misses and a few hours, Pat hooked up. The speed at which that fish would go from one spot to another was insane. Part of the reason for it’s speed was the shark factor. Not only were we doing battle with the king, but also trying to keep them from sharks! Pat’s fish took a swipe from a bull shark before landing it.
While the bit was off just a little, we still finished the day 1 for 3. The tarpon experience was complete…and we still had 3 more days to go.
Tom Knapp Knapp Outdoor Expeditions:
Our second day on the water would include juvenile tarpon, snook, mangrove snapper and alligators (!). Tom was from England and fell in love with the fishing opportunity in Florida. He’s been fishing here for 18 years and started guiding 7 years ago. He fishes the rivers and canals with lighter tackle. In fact, the rods and line were the same as what we’d use here for walleyes. Let’s goooo!
Tom gave us a completely different tarpon experience. Not only did we get to fight them on lighter gear, but we had the chance to hook into different species. This gives you a chance to go after a big one, but also spend time with action fish.
We were using a live bait set up with threadfin shad. It was a similar approach to the day before. We’d cast and let the bait do it’s job. I was fishing next to Pat and asked him to hold my rod while I checked my head-mounted go pro. As he handed the rod back to me, it started to jerk and I thought he was messing with me. Turns out, that was the exact moment I hooked into a tarpon. After listening to the drag whine, it ran under a docked boat and broke off. While I was happy just fighting these fish, I was beginning to wonder if I’d get to touch a leader.
Tom took us up the Peace River, which offered a glimpse of Pure Florida. Away from the crowds, big homes and fancy boats. We were surrounded by mangrove trees. Each bend of the river offered another hole to check for snook and tarpon. We’d see manatees and alligator gar swim by. We also spotted actual alligators swimming across the river. Tom was a lot of fun to fish, complete with scenery, lots of action and stories of fishing in the UK.
Jesse & Kelly McDowell:
Our final two days on the water were with the husband and wife team at Florida Inshore Xtream. Jesse and Kelly McDowell will get you on tarpon, but also goliath grouper. These fish can push 500-600 pounds! They’re massive. While fighting these goliaths is fun, so is getting bait.
Sting rays are a favorite food of these tanks, so we needed to get some. To do that, we went bowfishing!
I have a little experience with a bow and quickly connected on a bonus catfish. This put my confidence level higher than it should have been. Jesse drilled a sting ray dead center and while I admired the shot, he explained the problem with it.
“We want them alive,” he said. “Try to aim for one of the sides.”
This threw another level of difficulty at me. You have to account for light refraction by aiming low already, now I needed to pick a wing.
I missed each one after that, lol. Thankfully, Jesse has the program down and filled the bait well. and Kelly manuevered the boat from the top deck perfectly and soon we were headed for the big groupers.
I was able to catch a couple of smaller groupers and let Dan have a shot. The strength these fish have is unreal. Even the smaller ones with give you a run for your money. The gear we were using seems comical. I joked that it’s what you’d need for the giant Rapalas that hang on the wall of tackle shops.
Both Dan and Pat ended up with respectable goliaths over our two days. Not “beach fish”, but in the 170lb class. Beach fish are ones large enough to take to the beach for pics in the water. It’s also illegal to take them out of the water for pictures. Jesse and Kelly however, are permitted to take DNA samples to learn more about the fish.
Our final day on the water also gave Dan and I one last chance to touch the leader. Dan was up first since he hadn’t been able to fight a tarpon yet. Our trip began at early morning hour of 4 am. Jesse and Kelly prefer to get on the water before the crowd shows up. We’d learn later just how important that can be.
It didn’t take long for Dan to hook up.
“That was so much fun,” Dan said. “That fish is so cool. Just absolute raw power.”
While the darkness kept us from seeing the jumps, we could hear the spash.
“It’s man vs fish,” Dan said. “For a fish that big to be as acrobatic as it is, it’s power vs power.”
Now it was my last shot. Pat and I both had lines in the water. He felt a thump and reeled down to load up the rod. The circle hook did its job and Pat yelled my name. I was the only one without an official catch and normally I wouldn’t take the rod from someone else.
But this was different. I assumed the position in the chair and took on the challenge. Fishing out of the chair, with the rod in a gimbal can be a bit awkward at first. It will allow you to fight a big tarpon for an extended period of time if necessary however. This fight would go down as one of the most insane battles I’ve been a part of.
The massive tarpon was the perfect way to cap off the trip to Punta Gorda. Any angler who enjoys “the tug”, needs to do this.
The Lodging – Tarpon Real Estate
You have a lot of options for lodging. Depending on what you’re looking for, there are hotels, resorts and Air BnB’s. We stayed with Tarpon Real Estate. They offer a variety of house rentals from comfortable residential areas to sandy islands. Our house was a 3-bedroom, 3-bath with a full kitchen and a swimming pool. It was situated along a canal that Dan took a few casts in. Having a place where we each had our own bathroom is an option I will always recommend.
If you’re looking for more of a resort experience, Sunseeker Resort is quite the facility. This area is less touristy and more “fishing village” so Sunseeker is unique. It gives you a one-stop location for the whole family. You can stay in luxurious rooms overlooking the ocean. Dining options include a food court and the “Half Cracked” restaurant. There’s a big pool for the kids and an adult-only option on the roof.
We stopped for lunch and tried some frozen drinks, of course. My meal was blackened Mahi and I licked the plate clean.
The Seafood
You don’t need to eat seafood here. In fact, a lot of locals probably get sick of it. Not those of us from the upper Midwest! I wanted something fresh and not frozen or shipped. Lois put together an itinerary full of seafood choices that included local restaurants with unique atmospheres…and tiki bars! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. You can also get regular food like steaks and burgers if seafood isn’t your thing. The links below will have menus you can view.
I’m going to link the restaurants we visited and the meals I had here:
Steamers: Rockefeller Oysters, Shrimp Tacos. I would recommend them both. The oysters were not high on my list to try, but these were covered in cheese and spinach. They were delicious.
The Bean Depot: I could become a regular at this place if I lived there. This small “historic” cafe was quintessential Florida for me. A place to grab a beer and enjoy live music from two different outdoor places. The stage we sat at was framed by palm trees that offered shade on that sunny day. A bluegrass band gathered around a single mic and harmonized songs we knew and didn’t know.
The Sandbar Tiki Grille | Lock n Key Restaurant and Pub This giant tiki bar is located along the beach. While this area was hit hard during Hurricane Milton, they have rebuilt and are stronger than ever. The valet parking option keeps you from having to walk far. It wasn’t long before we were sipping cocktails and enjoying live music. We were also happy to see the Stanley Cup playoffs on the tvs!
I ordered the Ahi tuna appetizer since we’d been eating already and it was perfect. I could order it for every meal.
The Broken Bike Roadhouse: If you’ve driven around Port Charlotte, you’ve probably seen this along the highway. Bring cash if you want a beer. I’d recommend getting one and sitting back to hear the stories. They have live music at times as well.
The Lighthouse Grille and Tiki Bar: This ended up being an experience for us. We ate calamari, shrimp and grouper for appetizers. The calamari was the favorite. Each was deep fried and the shrimp had a really good sauce over it. My main meal was blackened mahi and it was perfect. I also ordered an electric lemonade since it sounded like something you’d drink at a tiki bar. It was frozen and blue. And I ordered three of them haha.
As live music played, we explored the area where they were rebuilding the actual lighthouse. There was a dock with snook that I hand fed. Thanks to Triple Trouble Charters for the leftover bait. There was also a resident great blue heron that sat on his boat. He called him “Blue” and it was allowed to raid his bait well each day.
Peace River Seafood Company: This might have been the most authentic seafood restaurant we went to. The owners are actual crab fisherman and farmers. Each day they bring fresh blue crab in to serve and when they run out, you order something different! They also have stone crab, oysters, clams and shrimp. We were treated to a giant platter and mallets emblazoned with their logo. The multi-colored stone crab claws were my favorite, although the garlic crab clusters were a close second. This was also an action-packed adventure because hammering the crabs open was almost as much fun as eating them.
Farlow’s on the Water: This was maybe the fanciest place we ate at, yet we still had outdoor-ish seating. We sat outside but had the shade from an overhang. There was good beer, great food and live music. They also have a boardwalk that runs over the nearby lake. At night, underwater lights attract fish so you’re never far away from the fishing experience. We ate ahi tuna nachos (thumbs way up) and I had something called “Goldentile.” It sounded like something special so I had to try it. I’m glad I did. The highlight however was when Pat ordered the hogfish. Not only does it taste better than it sounds, but the staff comes and debones it for you. Now, that’s service.
This is a place to shop, eat food, have a beer, listen to live music and watch the sunset. If that’s not all, you can book a sunset cruise there too. It was an actual fishermen’s village and now it’s an outdoor mall with a hotel.
We found a table on the beach, watched the sun set and listened to live music here. It was a great way to end the day. We we’re shocked to find out that the girl singing was 13-year-old Josie Sal. Someone who’s already been on stage with artists like Jelly Roll. We arrived and got settled in and all of a sudden this huge voice came out of nowhere. I noticed it was just one girl singing to a backing track of cover songs and originals. Between songs she would share stories of how a 13-year-old has enough life experience to actually write a song. She was really good. The staff here was great and the view from the beach was spectacular.
The Travel
I have the American Express Delta Skymiles card and used mostly miles for this travel. We flew direct on Delta from Minneapolis-St Paul and landed at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. I used 48,000 miles for a cabin seat on the way down and Delta Comfort + on the way back. I’d never flown that before so I figured, why not use the miles and treat myself.
We flew down on a Wednesday and arrived at MSP at 5 AM. While I have Global Entry, Dan does not. We both made it through security in just a few minutes. We were at our gate for the 7 AM flight with time to spare. Our flight home had a slight 15-minute delay, but that just gave us extra time with some new friends. We ate lunch at the Dewars Bar and Grill in the airport at a community table. There were others from Minnesota that stopped by so we made new friends. We also met someone heading to Detroit who worked for Carhartt, which ended up being an unexpected networking opportunity. You just never know who you might meet at an airport!
As we sat at the table, Dan leans over and says, “I think that guy over there is wearing one of our hats!” I thought there was no way that someone in the Fort Myers airport would be wearing a Fish Hunt Forever hat…but I was wrong. Not only was Tanner Mueller there wearing it, but he wore it to propose to his girlfriend on the beach! Congrats!
As of today 5/10/25, direct round-trip flights to Fort Meyers start at $500 through Delta. We also rented a car to use during our time. I would recommend that because you’ll be meeting your guide at docks.
If you have any questions about taking a trip there, let me know. Otherwise, you can also find more activities, lodging options, and guides on the Real Pure Florida website here.
Summary and Links
Guides:
Capt Jay Withers – Guidelines TV
Capt Tom Knapp – Knapp Outdoor Expeditions
Capt Jesse and Capt Kelly McDowell: Florida Inshore Xtream
Lodging:
Tarpon Real Estate
Sunseeker
Restaurants:
Farlow’s on the Water
Peace River Seafood Company
Steamers
Half Cracked Tiki Shack
TT’s Tiki Bar
The Sandbar
The Lighthouse
The Bean Depot
Here are more pictures from our trip. We’ll probably add more to this:
