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Large landlocked tarpon ignored on Grand Cayman•Th* New York Time*By NELSON BRYANTGRAND CAYMAN ISLAND,1 B.W.I. — Hurtling three feet above the wind-churned waters of Frank Sound on Grand Cayman’s south shore, a muscular, silvery tarpon of 35 or 40 pounds shook his head violently and threw the small plug I was using 10 feet in the air.“A beautiful fish!” cried my companion and guide, Sam Ebanks, who was also surprised that the tarpon had hit.There are landlocked tarpon on Grand Cayman and more in the sounds and bays along its shores, but little or no attention is paid to them. “You are,” Sam had said earlier, the first visitor I have ever taken out who asked about the tarpon.”We had spotted tarpon rolling close to shore in Frank Sound when we stopped there to look at a bonefish flat.Ebanks, who is also a commercial fisherman, said that hehad often seen large schools lof tarpon in the 100-pound classor better around Grand Cayman’s shores. In areas where there is no sport fishing for the species, the tarpon goes through life virtually unmolested, for it is, in most countries, held in low esteem as a food fish.IMPOSSIBLE VENTUREEbanks, his son Fletcher, and a friend, plus two of Ebanks’ grandchildren and I had spent most of the day looking for bonefish, but a strong wind, gusting at times to 25 knots had made that venture virtually impossible. We did see a few dozer, small bonefish, which are cousins to the tarpon, but none could be persuaded to hit.During the morning, Fletcher | and his friend speared several lobsters, a grouper and a par-roifish and had gathered a dozen conch. The fish and lobster we cooked in a shady picnic area provided for the public in a grove of towering Australian pines at the Rum Point Club on the island’s north shore. The conch was cut into small pieces, marinated in a piquant sauce, and eaten raw.The meal also included Cayman Bananas, oranges, grapefruit, limes for seasoning the zesty sauce in which the fish anu lobster were cooked, and for dessert there was meat from coconuts.EXPLOSIVE ACROBATICS Every light-tackle angler has his favorite species of fish.Bonefish are exciting, but there is nothing quite like the explosive acrobatics of the tarpon. Because of tliis, and because the tarpon fishery around Grand Cayman is almost untouched, I confided to Sam that it would be good if we could spend the rest of oui days together trying for tarpon rather than bonefish.Included in the tackle I had brought with me was a salt water fly rod, and if the tarpon could be consistently found cruising close to shore, as in Frank Sound, it seemed likely tha*. they could be persuaded to take a fly, that technique being perhaps the most sporting way to approach them.
Newspaper Details
Nevada Evening Gazette
Reno, Nevada, US
Tue, Feb 20, 1973
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Christopher G.
WI, USA 16 Aug 2017
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Nevada State Journal
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