The Crescent Bar

It was three years ago this month when I first found it. There’s a large spotted grass flat in four to eight feet of water. Running along its east side is a shallow crescent shaped sand bar that is practically dry at low tide. I call it the Crescent Bar. The area is about a mile long and nearly a half mile wide. Its appearance and the way to fish it remind me of the famed Tarpon hole “The Pocket” on the First National Bank in Florida Bay. After three seasons and a lot of time just observing the fish, I think I have them figured out.

I start looking for fish here in mid April and by May it’s really going off. The fish move in schools of twenty to over one hundred. What makes this spot unique is not the number of fish it holds but how it holds them.

The schools move in from the west in ten to twelve feet of water. There in the open water the fish are moving at a pretty good clip. It’s similar to when fish are moving down a beach and can be fished in the same manner, getting ahead of the school and intercepting them but just like on the beach you’ll only get a few shots and the school has past.  You must then move up and do it all over again. Don’t get me wrong, this works just fine but what happens when they hit the bar is special.

You can see the Tarpon moving to the east in deep water. They run into the southern end of the bar which points to the southwest and as they begin running along the edge of the bar the schools begin to tighten up and slow down. As they work their way further up the bar it curves more to the north and the drop off from the bar to this flat becomes more distinct. About two thirds of the way up, the bar begins to curve back to the northwest and the flat to the south drops from four to six feet of water to about eight to ten feet.

The northern most point of the bar hooks around back to the west and the flat on the north side of this point is shallow and has a gradual slope. As the Tarpon approach this northern tip it acts as a natural corral and turn the Tarpon back into the deeper hole on the south side of the tip where they begin to mill around in circles. This is where I sit just off the tip of the bar and sight fish to the Tarpon milling in the deeper water.

Since the fish are no longer on the move you can take your time and present your baits perfectly. The result is hook ups nearly every time. Once hooked they usually run back to the south over the flat where they can be fought in the four to eight feet deep water. This allows me to use a little lighter tackle. The shallow water results in a greater number of more exhilarating jumps than fish fought in deeper water where they can dig.  For the same reasons this is a great place to target Tarpon on the fly. After the fish are released, they work their way back along the bar and eventually rejoin the school milling in the hole.

I prefer to fish Tarpon here using 7’ to 8’ medium heavy rods with 5000 and 6000 Shimano spinning reels spooled with 200 yards of 40 lb braided line over 12 lb copolymer backing. I tie a 3’ Bimini Twist and attach a 5’ 40 or 50 lb fluorocarbon leader with an Albright or Uni to Uni.

Depending on the size of the bait, I finish the off the rig with a three to five ott light wire circle hook. The light wire hooks are not the strongest and are more susceptible to bending. However I’ve found they penetrate the hard jaw of Tarpon easier and deeper than heavier forged hooks because of their smaller diameter.  They are also lighter and this allows the bait to swim more naturally. Despite the tendency to bending I have had light wire hooks bend almost completely straight and remain seated.

For fly tackle I use 10 to 12 weight rods, 10’ leaders tapered with 50,40,30,20 and a 40 or 50lb tipit. The flies I use vary but I like patterns tied with black and purple, brown or white with a green back.

Perhaps the thing I love most about this spot is there aren’t very many people that know about it. It’s a pleasant change from the crowded passes and the rough gulf waters.

‘til next time this is Captain Chris Wittman of Stillwater Charters bidding you tight lines and screaming drags.