Day was just breaking on the Florida Keys. Quiet. A typical spring morning, with a bright warm sun at the horizon, and a light breeze. The tide was flowing in with a full moon surge. Conditions were almost perfect for tarpon fishing.

My good friend Captain Steve Thomas and I launched my new “Stu Apte” Costa 170, at the Dolphin Marina on Little Torch Key and headed out for one of my favorite tarpon spots. An area that I found more than 40 years ago. Before it was necessary to have a “ninja” like boat that can slip up on the tarpon without them being aware. One of the virtues of the Costa 170 is its ability to be poled without it whispering a sound.

This picture shows one of four tarpon that I caught this day. The total fight lasted a timed 20 minutes until Steve inserted a release gaff into the soft membrane of its lower jaw. We were fortunate enough to have another friend, Paul Wingrove near enough to take this photograph before we eased this magnificent fish back into the water and watched it swim away to fight another day..

Stu Apte