How To Get A Slam

TOM ROWLAND PODCAST

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“Time is the enemy of the Slam.”

PODCAST SYNOPSIS

Have you ever attempted to catch a Grand Slam? Do you want to in the future? Well I recently was filming an episode for Saltwater Experience and we set out to catch a Grand Slam (Permit, Tarpon and Bonefish). I realized that it would make a great How 2 Tuesday.

The thing about a Grand Slam is that it can be intimidating as it is often talked up to be the greatest angling accomplishment. Though it is tricky and difficult, it is also possible and shouldn’t deter you from going out there and trying to achieve it…

So some things to consider are firstly that you will need to be disciplined to accomplish your goal even if something unexpected happens. For example, you might go to catch tarpon first and get it in the first 15 minutes. However it might also be some of the best tarpon fishing you’ve ever seen and you’d be tempted to stay out there for another 2 hours enjoying it… That’s the trick, you have to be willing to leave that fishing to go find the Bonefish and Permit and be aware that you might not catch the other two species.

Also whether you are the angler or guide you need to plan out how you are going to approach the three species. Will you leave the tarpon for last? What if it gets cloudy after you catch the first two species? Tarpon are the best when it’s cloudy. But tarpon break you off quite a bit… What if you catch Tarpon and Permit and leave Bonefish last? Bonefish are easily spooked…

So there are a lot of things to consider and it is tricky, but it is certainly possible and we actually achieve the Grand Slam on the Saltwater Experience episode so be looking out for that this 2020 season! If you have any further questions or future podcast topics let me know: podcast@saltwaterexperience.com

Check out the show notes:

00:00 - The Grand Slam in Key West is Permit, Bonefish, and a Tarpon

01:26 - The Grand Slam is tricky especially if you see two of these species in the same place

01:46 - Time is against you in these situations

02:25 - I recently was fishing an episode of Saltwater Experience and had a great day of fishing

03:26 - We caught a tarpon right away, caught a couple of bonefish and had the rest of the day for permit

03:41 - Our challenges included the weather, the coloring of the fish made it hard to see etc…

04:19 - There is a strategy to getting a Grand Slam both for the angler and the guide

05:00 - Guides that get a lot of slams are planning how to catch the three fish and planning the order depending on the day

05:44 - Scenario: The tarpon are ready to go and they are biting good. Next thing you know is you are staying there for 2 hours when you caught it in the first 15 minutes.

07:06 - The key is knowing when to leave even if you are in a great situation to catch the most tarpon you’ve ever gotten

07:37 - The risk is that you still might not catch the other two species, but you have to take that risk for the slam.

09:12 - You have to be disciplined to remember what your goal is and what you are trying to achieve

09:48 - You have to save time for plans A, B, C, D and E just in case things go wrong for the last species

10:09 - The clock is the enemy of the slam

10:57 - It isn’t easy and its also not the greatest accomplishment of all time, it is possible and you can do it

12:42 - Let me know what you think podcast@saltwaterexperience.com