TAPAM means TARPON
Dream just for a moment that you were able to design the perfect fly-rod quarry – what would you conjure up?
Something big, no doubt… but how big? Five pounds? Ten?
Why not be greedy? Come on, let’s stop messing around and really push the boat out – how about 100 pounds apiece, with the odd monster ranging to 200 pounds and more?
OK, so far, so good – our fantasy fish is more than big enough – but what does it look like? And how does it fight? Well, how about we design a majestic silver sky-rocket of a fish – a chrome-bright berserker that puts even the freshest salmon to shame. What say we bolt on an outsized tail and have it fight like a demented lunatic, catapulting eight feet into the air in huge, wild cartwheels and tearing off huge quantities of backing in a heart-beat.
How does that sound?
Where does it live – in cold, frosty climes that require thermal insulation and a thermos full of oxtail soup?
Forget it – let’s pop our creation into warm waters in the tropical sunshine.
Sounds just about perfect, doesn’t it?
Happily, this absurd fantasy is actually a reality. The fish you’ve just dreamt up is in fact Megalops Atlanticus. The Silver King. The one and only Tarpon.
There are any number of places to target tarpon throughout the warm tropical seaboards of the Atlantic Ocean, but few can boast fish of a size to rival that of Nicaragua.
Be warned. This is not flats fishing. If you want to fish for tarpon in crystal-clear water four foot deep, this destination is not for you.
However, this hugely underexplored tropical paradise can offer Megalops that are bigger than just about anywhere else on earth. If you are looking for a true monster, Nicaragua really does give you as good a chance as anywhere in the world.
Tapam means ”tarpon” in the local Miskito language, and it is the name that we have given to our simple but comfortable lodge. Welcome to Tapam!