Save The Last Dance...

He's close by the boat now and the tarpon tries to throw the hook, jumping and splashing in a final effort to gain freedom. He has no idea that right after Capt. Dave Kostyo gets him in the boat the hook will be removed and he'll be released, a free tarpon!
A constant fear when you're tarpon fishing and the fish gets close to the boat is that he'll dive and come up jumping on the other side of the boat. You have to poke your rod tip straight down under the water and go up to the bow of the boat, then back down the other side before you can raise the rod and attempt to get in control of the situation again. Otherwise you risk cutting the line on the bottom of the boat or on one of the outboard motors. A bigger fear is that the fish will jump into the boat. The last thing you want is one hundred pounds of fish flopping wildly and knocking things around. I've heard stories of it happening, but it's never happened to me.

I guess I was lucky, but in all the times I've photgraphed close-in hot fishing action like this I've never had my Leicas drenched with salt water. Maybe a bit of spray but not drenched. When I get home I wipe them off with a slighty damp cloth "just in case", then dry them with a towel. Those cameras were over twenty years old when I took these pictures ten years ago. I'm still using them. I wish that I was holding up as well...LOL