Tarpon Town
Capt. Justin Leake and Meredith McCord collect some silver trophies and share them with lucky beachgoers in Tarpon Town, the season nine premiere of “Chasin’ The Sun.”
McCord, a world-class fly angler and co-host of the award winning show, returns to chase the highly-prized “silver king” along Panama City Beach’s sugar white sands. It’s also another chance to go head-to-head against Justin in his home waters.
“We can’t help but be competitive with one another… it’s just in our DNA,” says Meredith.
Capt. Leake, who introduced Meredith to the local tarpon fishery a couple of years ago, accepts the challenge but insists on one rule for the competition: no helping. “The training wheels are officially off and you’re on your own,” he says.
After a stop at the bait barge, the duo finds a large school of tarpon just offshore. Long casts into the school soon lead to hookups and, right on cue, spectacular acrobatics courtesy of one of the gulf’s most highly-prized species. “When you hook a big tarpon, you know you’re settling into a marathon,” says Justin.
Also, we visit the Sun Bear Gallery and Studio where stunning gulf front views offer plenty of artistic inspiration.