Tarpon Dreams

All anglers dream of Key West, Florida, in the winter. But once they watch the documentary Tarpon, they’ll long for Key West in the early seventies. Shot in 1972, the film was never officially released but became a cult classic thanks to a few beat-up bootleg copies. Now, to the relief of flats junkies everywhere, Tarpon is available for purchase.

The star of the film is the eponymous fish—leaping, crashing, rolling—but the cast includes the writers Thomas McGuane and Jim Harrison, and a rare cameo by Richard Brautigan. A fellow angler named Jimmy Buffett composed the musical score. And a handful of legendary tarpon guides, including Woody Sexton, Steve Huff, and Gil Drake, lead the day trips. But be warned: This is not the Key West you know. This is the Key West you wish you knew.