Tarpon are one of the ultimate fishing targets for many anglers and one I have been lucky enough to tangle with on one occasion. After landing that fish I understood why this great species is so highly prized! The fight is spectacular and aerobatics are the norm as the tarpon tries to throw the hook (quite often successfully!)
Here are some interesting facts about this species of fish:
- There are actually two species of tarpon. However, the Indo pacific tarpon are much smaller than the more famous Atlantic tarpon.
- The Atlantic tarpon can grow to up to 250 cm (98 in) and to a weight of 161kg (350 lbs).
- When water becomes drained of oxygen the tarpon can breathe air from the surface.
- Although they are rarely eaten tarpon are quite edible, but very bony. A permit is required in some places to keep them - stick to catch and release.
- Despite the popularity of fly fishing for tarpon they can be caught with most conventional fishing methods.
- The tarpon is the official state saltwater fish of Alabama
5 comments:
Never having fished in the Atlantic US, I was surprised to see the size of game you can catch. Thanks for a most informative post.
I love your website!!! I have added you to my favorites, I just bought a fish finder so I appreciated the article on fish finders. I also have a website called grandfatherstacklebox.com. It seems we share the love of fishing!!!!!!! I am lucky to live where I am. There are trout, walleye, gills, bass, catfish, coho, browns within 10 miles of my house!!! Thanks for being on the web!
Great Info! Whats the biggest walleye that one can catch? I run a pv fishing charter but am in utah looking for a giant walleye. So far nothing over 5 lbs.
Tarpon are truly an awesome fish. Ther make spectacular jumps and drag screaming runs. They can be very frustrating as well. Some days you can find hundreds of them and not get one to bite. The challenge is a big part of the fun. As a Daytona Beach Fishing Guide, I spend a lot of time fishing for tarpon in the late summer. We catch them from 5 - 125 pounds in shallow water using fly and light tackle.
Lovin' the blog! I need to get back down to FLA for some tarpon time...my parents live 15 miles north of Boca Grande pass (land of big tarpon & even bigger sharks!).
A couple years ago I hooked into a nice tarpon while fly fishing from my kayak - it was a WILD ride for sure!
Happy New Year, keep the stories coming!
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