Tarpon Fishing

[aquaticbiology]

imagine a huge, pissed off carp (with a bad attitude to start with) and you have yourself a tarpon - treat them like cobia - gaff and drop them straight into the ice chest

there are a few medium (20#-ish) tarpon at psj up in the really skinny flats and 7 years ago i saw two in st andrews bay around cortney point, but no sharks

flipper (dolphin) are the worst i've seen at removing half your catch before you get it on board

 

[laurawood]

just a reminder.......... there are very strict laws on tarpon as well as every other species. Please get a copy of rules & regulations at the courthouse or any bait shop and acquire any licences required.

 

[Beach Runner]

I've never eaten tarpon. My sis is in SoWal for a few weeks, fishing with her boys. She lets me raid her fridge (we have homes in the same 'hood and watch each other's back, know what I'm sayin'?). We still have some frozen Spanish mackerel from her June visit.
How does one cook tarpon? Very carefully? Or is tarpon an edible fish? I'm clueless (what else is new?).

 

[Beach Runner]

imagine a huge, pissed off carp (with a bad attitude to start with) and you have yourself a tarpon - treat them like cobia - gaff and drop them straight into the ice chest

there are a few medium (20#-ish) tarpon at psj up in the really skinny flats and 7 years ago i saw two in st andrews bay around cortney point, but no sharks

flipper (dolphin) are the worst i've seen at removing half your catch before you get it on board

Oh, yeah. I know about carp. Our best friends have a "country place" with multiple houses and a lake. The carp have started taking over the lake and are totally obnoxious. They (our friends, not the carp - LOL) invited us for dinner, and for entertainment the guys shot the carp with guns. I mean, does that require a fishing license or a hunting license?

 

[Capt. William]

For the anglers/future anglers that do not know about tarpon, You can not legally kill a tarpon unless you buy a tag from the state at the beggining of the year. The tags are non-refundable I believe. Which means guys if you don't get one you are S.O.L. The only reason anyone buys one of these tags is to mount the fish not for food.

In Port St joe (my neck of the woods) yesterday I saw the most tarpon
I have ever seen in my life in one area. Hundreds of them blowing up and rolling on baits! They had the bait fish(small 1''-1.5'' ) balled up right against the seawall. The average size was only about 60-80lbs. but I did see a lot of 120lbs. fish. It was amazing I was trying to touch them they were so close to me. I put a hook in one(about 125lbs. broke off immediatly) and had a few more bump my bait but could not get a hook in another.