Mega Tarpon caught on the Mega-Bite !!!

Sorry I haven’t posted this sooner, but I had to wait on the photos, because I actually forgot my camera, but luckily my buddy came through with these great shots.

I was fishing a couple weeks ago with a paying charter. The family was celebrating their son, Allen’s, birthday. He had done a little saltwater fishing in the past, and earlier that day he had told me how he wanted to catch a redfish and a tarpon. I told him that I would do my best to put him on a redfish, but getting tarpon was going to be tough, but we’d keep our fingers crossed.

We started the day going after schools of Spanish mackerel, and then hit a few docks for redfish. After the docks came up empty, we went after schools of ladyfish and bluefish in the pass. We were having a great time, and when I asked if they would like to go catch a shark, they eagerly agreed that sounded like a fun way to end the trip.
Not long after I started chumming at my bay spot for shark, my good buddy Capt. Ballard showed up and anchored up just to the north of me. He and I have caught some good sharks there in the past and I was hoping to catch a few sharks and let the birthday boy have a few good fish stories for his buddies back home. It wasn’t long before Capt. Ballard was hooking up on some sharks, and then it was our turn.  Allen was having fun with these sharks and his mom and dad even got involved with the smaller catches.

But Allen’s dad’s arm just wouldn’t let him do much with the heavier fish, as he was recovering from an injury, so he watched as his son pulled one shark in after the other.

 I had just deployed cut whole menhaden on bottom rigs when all of sudden we heard a very loud commotion behind the boat. My first thought was we hooked us a spinner shark and then all of a sudden the culprit rose 6 ft out of the water for everyone to see. My eyes almost popped out of my head. I yelled, “Tarpon!” I handed Allen the rod and ran up to the bow of the boat and pulled the anchor in record time, fired up the boat and began to back down on the fish, the whole time thinking there was no way we just hooked a tarpon in Pensacola Bay. Amazed, Allen watched as the fish had jumped 3 times before I got the boat turned to chase down the beast. Allen did a great job fighting the fish, but his arms started to cramp up and he was getting very tired.

This was no small spring trout he was fighting, this big bruiser had to be over 100lbs. Allen’s dad walked up to me and whispered in my ear, “Would you help him land the fish?”  Although I really wanted Allen to fight this fish by himself, he really didn’t know how, so he and I took turns on the rod. The fight lasted over 45 minutes. Allen did a great job fighting the fish but had a hard time getting the fish close to the boat, so I assisted him when the fish was giving him trouble. We got the fish to the boat three separate times and on the last time I told Allen to help me out so I could grab the fish and get him ready for pictures. I went to get my camera and found out that I had left it at home, and Allen’s mom’s camera battery just died. We couldn’t believe our luck!

Fortunately, Capt. Ballard had a camera on his boat, so I carefully towed the fish back to Capt. Ballard’s boat while keeping the fish in the water to help revive him. By the time we got to Capt. Ballard’s boat, the fish was well revived. Capt Ballard tossed the camera over to my boat, and we hauled the fish in the boat, snapped a few quick pics, and put the fish back in the water and spent a few minutes to revive him some more.

Don’t worry, the fish swam off and everyone on my boat and on Capt. Ballard’s saw this fish swim away. What a special treat seeing Allen battle this fish and it was also a special treat that they let me help their son land this magnificent fish.

Most people that have seen this picture along with myself think that the fish was around 140 – 160.
Hope you enjoyed the story.

www.theredfishclub.com

Great post!

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2007 "Unofficial PFF Fall Shark Tounament" Winners

PRFA Member

 

"I'm konztipated....I just can't give a sh!t"

 

Pics!

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/gallery.asp?gallery=1159

Here are a couple of more pictures;the one in the water was taken with my cell phone so it's not that good of a pic.

This is Allen by himself with his trophy.

-------------------------
Capt. John Rivers
850-341-9816
Pensacola, Fl
Mega-Bite Inshore Charters

Emerald Coast Fishing Excursions

www.fishtheemeraldcoast.com

Contact: brant.peacher@gmail.com 
Phone: 850-450-3878

2020 Blazer Bay 175 Suzuki 4stroke

www.FishTheKite.com

Wayne

Thanks for posting and the great pictures.



You catch some, you lose some but the beer will never say no or try to run away.
18' White Ranger Center Console.

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If You Keep Doing What You Always Did - You Will Get What You ALways Got - Take It One Day At A Time 

Rum will get you thru times with no money, better than money will get you thru times no with Rum!!  

A friend to all, and have no enemies!! 

Man I bet if you had a son who had just caught a tarpon like that you'd be pullin him out of the water too. Those fish can handle being out of the water long enough for a few pics. A tarpon dont get that big being a p***y. Whats the difference between catching any other fish, taking a few pics, and releasing him and that tarpon? If he was handled right that tarpon is fine. From what it looks like they did a good job of that.

17' Lakesport

Now I'm not saying that this tarpon was handled improperly, I was just answering your question. Congrats to the birthday boy on a catch of a lifetime.

As an educative side note, it is indeed illegal to remove a tarpon from the water in the state of Florida without having a tarpon kill tag.

More than likley next time I would leave the fish in the water. This boy's birthday wish was to catch a tarpon, and I wanted him to have some great photos. We did take a few pics of the fish in the water, but they didn't come out great.  The fish was properly revived and it swam off. I took extra care that this fish was not harmed and it was properly revived.

I agree. The hand through the gill slits is very damaging to the gills also. Great catch though!

Still in Knoxville,TN but working on it.

Thanks for all the info. Lets go fishing! Can't wait to meet more of you folks.             Hal, you owe me a beer!

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pictureprocessor/galleries/usergallery.asp?gallery=1156

I am sure you did your best with the fish and if you say he was revived and swam away, then I am sure that's what happened. Sometimes we all get excitied in the moment, and I'm sure that was one of them, I'd want a pic if it was me, and your an experienced angler....good job!!!

I had a 22" red flip out of my hand yesterday, he bumped his head on the hull and ended up belly up on the bottom. I scooped him back up with the net, took some time to revive him and he swam away happy as could be, but maybe not so sure where he was!

My turn for Tarpon...gotta try and keep up with these pros you know!!

KEEP AN OCCASSIONAL RED HERE AND THERE FOR DINNER, BUT FOR

THE REST, PRACTICE HEALTHY CATCH & RELEASE TECHNIQUES

SAVE SOME FOR THE FUTURE!

Thanks for the laugh with that comment, I liked that....don't let these guys spoil your fun moment!

KEEP AN OCCASSIONAL RED HERE AND THERE FOR DINNER, BUT FOR

THE REST, PRACTICE HEALTHY CATCH & RELEASE TECHNIQUES

SAVE SOME FOR THE FUTURE!

I know about the whole dont hold them vertical due to body weight or by the gills. But people dont realize that fish can take some punishment. And I believe that taking this fish out of the water for a few pics [for a boy who from what it sounds hasnt done that much fishing] didnt hurt it.

For the past 5 to 6 years I have helped my dad and other FWC biologist spawn stripers. Some of the brood fish they get are 30 to 35lbs. Now, not saying these fish are like this tarpon, but the amount of punishment these fish go through while being spawned makes taking a fish of equal size out of the water by its gills look like nothing. And to my amazement most of these big brood fish survive, to be released back into the local waters.

Now Im not sayin I just go around mistreating fish either I do practice good catch and release as well as handling them with care. From those pics though and what Capt John said Id be willing to bet that , that  tarpon swam away to fight again another day.

17' Lakesport

Good Job!!!

 Mark

 Pensacola,FL