| > | | | | Family: MegalopidaeGenus: Megalops |
| | | | This exceptionally fine creature is a prehistoric animal |
| Learn more about this magnificent ocean creature at | | | | and theonly fish with an air bladder. This allows it to |
| Growing to lengths of more thaneight feet and | | | | absorb oxygenand live in waters with very low |
| weighing more than 280 pounds, it is easy to seewhy | | | | oxygen content. You can see themgulp air at the |
| the tarpon is one of the most sought after saltwater | | | | water surface. Tarpon are also called poons,tarpum, |
| gamefishin the world. It's habitat is close to the | | | | sabalo real, cuffum, silverfish or silver king and belongto |
| shoreline so fishermenof all types and skill levels can | | | | the bony fish family Elopidae. The Latin designation |
| catch them. | | | | isMegalops atlanticus. |
| If you have ever had the priviledge of hooking up on a | | | | While only microscopic at birth, tarpon have been |
| big tarponthen you know the exhilaration and thrill of | | | | documented atlengths of more than eight feet and |
| testing yourself inbattle against one of the most sought | | | | weighing 280 pounds. Catchesweighing more than 200 |
| after gamefish in theworld. This distinction is easy to | | | | pounds, while uncommon, do occur. Manyfish caught |
| see at first glance as thetarpon starts a series of | | | | are well over 100 pounds. Their growth rate is |
| spectacular acrobatic leaps in the airthat will have your | | | | slow,taking 8 to 10 years to reach maturity, and |
| heart pounding, your rod bending and yourdrag | | | | generally those over100 pounds are female. Tarpon |
| screaming. You better hold on! | | | | can live 55 to 60 years. They aregreenish or bluish on |
| Since the tarpon's habitat is so close to the | | | | top, and silver on the sides. The largemouth is turned |
| shoreline,fishermen of all types and skill levels can | | | | upwards and the lower jaw contains an |
| catch them. They canbe caught from jetties, passes, | | | | elongatedbony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is |
| docks, bridges, beaches, piersand rivers. Tarpon can | | | | much longer thanthe others, reaching nearly to the tail. |
| be caught while using many types oftackle, rods, baits, | | | | They are found primarily in shallow coastal waters and |
| lures and rigs either while fishing from aboat, canoe, | | | | estuaries,but they are also found in open marine |
| kayak or walking and wading from the shoreline asthe | | | | waters, around coralreefs, and in some freshwater |
| tarpon work up and down the beaches. | | | | lakes and rivers. Their normalmigratory pattern ranges |
| Live bait fishermen's bait of choice is the 'dollar crab'. | | | | from Virginia to central Brazil in thewestern Atlantic, |
| Asmall live blue crab about two inches across its | | | | along the coast of Africa in the easternAtlantic, and all |
| carapace, hookedthrough one end of it's shell or | | | | through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.Florida |
| underneath through a swimmerleg. Other extremely | | | | is widely regarded as having many of the best |
| effective live baits include pinfish,threadfin herrings and | | | | tarponfishing locations in the world, especially the |
| pilchards. On days when the tarpon isbeing finicky in it's | | | | world-renownedBoca Grande Pass in Southwest |
| tablefare selection, try these for the bestresults, and | | | | Florida. |
| oh, by the way, don't forget about a live mullet. Ifyou | | | | Fishing for the tarpon can at times be an excercise of |
| can get them, use them. Flyfishermen are not left out | | | | patienceand discipline. You may be surrounded by |
| either.The stealth of casting the right fly can | | | | large schools of rollingtarpon containing hundreds of |
| sometimes be the trickto hooking up. | | | | fish and they will not hit anythingyou throw at them. |
| But Just What is a Tarpon? | | | | Other times, it is a feeding frenzy. So, gofishing for |
| Scientific classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: | | | | tarpon every chance you get, that next world |
| ChordataClass: Actinopterygii Order: Elopiformes | | | | recordcatch may be waiting just for you. |