Tarpon on a trout rod?

[randymullaly]

Fishing this morning with my wife (usual spot) east of the light house. Trout bite was exceptional as it has been for the last few days. 4' of water throwing gulp under a popping cork. Cork starts flying just under the surface of the water. A lady fish or perhaps a Spanish. I set the hook and my rod doubles, drag screams and
15lb grade comes smoking off the real. About that time a really nice tarpon comes way out of the water shaking his head. Back down, another run and at this point, Im almost spooled. Another jump and head shake and that was it. No more tarpon. Ive had them hit live bait fish out there before but the 3" gulp swimming mullet is a first.

[Capt Ron]

Yep, they are bad about that. They don't understand that they're not supposed to eat gulps or small reds or trout

[J Holden]

Tarpon on light tackle are a good time. I think the 4lb test line record for tarpon is around 50lbs.. It's possible to land a big one on a light spinning rig if all the stars align.

[silverking]

The smaller ones up to 30 pounds are a blast on light tackle. You get all the goody without the punishment.

George Hogan Junior owns the three lightest men's line classes, all set in the early and late 1990s in the Keys.

2# test (106 pounds)
4# test (128 pounds 8 ounces)
6# test (139 pounds 14 ounces)

His wife Elizabeth holds the women's 2# record at 56 pounds, the 4# mark at 134 pounds 3 ounces and also the 8# title at 143 pounds 8 ounces.

Tarpon usually settle the question quickly whenever one is hooked on trout tackle. Never bring a knife to a gun fight. But the big girls will battle to the point of exhaustion and are very prone to shark attacks when that happens. If targeting bigger fish (and I've seen some pushing 200 pounds in our local waters), gear up accordingly for a fair fight. And just a reminder, you are required to purchase a $50 tarpon tag to possess one and that includes hauling it into the boat for photos. Take a shot with the fish still in the water alongside or jump in with it for a digital keepsake of a successful release.

Capt. Dave Lear
International Game Fish Association North Florida Representative

[JeffB]

The smaller ones up to 30 pounds are a blast on light tackle. You get all the goody without the punishment.

George Hogan Junior owns the three lightest men's line classes, all set in the early and late 1990s in the Keys.

2# test (106 pounds)
4# test (128 pounds 8 ounces)
6# test (139 pounds 14 ounces)

His wife Elizabeth holds the women's 2# record at 56 pounds, the 4# mark at 134 pounds 3 ounces and also the 8# title at 143 pounds 8 ounces.

Tarpon usually settle the question quickly whenever one is hooked on trout tackle. Never bring a knife to a gun fight. But the big girls will battle to the point of exhaustion and are very prone to shark attacks when that happens. If targeting bigger fish (and I've seen some pushing 200 pounds in our local waters), gear up accordingly for a fair fight. And just a reminder, you are required to purchase a $50 tarpon tag to possess one and that includes hauling it into the boat for photos. Take a shot with the fish still in the water alongside or jump in with it for a digital keepsake of a successful release.

Capt. Dave Lear
International Game Fish Association North Florida Representative

Good gosh! I have a hard time landing a big crappie on 4#.

[Salty Gator]

I've hooked a big one on a skitter walk with 20lb leader and 10lb braid. It jumped 5 or 6 times then broke the line. At no point did I feel like I had even a slight chance of landing that fish. Capt Dave, how does one catch a 100# fish on 2 lb braid? Especially without killing it? There is certainly no way to quickly whip a fish with 2-4 lb braid. I'm just curious, I have no desire to catch a tarpon on light tackle.

[silverking]

The Hogans' fish were almost certainly caught on monofilament line since that was before braid became popular. All those fish were boated and killed to get the exact weights. Not sure when it was implemented, but the state adopted the tarpon kill tag for world records and the number sold in recent years is way less than 100. The money generated from the tag sales goes towards tarpon research.

The IGFA adopted the all tackle length records as a means to recognize significant catches without having to sacrifice the fish. To qualify, the fish must be measured on an official ruler, witnessed and released. But big fish that are difficult to weigh and release alive, like giant tarpon, billfish, tuna and sharks, are still eligible in the actual weight divisions.

To catch a fish of that size and strength requires top-notch tackle, precision knots, superb angling and crew/guide skill, stamina and patience, plus a whole lotta, lotta luck. With the conservation ethic and increased pressure, many of those long-standing records may now never be broken. Braid typically over-tests its stated line class and is very durable, while a single floating blade of sea grass can be enough to knick monofilament and sever it, ending the fight.

I was on my first group trip as a writer with the late, great Lee Wulff in Costa Rica when he fought a Pacific sailfish on fly for hours. He was in his late 70s at the time and the fish would have shattered the existing 8-pound tippet record. When it started to get dark Lee put more pressure on the fish and it finally broke off.

When I asked him later how he felt when that fish swam away, Lee, always the gentleman and sage, told me, "Sometimes the angler wins and most times the fish wins. Yesterday the fish won."

I've had the privilege of meeting several other world record holders in my career including the Hogans, Stewart Campbell, Raleigh Werking, Russ Hensley and others. They all gave credit to the fish foremost. But in the end, it's still a blood sport.