# Funny or Dangerous Tarpon Stories



## crtarpon (May 11, 2005)

I once saw a tarpon jump into a Rio Parismina boat at the mouth of the Parismina River in CR. The guide jumped out of the boat to get away from him (tarpon definitely in the boat, bull sharks may be in the water--he was brave either way), swam to the transom and climbed back in. The clients were already in the back of the boat. You could hear that thing wrecking the inside of that boat for several minutes before it tired out and they threw him back in. It was pretty funny as that fish came over the side of that boat, and that guide, coming from underneath that fish, made a perfect dive--all in a heck of a hurry. There were several boats around the river mouth as the ocean was rough, and everyone started whistling and clapping afterwards, giving him scores on his dive.

Another time, I was releasing a tarpon in the San Juan River at El Castillo, Nicaragua. I had a set of Gerber pliers, and not wanting to lose them, I put a 150 pound test plastic wrapped wire wrist lanyard on them. At the time, I was proud of my little set up, and would insist on relaeasing every fish I could.

This time, though, I leaned over the gunwale, pliered the jig, the fish thrashed, and those pliers locked onto the jig with the tarpon's face and the back of my hand holding the pliers clamped shut. So, I was tied to this fish with 150 pound test plastic covered wire. I weigh about 245, and the fish weighed 160 or more. That wire tested out over its max in my humble opinion. This was a big fish (of course) and he thrashed again, almost pulling me out of the boat and I was regretting the hell out of that lanyard. In order to get loose, I just needed to force my arm downward towards the fish, but that was against everything in my mind and body at that moment. After a couple of thrashes with my buddy holding onto my belt loop to keep me in the boat (my whole arm and head had gone in the water a couple of times), I figured out that pulling wasn't working and pushed down, freeing myself and removing the hook. The fish swam away, and my wrist had a wire shaped bruise around it, swelled up, and taught me a lesson. The botero--a little Nicaraguan named Pina (pineapple--I guess named for his shape) with a full set of gold front teeth asked me who 'caught and released' who.

I was fishing the Parismina mouth with a guy named Chito (he has a little lodge there) one night and hooked a 50 or 60 pound tarpon. When I went to set the hook (I didn't know the reel down, short, jerky hookset method yet), I whipped the rod back and hit Chito all across the face and head, leaving a big red mark wrapping across his cheek and up his forehead. Chito and I were never close after that.

Anyway, I wanted to see if you guys had any of these to share. Any tips on dealing with these big fish efficiently when they get alongside would be nice, too.


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Great tales from your adventures.
My dad tells a tale of when he hooked a tarpon out of galveston, and the first jump was right on to the bow of the boat.
I wasn't lucky enough or old enough to be with him at the time but its fun to listen to him give his recolection of the story. 
The boat was one of those old cuddy cabin type boats with no sides to walk on. So every one on board went running through the cabin to pop out on the bow. But the tarpon had already wrapped the leader around a cleat and slid back into the water pulling the hook out in the process. 
So it turned into just another big fish story of the one that got away.


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

Gotta tell this one second hand, but a friend of mine was fishing in the keys in one skiff, with some of his friends in another skiff very close by. They were fishing a large school of tarpon and my friend paused to watch his buddies go for their first fish. With the fly just hanging in the water, a tarpon grabbed it an pulled the rod and classic Seamaster reel from his hands. My friend kicked off his shoes and was about to launch himself into the water in the general direction of his sinking (and very expensive equipment). The guide quickly barked at him to stay the hell in the boat.

Meanwhile, the friends hooked up and the 60-pound tarpon jumped into their boat. There was much hollering and laughing, but they finally got him under control, unhooked him and put back in the water. 
The tarpon was a little woozy as he wobbled away from the boat, heading directly to my friend's boat only about 60 feet away. When he was half-way between the two boats, a hammerhead launched the tarpon six feet or so straight up into the air and grabbed him on the way down. The tarpon disappeared in a bloody boil.

The guide looked at my friend and said, "That's why you don't go in the water". No further explanation was necessary! Fortuntately the fly had pulled loose from the other tarpon and the line floated up so they could retrieve his equipment anyway. Pretty lucky day all around!


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## Jake Reaves (Oct 1, 2004)

***** in the Boat*

This little one jumped in the boat about 20 seconds after it was hooked, fish was pretty green and made quite a mess of the boat. I couldnt imagine what a jumbo would do, thankfull this was a small one.


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## crtarpon (May 11, 2005)

These things make for the best stories--thanks for sharing yours. I heard of them tearing up consoles and breaking people's ribs in Costa Rica when they jump in the boat, but I only saw that one do it and no one was hurt. That first picture of that little tarpon in the boat is really pretty. 

I had one jump over the outboard once, and as I put my arm up to keep him from hitting me, he just flashed by, landed in the water, and got off. A few minutes later I noticed that I had tarpon slime all down the outside of my arm. I never knew he touched me, but he sure slimed me. By looking at them you would never think they are as slick and slimey as they really are. And just like a skipjack, they seem to like to poop out of the water whenever they have an opportunity. Kinda like a raccoon climbing up in your tree stand, I guess. Or more like, "Take that!"

Tarponchaser came to Costa Rica once and we had a triple hookup on Coasthawks jigging straight down. Two of us were using mono, and Tarponchaser had that (at the time) newfangled braided stuff. Those three fish swam circles around one another, and that triple turned into a single pretty quick. We watched Tarponchaser land a 70 or 80 pounder on his braided line while we re-rigged our mono. Right after that I foul hooked one on the 'shoulder.' About an hour and a half of pulling him straight back. Lucky he wasn't that big.

I also had one take my fly line and wrap it around a bunch of stumps in the river there. I thought sure he'd gotten off. We wove the jon boat through the stumps recovering the line, got it off the last one, and that silly fish was still on it. He jumped as soon as I unwrapped the last stump and pulled on him. I broke the line in a spasm, reeling back because I didn't know he was still on there. I figured it was a crocodile or something. He just wrapped himself up like a dog on a leash and sat there--about a four or five footer. That was the first tarpon I ever saw up close and out of the water, so he might've been more like two or three feet long. I have a tendency to have the 'big eye' in the heat of the moment.

Another time I hung a $6 tarpon fly in a bush. The bush had a hornet's nest in it. These things were smaller than a honeybee, black, and could sting more than once without dying. I ended up with the fly and looking all over Manzanillo, Punta Uva, and Puerto Viejo for some Benadryl. One of my ears looked like a pumpkin hanging off my face.

I have lots of tarpon stories because every one I ever saw meant something to me. 

Every once in a while I'll get going telling my wife about this stuff. When I hear the snores I know I've gone two or twelve two many. If I had caught as many as some of you guys have, I'd never quit blabbing about them. Thanks for sharing your stories!


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## saltgrass (Aug 19, 2004)

On labor day last year we were right off of Galveston and got into some fish. We had released two fish about 60-70 lbs. The transom rod went off and a fish about 120-150 pounds tried to get into the boat. Two seconds later he succeded. He had been on the hook about 5 seconds and then right into the boat. I about had a heart attack at he tried to completly destroy the boat. About a dozed good flops and he makes his way back into the gulf. We managed to get out clean with nothing broken. Gotta love tarpon fishin!!!


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