# Tarpon strikes back at tourist



## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Here's a tourist getting thoroughly chewed up by what appears to be a 90-pound tarpon. He was looking for trouble, his arm was already bleeding and his fingers taped, before this one bit him. Video taken at the Hungry Tarpon diner outside Islamorada. This guy is probably cured of clowning around with tarpon.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

This video is getting lots of air time on national television news. GMA showed it and called it a "tar-ponn", at least Bill O'Reilly pronounced tarpon right. But there is no doubt this guy injured the gills on this fish, hopefully not terminally. In addition to that, under the new FWC regulations which should come out this year, I believe this conduct would be illegal. Regardless, it just shows his stupid machismo arrogance. WHAT AN ***!!! Just another example of the press promoting bad behavior - wonder how many folks see this and now want to go do it.

PS - where's his Florida state possession tarpon tag????


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Plenty of dumb ******** love to wrestle with fish and slay a dragon. Even if they get chewed up in the process. I hope TV media didn't announce where this happened. I think Robbie, who started the restaurant there (it used to be called Robbie's), and feeding tarpon, at least as early as 1989 when I was there, is probably laughing in his grave. He was a commercial amberjack fishermen, before they harvested so many at the Hump right offshore from there, crashing the local spawning stocks. The AJ population has never been the same off our Atlantic coast. He would walk up and down that same restaurant dock repeating, "Touch those tarpon and I'll throw you off the dock. Read my lips, read my lips..."


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## marc (May 21, 2004)

http://myfwc.com/contact/wildlife-alert/

He's an idiot! Its good to see that he gets his A** handed to him by the Tarpon once it hits the dock.... Hope FWC does the same. I'm sure they know who he is by now.


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## eesmike (Aug 18, 2010)

Will someone slap her for screaming like that???!!!!


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## Littlebeer (Jul 3, 2011)

*SLAP*

Mission accomplished.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

She probably got a good spanking anyway, when they got home.


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

So basically tarpon noodlin'?

Seems like a waste of a good tarpon :\


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

I felt bad for that fish when I saw his arm ran through the gill.


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## Im Headed South (Jun 28, 2006)

:hairout:Been ****** since I saw this, wish he would have got drug in and broke a arm or leg on the way down. Guess the crabs ate good for a few a days around Robbies. Wonder if the news would be showing a video of a guy standing in the water and reaching up on to a pier and dragging someones black lab into the water and holding him under the water while the dog fought for his life only to get away and run off into the woods to die? Does anyone over in Fl know if the authorities have addressed this jack wad? We have a fish harassment law in Texas and if you could look it up in Websters I'm sure this video would item #1.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

This may get the attention of the FWC. After 20-something years of turning wild tarpon into a tourist attraction, it was bound to happen, big guys thinking they can noodle these fish onto the dock. Maybe they'll finally put some restrictions on Robbie's operation.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

This is what Aaron Adams had to say about it.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2013/01/15/tsr-moos-fish-molester.cnn


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## Im Headed South (Jun 28, 2006)

Trouthappy said:


> This may get the attention of the FWC. After 20-something years of turning wild tarpon into a tourist attraction, it was bound to happen, big guys thinking they can noodle these fish onto the dock. Maybe they'll finally put some restrictions on Robbie's operation.


Thousands a people a year do it without an issue, hell I just did it last year but this guy choose to reach down and ram his arm up through the gills of the fish and drag it up on the dock. They need to make a example of him with a public arrest followed by a hefty fine, then we'll see how much laughing his camera lady is doing.


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## Kenner21 (Aug 25, 2005)

Im Headed South said:


> :hairout:Been ****** since I saw this, wish he would have got drug in and broke a arm or leg on the way down. Guess the crabs ate good for a few a days around Robbies. Wonder if the news would be showing a video of a guy standing in the water and reaching up on to a pier and dragging someones black lab into the water and holding him under the water while the dog fought for his life only to get away and run off into the woods to die? Does anyone over in Fl know if the authorities have addressed this jack wad? We have a fish harassment law in Texas and if you could look it up in Websters I'm sure this video would item #1.


You just compared a black lab to a fish? How about putting a beggin strip on a 6/0 hook and hooking a black lab in the mouth and winching it across the yard while it fights for freedom. Not really the same thing IMHO. Still a dumb move on the guys part.


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## BrandonFox (Jan 8, 2013)

Hopefully it gets the attention of FWC... Idiot.


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## Lucky (Sep 1, 2005)

I wanna slap that MOFO for trying to show off at the fish's expense. Douche bag, for sure.


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## MigllaFishKilla (Mar 3, 2009)

this video ****** me off too, what an ***...


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## gatortrout (Aug 13, 2005)

you can't fix stupid.....just sayin


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## saltwater4life (Aug 5, 2010)

F'in jack wagon is a straight up tool


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Maybe they'll start a TV show, _Hillbillies Noodling Tarpon_. Wouldn't surprise me a bit. Those freshwater catfish don't fight enough.


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## el truchador (Aug 16, 2011)

I would have pushed his ***** into the water for being soo annoying then kicked him in the ****. That video p!sses me off.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Best thing about the internet.... Now the whole world knows he's stupid (not just the screaming girl)


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## Coconut Groves (Nov 2, 2011)

Too bad that gill plate didn't slice the guys fingers to the bone and they captured that on video - not too many others would be trying this stunt after seeing that. I've been to Robbies and there are not employees policing people down on the pier that I can remember, so this can easily happen.

I am glad CNN interviewed Aaron Adams on this since it got national exposure. I wouldn't want to see where conservation, specifically bonefish, tarpon and permit, would be without him.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

What will Robbie's do, if a half dozen drug-crazed hillbillies show up with a video camera, determined to noodle tarpon? Most of the tarpon under that dock can't handle a hillbilly, though there always seems to be a big one down there, maybe 140 pounds. 
The tarpon, I mean.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Trouthappy said:


> What will Robbie's do, if a half dozen drug-crazed hillbillies show up with a video camera, determined to noodle tarpon? Most of the tarpon under that dock can't handle a hillbilly, though there always seems to be a big one down there, maybe 140 pounds.
> The tarpon, I mean.


"Drug-crazed" hillbillies - sure there are a few around, but "moonshine-crazed" would probably be more accurate. Quite frankly, it's Robbie's dock, I think they can do anything they want. They charge you to go down there anyway.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

Hope he catches a bull shark next time.


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