# Huge Tarpon



## Yellow Mouth Chaser

Friend of mine sent me a pic of some old buddies from out in Cocodrie La. They caught this one just the other day. Last year **** pop put a family member on a 229# tarpon. These guys know what they are doing. I talked to his son Lil **** last night and he said the state record is sitting at 230# right now. They are definitely knocking on the door. Congrats **** Pop


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## cpthook

*big fish*

that is one big fish I just hate to see it dead.


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## Yellow Mouth Chaser

I didn't ask why they brought it in but I have been with them when they have released all that were caught, even the big ones.


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## lil mambo

Probably tail wrapped and dying like the marlin that are brought to the docks when there is no tourney. Just wished tarpon tasted as good as marlin.


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## rugger

If I had to bring that one in it would be going on my wall for sure!


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## Scott

There was a tournament last weekend... that is likely why it was kept. Besides, I believe it is number 3 in the state. If the measurements are close, they'll kill it without a question.


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## cpthook

*migration*

do all of these fish migrate thru Texas to Mexico or some to Florida?? I'm surprised Texas hasn't set a record similar to La's??


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## cpthook

do we know length and girth on this fish? where is the girth measurement taken again? need to keep a tape measurer on board.


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## poppadawg

Wouldnt you need to bring it in to get verified for a state record?


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## BrandonFox

cpthook said:


> do all of these fish migrate thru Texas to Mexico or some to Florida?? I'm surprised Texas hasn't set a record similar to La's??


Isnt the Texas record 210? There have been multiple catches in recent years that would have challenged that record, but the anglers decided to release the fish instead of killing it. Same fish are passing through, and being caught.


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## Scott

poppadawg said:


> Wouldnt you need to bring it in to get verified for a state record?


Texas has a catch and release records system - to qualify for that, you would not have to kill the fish. I don't know if La. has that system or not. Usually, yes.


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## Scott

cpthook said:


> do all of these fish migrate thru Texas to Mexico or some to Florida?? I'm surprised Texas hasn't set a record similar to La's??


Yes, as to both parts of the first question. You can see more here - http://www.projecttarpon.com/PATresearch.html

Now, one of the reasons these fish weigh so much over there is that they are full of rain minnows and other bait. They gorge themselves over there. There is plenty of potential for us to catch fish that big here... our fish may be a few pounds less. One of the record La. tarpon had at least 5 gallons of rain minnows in its gut. Since a gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds - five gallons weighs 40 pounds... can only imagine 5 gallons of rain minnows weighs more ... so you can do the math. Fish here are moving through and probably are not as full of food. But it is certainly possible.


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## Trouthappy

I suppose that 229 was fed to the crabs. Natural tarpon mounts are way too oily and turn dark. A fiberglass mount is the only way to go. Heck, they're still spearing tarpon in Louisiana. We caught a couple of great big tarpon at night off POC back in the early 1990s, and never once thought about dragging them to the dock. They were all revived and released.


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## Coconut Groves

While it's their right and within the law, I just personally disagree with killing any fish that big. That fish is probably older than anyone of those guys standing by it and probably had to endure much more than all of them put together.

I took a buddy once fly fishing and I hooked a huge black bass. I boated it, revived it, released it and watched it slowly swim away. He asked why I didn't keep it and how come I didn't want to get it mounted. I explained to him that I enjoyed watching the fish swim away much more than I do watching it hang from a nail on my wall. I've held and released a good number of tarpon - beyond catching them, releasing them is the next best thing.

You don't need to kill a fish to get a mount made. They'll do just as good of a job and charge you just as much if you take them a picture of the fish.


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## odie5962

It is dumb to bring that fish in. Peoples ego got the better of them. I know they are all smiling in the picture, but they look like a bunch of dumbasses standing there with a fish they can not eat and have no use for it.


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## cpthook

That fish is probably older than anyone of those guys standing by it 

but they look like a bunch of dumbasses standing there with a fish they can not eat and have no use for it. 

x2 on both of these


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## johnmyjohn

Back in the 80's I found a sweet spot on the beach where I'ld score on seasonal tarpon. These fish were in the 6-6.5 foot range. Long poling a tarpon off the beach is probably the fishing of fish. These fish were brought in and most died before the pics were taken. Our intention was not to eat or hang them on the wall, just like the rest of you looking for a good fight. Maybe the water was too warm close to the beach or the O2 was less I don't know but removing the hook was about all the time it took and they were still in the water. The pics and the fish that didn't take CPR were brought home for showing and for some friends mounting on the wall. Those fish never made it thru the fight. We were not dumb or insencitive, just made the best of some majestic dead fish. For those guys in the pics,,,serious catch men because I don't know your story and you have a great picture to last you forever. I'm not as young as I used to be but I may have to try that again, maybe they're still showing up.


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## MapMaster

Very sad to see that fish dead...


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## Coconut Groves

It's very possible the fish died because of the fight. I won't speculate if killing the fish was their intention - sometimes it is not. I've lost many bonefish to cudas and sharks that I had no intention to kill. But, I have never caught one with the intention of getting it mounted.


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## Law Dog

Nice catch, but sad to see that fish dead.


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## Trouthappy

All they had to do was get the girth, length, and revive the fish. And call New Wave Taxidermyâ€”that probably has 50 or more fiberglass tarpon molds of all sizes. Give 'em your credit card number, and wait for delivery at your front door. Period. On the other hand any yo-yo can order a 7-foot tarpon mount, hang it on the wall and claim he caught it. But that's better than killing a tarpon that might have been a future world record, and leaving it for the crabs.


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## gater

*Tarpon*



cpthook said:


> That fish is probably older than anyone of those guys standing by it
> 
> but they look like a bunch of dumbasses standing there with a fish they can not eat and have no use for it.
> 
> x2 on both of these


I can assure you those are not dumbasses. The only dumbasses are the ones who think he was wrong for killing that fish.

I can tell you he won't kill a fish just because. **** has caught and RELEASED more tarpon than everyone on this board combined. The fish taped out close to the current State record and that's why it was weighed in, not to hang on anyone's wall.

If any one on here thinks the tarpon are in danger needs to get out a little more and quit commenting on something that does not concern you,
quit playing junior game warden! Gater


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## Wompam

cpthook said:


> That fish is probably older than anyone of those guys standing by it
> 
> but they look like a bunch of dumbasses standing there with a fish they can not eat and have no use for it.
> 
> x2 on both of these


What's the difference in killing a potential record tarpon or releasing it for the sharks to eat or the netters in Mexico to turn into fertilizer? Yall sit at your computer & type away about people you know nothing about & make ignorant/stupid comments.

By the way the "dumbass" on the left is Chris aka "**** pop"' as in the inventor of the bait y'all have probably caught your only tarpon on, if you have caught any.


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## cpthook

*tarpon*

I'm by no means an expert but I do catch a few here and there. They may have thought they had a record so may be justified. I was just voicing my opinion.


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## Scott

gater said:


> I can assure you those are not dumbasses. The only dumbasses are the ones who think he was wrong for killing that fish.
> 
> I can tell you he won't kill a fish just because. **** has caught and RELEASED more tarpon than everyone on this board combined. The fish taped out close to the current State record and that's why it was weighed in, not to hang on anyone's wall.
> 
> If any one on here thinks the tarpon are in danger needs to get out a little more and quit commenting on something that does not concern you,
> quit playing junior game warden! Gater


Everybody's got a right to have an opinion - you too. Nobody said they violated any law. Killing the fish is a personal decision. If I caught a state record, I'd let it go. Some might call me a "dumbass" for doing that. That's fine by me.

Lots of folks use the argument "If any one on here thinks the tarpon are in danger needs to get out a little more" - I've heard it over and over. I don't think anybody said that. But you also can't ignore the biology. A 200 lb tarpon is likely about 60+ years old. Which means it has been mature for about 45 years. Each year that fish has laid at least 1 million eggs (probably two to three times that). So that's at least 45 million baby tarpon eggs laid. For the species to survive and maintain itself, that means two fish, one male and one female have to survive to maturity to spawn again. The odds are really stacked against tarpon, otherwise we'd be overrun with them. When you take out big female tarpon, think about it, there can be an exponential effect. Can the populations withstand a few here and a few there? Sure, no doubt. Back in the 30's when tarpon were more prevalent in Texas, the folks in Mexico had the same mentality - tarpon aren't endangered - they took them very freely and the western Gulf population crashed. Everybody has to make the personal decision and anybody is free to say, they disagree with it.

I know **** personally. He's a good guy and always very conscientious about tarpon - heck he makes a large part of his living from them. I totally understand the angler wanting to kill and weight the fish for a record. Some might not make the same personal choice. I know I wouldn't. Being in some record book ain't a big deal to me. I also agree, calling them "dumbasses" is probably not the best course, but I don't fault somebody for getting on here and saying they wouldn't do it - leaving the judgments aside, of course.

We kill lots of tarpon through angling techniques. I preach over and over about leaving fish in the water, don't hang them up for a photo, revive them adequately, use adequate tackle to land them quickly, etc. etc. Unfortunately, large numbers die because people don't do that. Even some experienced anglers still hang them in the air for photos with most of their body out of the water, drag them over the gunnel on the boat or drag them to the beach for a "hold-up" photo. All of those practices aren't good and some seriously decrease the chances the fish will survive. But quite honestly, I've been guilty of it too in the past. We all live and learn and nobody is perfect... most angling caused release deaths of tarpon are at least, not intentional and hopefully very low as a percentage.

PS - lot of folks also jump on lip gaffing tarpon. I hear the argument over and over that tarpon are suction feeders and will starve with a hole in their jaw. I agree that lip gaffing should be kept to a minimum; however, every satellite tagged tarpon is lipped gaffed and not a single biologists has come to the conclusion it seriously impacts the health of the fish. Just because it likely won't kill them, doesn't mean we shouldn't minimize the harm and do it the least we can.


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## lil mambo

Wompam said:


> What's the difference in killing a potential record tarpon or releasing it for the sharks to eat or the netters in Mexico to turn into fertilizer? Yall sit at your computer & type away about people you know nothing about & make ignorant/stupid comments.
> 
> By the way the "dumbass" on the left is Chris aka "**** pop"' as in the inventor of the bait y'all have probably caught your only tarpon on, if you have caught any.


 Get your fisherman straight. On the left is Lance (aka ****). And on the far right is Chris (aka squeaky).

Just sayin


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## C BISHOP

First off I'm not claiming to know what the migration patters of tarpon are , where they go and when they go, how many are swimming around out there. With saying that let me say this , I had the great pleasure of meeting **** and his brother this year when we fished the tarpon rodeo in grand isle. After spending some time with them and watching them fish, listening to them talk on the VHF (which would never happen around here cause everyone is so secretive) those two , especially **** know more about those fish than anybody on this entire website could ever dream of knowing. So they killed one fish , there are thousands of them over there , my buddies that fish the rodeo every year have been telling me for years about the amount of fish that Louisiana has but I didnt believe them until Friday of the rodeo when the fish came up , there were tarpon as far as you could see , so don't get upset over one big fish being killed , they have PLENTY . 

My 2 cents 

And the bashing begins in 3....2....1...............


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## Blackwater21

C Bishop

One thing to remember, When your in a good school of tarpon there may be thousands but when you get outside the school there are none. In fact you may go 50-100 miles without seeing any. All the fish in La do not live there. Just like all the thousands of tarpon that are in Boca Grande in May and June do not live there. I'd bet that when Boca Grande has thousands of tarpon La does not. I can tell you that Boca Grande/Charlotte Harbor did not have thousands of tarpon schooled up when this 229 pound tarpon was caught.

Capt. Scott Hughes


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## marc

Blackwater21 said:


> C Bishop
> 
> One thing to remember, When your in a good school of tarpon there may be thousands but when you get outside the school there are none. In fact you may go 50-100 miles without seeing any. All the fish in La do not live there. Just like all the thousands of tarpon that are in Boca Grande in May and June do not live there. I'd bet that when Boca Grande has thousands of tarpon La does not. I can tell you that Boca Grande/Charlotte Harbor did not have thousands of tarpon schooled up when this 229 pound tarpon was caught.
> 
> Capt. Scott Hughes


X2


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## gater

*Tarpon*



Blackwater21 said:


> C Bishop
> 
> One thing to remember, When your in a good school of tarpon there may be thousands but when you get outside the school there are none. In fact you may go 50-100 miles without seeing any. All the fish in La do not live there. Just like all the thousands of tarpon that are in Boca Grande in May and June do not live there. I'd bet that when Boca Grande has thousands of tarpon La does not. I can tell you that Boca Grande/Charlotte Harbor did not have thousands of tarpon schooled up when this 229 pound tarpon was caught.
> 
> Capt. Scott Hughes


I think what Cody is trying to say, there are plenty of fish in Texas, La, and Florida and pretty much everyone needs to keep their opinions to themselves.

Up until a few years ago the Boca Grand and Suncoast tournaments were killing hundreds of tarpon a year and the morons from Florida want to talk about conservation. People need to look in their own back yards before throwing jabs at your neighbors.

Florida has some of the prettiest water in the US but it's the worst, mismanaged, overfished place in the entire Gulf. You can keep 1 redfish a day and have season for spotted sea trout. You even have a limit on dolphin, they breed like rats and you want to talk about a man killing 1 tarpon. A man who has probably caught more tagged and released more tarpon than anyone around.

What's sad about this mess is not that a 200# fish was killed it's the fact that a good man and his family's name is drug through the mud over a fish.

The only mistake that was made with this catch was that it made it to the world wide web to feed the masses. I guess the tree huggers have to eat too!

Gater


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## Wompam

cpthook said:


> I'm by no means an expert but I do catch a few here and there. They may have thought they had a record so may be justified. I was just voicing my opinion.


Oh look I fish with the baits the "Dumbass" invented & drag fish up the side of my boat to take glory pics, really!?!


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## Wompam

*I disagree*



Blackwater21 said:


> C Bishop
> 
> One thing to remember, When your in a good school of tarpon there may be thousands but when you get outside the school there are none. In fact you may go 50-100 miles without seeing any. All the fish in La do not live there. Just like all the thousands of tarpon that are in Boca Grande in May and June do not live there. I'd bet that when Boca Grande has thousands of tarpon La does not. I can tell you that Boca Grande/Charlotte Harbor did not have thousands of tarpon schooled up when this 229 pound tarpon was caught.
> 
> Capt. Scott Hughes


We, have fished Boca Grand & a lot of other spots in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico ,Nicaragua & Costa Rica for Tarpon. There are fish all over other parts of the gulf when we upper gulf coast anglers get our moments at them in the summer.


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## cpthook

*invented*



Wompam said:


> Oh look I fish with the baits the "Dumbass" invented & drag fish up the side of my boat to take glory pics, really!?!


in your diluted world he invented them. not going to get into a pi%%$#@ contest. get over your self. you sound like obama


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