# South Pass Tarpon (214 Ibs)



## POONCHASER

I took my girlfriend fishing this weekend out of South Pass(Louisiana). This was her first time offshore, and she caught this 214 pounder. The fished weighed 214 even and was weighed at Cypress Cove Marina in Venice. We were onboard my brothers boat the R&R fishing the Louisiana Tarpon Club tournament. Many congrats go to all the boats who participated and caught fish. The fishing was great at South Pass with over 30 Tarpon being released Saturday alone.


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## metal man

congratulations on a fish of a lifetime.


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## marc

That's and awesome catch! Congrats... I hear her fish took first place with 195 taking second and 175 for third. I hope those fish decide to turn left this fall.


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## cpthook

Exactly what I was thinking.


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## mikedeleon

How old do you think that fish was?


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## POONCHASER

We did take a DNA swab of the fish to send off to the LDWF biologists and will revert with the full report. Thanks for the compliments....she is now hooked on Tarpon fishing for life.


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## mikedeleon

My guess is 80 years old. That fish probably saw WWII, a man land on the moon, and our first African American President.


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## Konan

Nice fish brother.


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## Momma's Worry

I've often wondered what it's like to just step on a boat..sit down... get handed a baited rod and wham! real in a monster fish of a lifetime ...then step off and go home.....didn't cost a dime and I didn't get dirty............in my books that don't count..... d law


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## POONCHASER

To those with the positive comments thank you. Bart my girlfriend did not forget about the Tarpon, and she is still smiling about it from ear to ear. This was her first time offshore, and opened up a new world to her. We release most every Tarpon that we catch, and participate in any research activity when approached. Im proud of my background in Tarpon fishing, and it is a passion that is deeply embedded in my blood and will always be. My father introduced myself and my older brothers to Tarpon fishing about 20 years ago. We were not wealthy by any means, but he always ensured that we would have a full tank of gas to fill our 28' inboard Wellcraft up every weekend during the summer and chase Tarpon. Tarpon fishing offshore has given my brothers and I the opportunity to build a bond like no other. My dad died in the spring of 2003 when I was 19, and we spread his ashes at Southwest Pass on some of our favorite Tarpon numbers. My two older brothers were in the process of starting their own families, but they pinched every dime they had to keep the boat and chase Tarpon every weekend. If that is not passion and dedication to the sport, then I dont know what is. Eighteen years later this summer I was able to see my 8 year old nephew catch his Tarpon and pass the tradition down. We do believe in conservation, and at the same time do elect to participate in certain tournaments that allow for the opportunity to bring the fish to the scales. To those who commenced to the bashing please consider what you say before you do.


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## ngrow

Kudos to the lady angler. Good job sir..... know where ya are coming from.


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## Captain Dave

Excellent Catch . Let see it again... I cropped it for ya....

P.S. Better marry that Feech catching machine..

( Benifit will include that p00n ) if its mounted


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## sotexhookset

bamdvm said:


> Mounting p00n is fun.
> 
> What happened to the rest of this thread?? Wierd. It's like half of it disappeared.


This thread was culled! Awesome catch by the way whatever the outcome would've been. A real trophy.


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## Trouthappy

Yes, the thread was culled like sorting through the catch on a shrimp boat. As for mounting the tarpon with a skin mount, they have a high oil content and rot after a few years. That one is missing a great many scales from people taking souvenirs. A fiberglass mount can be ordered over the phone, however.


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## Mont

If anyone is unhappy about how this site is run, they are welcome to leave. There's a link to the rules on every single page here, so it's not like you can't say you haven't been warned. If you don't like LA laws or tourneys, then move to LA and change them. 
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/faq.php
Oh and Bart, feel free to run back on over to flyfags and cry about getting your hand slapped for not being able to follow the rules. I didn't post the pic either.


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## Cody C

Poonchaser congrats to both of you on that fish! That thing is a beast! 

Do you have a picture of a scale on your hand for size comparison? Interested in how big their scales get. 

I'll try to post a pic of what I did with my scales from my first, your girlfriend might like it. (tapatalk??)

(my previous comment was not directed to you, but to the people bashing. Sorry if it seemed otherwise!)


Cody C


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## mikedeleon

Trouthappy said:


> Yes, the thread was culled like sorting through the catch on a shrimp boat. As for mounting the tarpon with a skin mount, they have a high oil content and rot after a few years. That one is missing a great many scales from people taking souvenirs. A fiberglass mount can be ordered over the phone, however.


Thanks trout...I was just curious about the skin mount of a tarpon and if it was feasible.


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## Cody C

Maybe? I just put them in wax paper for a few days with a book on top of them. Open up to air several times a day then got a frame from hobby lobby. Cheap and I think its a pretty cool way to show them off/ protect the memory of that fish frever!


Cody C


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## Trouthappy

You might check with New Wave Taxidermy in Stuart, Florida. I've been in his shop and he has molds of all kinds of fish, probably a lot of tarpon sizes for Florida anglers. (Even a full white shark mount you can hang in your game room). Probably 50 sailfish mounts doing every kind of contortion. His name is Mike Kirkhart and he has a staff of five. Mike has an art degree so he knows how to paint a fiberglass mount. In reality all you have to do is call, see what the closest tarpon mount he has in maybe 85-88 inches length, and give him a Visa number. They ship to your front door. I'm pretty sure the only skin mounts I've seen of tarpon were old, faded, yellow and oily looking, done back in the 1960s or before. Usually in seafood restaurants that have been there a long time.

http://www.newwavetaxidermy.com/



mikedeleon said:


> Thanks trout...I was just curious about the skin mount of a tarpon and if it was feasible.


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## REELING 65

metal man said:


> congratulations on a fish of a lifetime.


Nice Tarpon congrats.


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## Tarponchaser

To put things in perspective, this post should have been after Konan and before Momma's Worry.

I don't think it was culled rather not posted due to my technical handicap.

I don't like tarpon being killed but I think we would be much better off by killing lots of sharks and stop lynching the very few guys that kill a very few tarpon.

Great catch. Pleased to hear your follow up.

TC


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## Mont

Guys, let's go over this one more time. We have a board here dedicated to conservation issues. http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/forumdisplay.php?f=104 You can go there, and debate this and any other fishery issue all day and night long with my blessing. That's the purpose of that board. Argue, complain, raise holy hell and debate there until you heart is content. This board however, is not for that purpose.

This is the Texas Tarpon board. Emphasis on Texas. It's for Texas Tarpon fishermen to share ideas, catches and information.

The fish in question was legally taken, by legally licensed angler at a legally sanctioned out of state tourney. That's all I need to know about it. Whether I agree with it or not, doesn't matter. I will defend to the end that angler's right to take that fish and use it for whatever legal purpose he wants. What I won't do is put up with a bunch of debate, whining, *****ing and moaning about it. This website is a privately owned and operated, for profit website. It's been here longer than 95% of the other websites of its kind out there, and for good reason. When you come into someone's place of business, you are expected to follow the rules or be shown the door. It's that freakin' simple. I am not asking, nor do I care if you agree with that. It's just like a man going into the womens restroom or smoking in a non smoking section. The rules are here, because they work. Please respect them or find else where to post. If your only reason to come here is to stir the pot, not only are you simple minded, you are not going to find access here very long.


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## workorfish

*I want one (fish-not GF)*

Thanks for sharing POONCHASER - awesome fish. And thanks for your background story and taking the high road. If she can fish like that maybe GF needs to be Mrs.


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## mikedeleon

Tarponchaser said:


> To put things in perspective, this post should have been after Konan and before Momma's Worry.
> 
> I don't think it was culled rather not posted due to my technical handicap.
> 
> I don't like tarpon being killed but I think we would be much better off by killing lots of sharks and stop lynching the very few guys that kill a very few tarpon.
> 
> Great catch. Pleased to hear your follow up.
> 
> TC


Maybe this needs to be moved to the conservation page but I am not understanding your comment on killing a lot of sharks.

Kill off a bunch of one species to help the other?


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## GafftopDave

"killing lots of sharks"...wth?...you do realize tarpon propogate by the thousands...sharks propogate by the dozens, right. Tarpon can recover from overfishing a hell of a lot quicker than sharks.

I'm not understanding this mentality...this fish was near the end of it's lifecycle, it's DNA is still in the genepool, Poonchaser added to the revenue generated by the species. I see it as a win win.

Impressive fish Poonchaser...thanks for sharing.


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## Konan

Now women please calm down. 

Mont we need to make a page for these emotional male individuals.


on another note 

All I can say is great catch. If someone else wishes that fish was alive you should have caught it first.


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## Tarponchaser

Dave,

I hear that there were thousands of tarpon at Port Aransas at one time. I personally remember seeing hundreds of tarpon in the boat basin at Rockport.

That was 50 years ago. Now there are very few. How long does it take to rebuild to those stocks?

I am not naive enough to now beleive that tarpon do not go to where the food is. Obviously; something has changed so that the tarpon continue on past PA. There are not the numbers that once there were anywhere in Texas.

There are not the number of large sharks in Texas that there once were and that is ok with me. Yeah; I would deminish one species to build a species that I prefer.

This has been a banner year for some of us fishing the middle coast. I have personally caught 11 tarpon weighing from 40 to 140 lbs. 34 have been caught from my boat. 

Come to the Tarpon Tommorrow Tournament in POC and join in the fun.

TC


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## mikedeleon

Tarponchaser said:


> Dave,
> 
> I hear that there were thousands of tarpon at Port Aransas at one time. I personally remember seeing hundreds of tarpon in the boat basin at Rockport.
> 
> That was 50 years ago. Now there are very few. How long does it take to rebuild to those stocks?
> 
> I am not naive enough to now beleive that tarpon do not go to where the food is. Obviously; something has changed so that the tarpon continue on past PA. There are not the numbers that once there were anywhere in Texas.
> 
> There are not the number of large sharks in Texas that there once were and that is ok with me. Yeah; I would deminish one species to build a species that I prefer.
> 
> This has been a banner year for some of us fishing the middle coast. I have personally caught 11 tarpon weighing from 40 to 140 lbs. 34 have been caught from my boat.
> 
> Come to the Tarpon Tommorrow Tournament in POC and join in the fun.
> 
> TC


I am going to post up a link to this thread over on the conservation page so we don't get in trouble cause we are about to go down the rabbit hole again I fear. I do have a question for you about the above post...


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## marc

Tarponchaser said:


> This has been a banner year for some of us fishing the middle coast. I have personally caught 11 tarpon weighing from 40 to 140 lbs. 34 have been caught from my boat.
> 
> Come to the Tarpon Tommorrow Tournament in POC and join in the fun.
> 
> TC


Thats all you caught? ...and you call that a banner year?

PS...I'll be fishing your spot Sunday and Monday


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## GafftopDave

TarponChaser..thanks for the imput, it kind'a makes you question what happened 50+ years ago. The Highland Lakes stopped Colorado riverflow and it was rereouted in Matagorda, the Brazos was rerouted in Freeport, the ICW was dug, no telling what chemicals Dow Chemical dumped in the Brazos...the ICW had to do the most damage unless it was second to Dow...but that was then, what's the problem been since?

My guess is Central America. Years back I had a friend in Panama, I showed him a tarpon scale and he told me storied of beaches in Panama covered with them. Then I started noticing knick-knacks from Central America for sale in retail stores covered in tarpon scales for decoration, picture frames, tissue box covers....and so on. Some natural silver with a clearcoat and others in different colors with a tinted clearcoat...but no doubt, if you look you closely...they're tarpon scales, and they're still for sale.

I still think PoonChaser did more good than harm.


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## REELING 65

I like Tarpon fishing. :biggrin:


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## Scott

GafftopDave said:


> "killing lots of sharks"...wth?...you do realize tarpon propogate by the thousands...sharks propogate by the dozens, right. Tarpon can recover from overfishing a hell of a lot quicker than sharks.
> 
> I'm not understanding this mentality...this fish was near the end of it's lifecycle, it's DNA is still in the genepool, Poonchaser added to the revenue generated by the species. I see it as a win win.
> 
> Impressive fish Poonchaser...thanks for sharing.


I don't disagree, but if tarpon were that successful at breeding, we'd have them coming out our ears and the Gulf would be full of them. Reality is their life cycle is incredibly complicated and the odds are way stacked against them. Think of it this way, a mature female tarpon probably spawns more than a million eggs each year. Probably multi-millions every year (maybe even twice a year). That momma tarpon becomes mature at around 10 years of age, give or take, but for math, lets say 10 years old. The fish will live up to 60+ years. So, for the fish stock (without human influence - as nature had it set up millions and millions of years ago) to remain at an equal level, two of those millions and millions of eggs laid over 50+ years of doing it must mature to adulthood. Man, the odds are stacked against them. That is why, when tarpon populations in Texas took a nose dive - most likely due to indiscriminate killing of the species in the winter in Mexico, the stocks have not come back yet. They may take a hundred or more years to do that. That is why most tarpon fisherman are conservation nuts.

As for this kill - like it or not - it's legal in Louisiana. It was a legal kill for a tournament. If he had killed a 100 pounder, just because, I could see a bigger gripe. But she was a big fish, for a tournament and close enough to a record fish that you wouldn't know until you hung it up. Would I have killed it, no.... but that's my choice.

There is a move to nationally protect tarpon, then seek similar protections in other countries. The tagging efforts we have done in Texas and Mexico with the assistance of BTT and TPW, we have proved what we already believed. Texas tarpon are also Louisiana tarpon which are also Mexico's tarpon. We all share the same stock. Seems kind of silly to protect them in Texas and not on both the other borders, doesn't it? We haven't done that yet and when or if it happens, Louisiana citizens will lose the ability to make that decision for themselves. We can argue the propriety of that over and over but this was done with migratory birds and will likely be done with tarpon in my lifetime. I personally back the idea. Some may not. Great thing about this country is we can have this debate.

Great catch, hope she enjoyed the experience and I'd bet somewhere down the road, she may get a little "buyers remorse" over it. I've killed one tarpon intentionally in my life and that was 20+ years ago. I still think about it and regret it.


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## C BISHOP

if i hook up to a 200lb + fish I guarantee you his *** is coming in the boat and going to get weighed...thats just me but, anyways congrats on the fish.


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## mikedeleon

C BISHOP said:


> if i hook up to a 200lb + fish I guarantee you his *** is coming in the boat and going to get weighed...thats just me but, anyways congrats on the fish.


Or you could just use this calculation...it would me much easier.

http://www.tarbone.org/fish-info/tarpon-weight-calculator.html.

You can even order a waterproof graph to take on your boat.


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## Scott

mikedeleon said:


> Or you could just use this calculation...it would me much easier.
> 
> http://www.tarbone.org/fish-info/tarpon-weight-calculator.html.
> 
> You can even order a waterproof graph to take on your boat.


I've got a stack of them, come to the Tarpon Tomorrow Tournament in POC Oct. 1-2nd and pick one up, or email me an address and I'll mail one to you.


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## marc

X2



Scott said:


> come to the Tarpon Tomorrow Tournament in POC Oct. 1-2nd and pick one up


I vote we continue this debate(G-rated) over the radio at the Tarpon Tomorrow Tournament. (Not at the dock, just on the radio). I hope everyone that is passionate about Tarpon will show up and fish. I've said it before, this tournament is why I catch fish in Texas. The best way to learn is to get around guys that know... Listen and do what they do.


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## barrymathieu

Hey Hawthorne's! Get some pics of ****'s #2 in the state of La 229 lb 6 oz beast here on 2cool so we all can drool! Missed Uncle Tom Gibson's record
by within a pound. Nice job!


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## crawdaddct

Good catch lady angler. That is a nice Tarpon. She a keeper and thanks for sharing your story. I lost my dad at 19 too. My fondest memories are fishing and shrimping together off the LA coast.


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## SeriousTackle

very impressive fish!!


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## dgriff

so glad i read your last post. what a great story. some folks just like to mouth-off without thinking.


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## Animal Chris

Barry, here is a shot of Tom's LA State Record.


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## lil mambo

Boy does that bring back memories, Tommy, barry and tom look like youngsters in that photo. Thats a classic chris.


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## Animal Chris

About all that has changed is Tom's a little grayer and he now smokes a little better grade of cigar.


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## Hooked on Reds

*Venice Tarpon!*

Salute to ya PoonChaser! Big Congrats to both you and your girl. Well worded & thanks for sharing - Class Act!



POONCHASER said:


> To those with the positive comments thank you. Bart my girlfriend did not forget about the Tarpon, and she is still smiling about it from ear to ear. This was her first time offshore, and opened up a new world to her. We release most every Tarpon that we catch, and participate in any research activity when approached. Im proud of my background in Tarpon fishing, and it is a passion that is deeply embedded in my blood and will always be. My father introduced myself and my older brothers to Tarpon fishing about 20 years ago. We were not wealthy by any means, but he always ensured that we would have a full tank of gas to fill our 28' inboard Wellcraft up every weekend during the summer and chase Tarpon. Tarpon fishing offshore has given my brothers and I the opportunity to build a bond like no other. My dad died in the spring of 2003 when I was 19, and we spread his ashes at Southwest Pass on some of our favorite Tarpon numbers. My two older brothers were in the process of starting their own families, but they pinched every dime they had to keep the boat and chase Tarpon every weekend. If that is not passion and dedication to the sport, then I dont know what is. Eighteen years later this summer I was able to see my 8 year old nephew catch his Tarpon and pass the tradition down. We do believe in conservation, and at the same time do elect to participate in certain tournaments that allow for the opportunity to bring the fish to the scales. To those who commenced to the bashing please consider what you say before you do.


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## maso22

wow thats nice! good catch


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## TrueblueTexican

*Were's da beef ?*

Congrats to the lady angler -- where did the Mid Coast Tarpon go? they went with the 14" menhaden which we seldom see offshore Texas anymore - they went with lack of freshwater inflow, I have been catching Tarpon mid Texas coast since I wuz a pup in the late sixties - there are good years and bad, I've seen em stacked on docks around Copano and ground up for fertilizer, seen the Mexicans haul thousands in nets, seen the bay shrimpers wipe out Texas juvenile tarpon, there are about as many reasons for supposed decline as there are fingers to type with

Texas has always been marginal grounds for Tarpon, even in its best years, I will take what I can get - NOT PARTICIPATE in tell all tournies, and quietly keep being satisfied with what I have

No amount of so called conservationists will change my mind. As our climate warms the fish will continue to make showings, if we get back in colder patterns they will disappear again - the tide will go in and out and a new generation will still have tarpon to catch in spite of mans meddling.


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## fishingtwo

congradulations to your girl on a fish of a lifetime

I am jelous for sure------


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## POONCHASER

Sorry for the late reply......that post was 7 Blue Marlin, 2 White Marlin, and 3 Tarpon ago. We were able to catch three small Tarpon at anchorage in the BVI a few weeks ago at night(all released unharmed). We had no less than 30 or so Tarpon under the underwater lights chasing ballyhoo all night. Thanks again to those with the compliments. My mother is actually preparing a framed print with the scale, pic, and circle hook to frame in my gf's house. Congrats to everyone who enjoyed a great Tarpon season, and to those who get to enjoy it a little more.


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## bluefin

WOW! What a toad!!
Congrats to you and your girlfriend.
A fish of a lifetime.


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