# Largest Tarpon Ever Satellite Tagged and the Benefits of a Swim Hook.



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Here is a video of us tagging that largest tarpon ever tagged with a satellite tag.

As part of the tagging process, we have to use a lip gaff. Some folks say it hurts fish and shouldn't be used because it causes a hole in their jaw. We use the lip gaff to control and hold the fish at boat side while we tag. Not a single tarpon death from over a hundred tag placements has been linked to the hole from the lip gaff, so overall the damage is minor.

As we tried to revive this fish, we could not get it to act right. It kept rolling over on its back belly-up as we tried to revive it. The home made lip gaff Marcus uses at the beginning of the video has a short rope. I changed it out and put in my lip gaff that comes from South Chatham Tackle (http://southchathamtackle.com/store/store.php?crn=207), it's called their tarpon release gaff. It comes with a long rope attached to it.

Once I placed my lip gaff in the fish, I simply played out the line. Once I did, the fish started swimming next to the boat with no tension on the line. You see this toward the end of the video. Once I was comfortable the fish was swimming strongly, I pulled her back in and released her. She swam away great.

After this experience, I am convinced that the swimming lip gaff is a real tool to be used to help release fish and does more good than harm. Not that we'll use it all the time, but if I become concerned with a fish's health, you may see me use it more and more.

BTW - this fish lived because it has been more than a week and we have not heard from the tag... which means it is still in place and doing good.


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## cabolew (Aug 12, 2005)

Nice job!


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

So the tag is nothing more it is not transmitting? Hope it lived.


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## Hunter (Sep 3, 2004)

fishingtwo said:


> So the tag is nothing more it is not transmitting? Hope it lived.


No news is good news with a PAT tag. When the fish dies, the tag ends up on the surface and reports back to the scientists. We have not heard from this fish which leads us to believe it is alive and well. The tag is programmed to disconnect and report in automatically next March. If it doesn't pull out early, we should get some great information about the migration.


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## marc (May 21, 2004)

The tactic that you used when reviving the fish was something that I had not seen before. It was neat to see how the fish responded to the longer rope. I hope to use that technique in the future with a South Chatham Tackle Tarpon Release Gaff. Maybe, you could throw one in as a tournament prize?


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## aggiefishinDr (Sep 1, 2005)

Good Job guys!!! Good video work as well


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## Animal Chris (May 21, 2004)

The swimming rope also gives the fish the chance to reduce the amount of lactic acids built up in the fight before being released.


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

marc said:


> The tactic that you used when reviving the fish was something that I had not seen before. It was neat to see how the fish responded to the longer rope. I hope to use that technique in the future with a South Chatham Tackle Tarpon Release Gaff. Maybe, you could throw one in as a tournament prize?


I like your homemade, safety pin, meat processor's style meat hook you've got, it just needs a longer rope! Dang that thing looks scary.

Will think about the release gaff, problem is lots of folks have them and I'm not sure anybody needs two??


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