Tarpon Fishing And Catching The Elusive Silver King - Megalops Atlanticus

By Greg

Growing to lengths of more than eight feet and weighing more
than 280 pounds, it is easy to see why the tarpon is one of the
most sought after saltwater gamefish in the world. It's habitat
is close to the shoreline so fishermen of all types and skill
levels can catch them.

If you have ever had the privilege of hooking up on a big
tarpon then you know the exhilaration and thrill of testing
yourself in battle against one of the most sought after
gamefish in the world. This distinction is easy to see at first
glance as the tarpon starts a series of spectacular acrobatic
leaps in the air that will have your heart pounding, your rod
bending and your drag screaming. You better hold on!

Since the tarpon's habitat is so close to the shoreline,
fishermen of all types and skill levels can catch them. They
can be caught from jetties, passes, docks, bridges, beaches,
piers and rivers. Tarpon can be caught while using many types
of tackle, rods, baits, lures and rigs either while fishing
from a boat, canoe, kayak or walking and wading from the
shoreline as the tarpon work up and down the beaches.

Live bait fishermen's bait of choice is the 'dollar crab'. A
small live blue crab about two inches across its carapace,
hooked through one end of it's shell or underneath through a
swimmer leg. Other extremely effective live baits include
pinfish, threadfin herrings and pilchards. On days when the
tarpon is being finicky in it's tablefare selection, try these
for the best results, and oh, by the way, don't forget about a
live mullet. If you can get them, use them. Flyfishermen are
not left out either. The stealth of casting the right fly can
sometimes be the trick to hooking up.

But Just What is a Tarpon?

Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Elopiformes
Family: Megalopidae
Genus: Megalops

This exceptionally fine creature is a prehistoric animal and
the only fish with an air bladder. This allows it to absorb
oxygen and live in waters with very low oxygen content. You can
see them gulp air at the water surface. Tarpon are also called
poons, tarpum, sabalo real, cuffum, silverfish or silver king
and belong to the bony fish family Elopidae. The Latin
designation is Megalops atlanticus.

While only microscopic at birth, tarpon have been documented at
lengths of more than eight feet and weighing 280 pounds. Catches
weighing more than 200 pounds, while uncommon, do occur. Many
fish caught are well over 100 pounds. Their growth rate is
slow, taking 8 to 10 years to reach maturity, and generally
those over 100 pounds are female. Tarpon can live 55 to 60
years. They are greenish or bluish on top, and silver on the
sides. The large mouth is turned upwards and the lower jaw
contains an elongated bony plate. The last ray of the dorsal
fin is much longer than the others, reaching nearly to the
tail.

They are found primarily in shallow coastal waters and
estuaries, but they are also found in open marine waters,
around coral reefs, and in some freshwater lakes and rivers.
Their normal migratory pattern ranges from Virginia to central
Brazil in the western Atlantic, along the coast of Africa in
the eastern Atlantic, and all through the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean Sea. Florida is widely regarded as having many of the
best tarpon fishing locations in the world, especially the
world-renowned Boca Grande Pass in Southwest Florida.

Fishing for the tarpon can at times be an excercise of patience
and discipline. You may be surrounded by large schools of
rolling tarpon containing hundreds of fish and they will not
hit anything you throw at them. Other times, it is a feeding
frenzy. So, go fishing for tarpon every chance you get, that
next world record catch may be waiting just for you.

About the Author: Greg Smith is a life-long fisherman and
publisher of fishing information websites. For more
information, tips, techniques and charter resources visit
http://www.tarpon-fishing-i.com/. This article may be freely
reprinted as long as the author's resource box and url links
remain intact.

Source: http://www.isnare.com