No one that's ever hooked one of these hundred-plus pound ballistic missiles wants to hear anything negative about them, though. From that first searing run to the series of acrobatic twists and turns that characterize their fighting style, the tarpon is a prototypical gamefish. In suncoast waters, they commonly reach 150 lb., but the world record is nearly 300. The flats around Homosassa have produced numerous tippet-class flyrod record tarpon, a fact which has earned these waters a hallowed place among fly fishing destinations. Tarpon face a bright future, as the reasons to kill them are rapidly dwindling.
Anglers desiring a mount for the wall can now photograph, weigh, measure and release their catch.
Some tarpon tournaments now feature in-water scales, to allow the fish to be weighed without it being brought aboard the boat. The fish is then released unharmed. The prospect of fighting a big tarpon is among the most compelling reasons anglers have to travel to Florida. The recollection of that giant silver fish and the marvelous things it can do will shoulder its way in among your fondest of angling memories. Rob's articles and catch the fever.