Megalops atlanticus
Illustrations and Copyright by Diane Rome Peebles
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Description: last ray of dorsal fin
extended into long filament; one dorsal fin; back dark
blue to green or greenish black, shading into bright
silver on the sides; may be brownish gold in estuarien
waters; huge scales; mouth large and points upward.
Similar Fish: (as juveniles) ladyfish,
Elops saurus.
Where found: primarily INSHORE fish,
although adult fish spawn OFFSHORE where the ribbon-like
larval stage of the fish can be found.
Size: most angler catchs 40 to 50
pounds.
*Florida Record: 243 lbs.
Remarks: slow grower; matures at
7 to 13 years of age; spawning occurs between May
and September; female may lay more than 12 million
eggs; can tolerate wide range of salinity; juveniles
commonly found in fresh water; can breathe air at
surface; feeds mainly on fish and large crustaceans.
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 priviledge 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.
