fish
Tarpon ('silver king')
Megalops atlanticus
- Identify
- Huge silver scales, upturned mouth, long trailing dorsal ray.
- Typical size
- 40–150 lb; giants over 200 lb
- Where
- Passes, river mouths, grass flats, open Gulf
- Scientific
- Megalops atlanticus
In the book
The trophy fish of South Florida and the tournament's main event. Old Scarface. Rose's 68-inch, 81-pound winner.
How Matt fishes it
Trolling a lure a hundred feet behind the Sea Belle at a river mouth; thick 'boat poles' with 30-lb line. Tarpon leap and shake to throw the hook — bow to the fish, reel on the way down.
Tackle box: Lure , The 'Golden Flicker' , Boat poles
Rules and conservation
Catch-and-release only in Florida; a tag is required to possess one. Weigh-in tournaments like the book's are now mostly measure-and-release.
Limits, seasons and slot sizes change. Always check the current FWC rules before keeping a fish.
Appears in
Swims with
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Redfish (red drum, 'spot-tail') The first keeper Matt ever caught, at Comer Key. Rose's cooler-toppling redfish at the marina. The 22- and… Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7Ch. 8 +1 -
Spotted seatrout 'Grass bed fishing meant trout.' Three keepers on the first client trip; Dave's trout off Little Pavilion Key. Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7Ch. 16 +1 -
Mangrove (gray) snapper Dave's 22-incher; the snapper bonanza at the river mouth ('leave that snapper in the water, it'll attract… Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7Ch. 13 +2 -
Common snook Fishing royalty. The black lateral stripe is the tell-tale. Matt's 36-inch, 20-pound monster at South Point… Ch. 1Ch. 2Ch. 4Ch. 5 +2