iStockphoto / David_Pibrac
Avid fisherman call the tarpon the ‘Silver King’ as it is the ultimate test of skinny water fishing. They are acrobatic fish that fight like a cornered cat when they’re hooked, flipping through the air in attempts to toss the hook.
Late Spring to mid-Summer is PEAK tarpon fishing in Florida, which is arguably the tarpon capital of the world as the species can be caught in my home state year-round. But an annual tarpon migration up the Southwest Coast of Florida in the Spring/Summer leads to a frenzy of fish around, and with those fish comes a LOT of sharks.
To sharks, tarpon are the ultimate delicacy. They are also particularly easy for sharks to spot due to tarpon’s bright silver scales that catch the reflection of the sun like a prism. And when sharks sense a disturbance in the water, they are attracted like this bull shark was that terrified these fishermen on the dock.
@rob_the_meadows Just when you thought all the sharks were busy being on TV 🦈🎬📺#sharkweek #bullshark #tarpon #FL #floridafishing #iwasntworking @Discovery @Jeremy Wade
They were *this close* to getting hands on that fish and releasing it. Normally, the protocol amongst fishermen when a shark is in the area and an angler is battling a tarpon is to open the bail of the reel to allow the fish to swim freely. However, they never saw this bull shark coming and it ambushed that tarpon in an instant.
Fun facts about tarpon
Tarpon grow up to nearly 300 pounds with the largest one ever weighed tipping the scales at 286-pounds, 9-ounces. That fish was caught in Guinea-Bissau, Africa back in 2003 and these fish can be found from the coast of Africa all the way to the United States, throughout the Southeast, and everywhere in the Caribbean.
In fact, thanks to the modern marvel that is the Panama Canal, there are now Pacific tarpon that have traveled through the Panama Canal and have been thriving for decades in the Pacific Ocean all thanks to the manmade canal.
@colorearth2o Strength in numbers #tarpon #silverking #sharks #blacktip #blacktipshark #colorearth #foodchain #fyp
As seen in the video above, tarpon are often found in schools despite growing upwards of several hundred pounds. These large schools of tarpon attract sharks because they’re so easily spotted due to the shimmery silver scales.
According to modern fossil records, tarpon have been around since prehistoric times and they live over 50 years in the wild. One specimen in captivity lived to 63 years old.
They also have a prehistoric lung and are able to gulp air when there isn’t enough oxygen in the water, which also allows them to live in dense brackish water without much oxygen.
Should you ever want to catch tarpon in the backcountry of The Florida Everglades, I’d recommend looking up Capt. Jimmy at Everglades Fishing Co. I’ve been fishing with him a handful of times and he’ll put you on the fish every time.