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Posts: 100
Location: Blaine, MN 55449 | I just got back from FL and the Tarpoon in the Keys are starting to stage! I know that Muskies are big, but Tarpoon are even bigger! Do not get me wrong they are different fish, but at the same time they are similar. I was amazed at the sheer strength and girth of these fish! I saw one jump over 8 plus feet to take in bait fish!!!! I talked to one of the Captains down there and he had a client that had caught a 6+ foot Tarpoon that weighed over 60+ pounds!! What would a muskie that size weigh?????
Just a thought, if you can't get to the south to fish Muskies in the winter or spring, try the Keys!! Tarpoon are just as exciting to catch and release!!!  |
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Posts: 199
Location: Anchorage | Tarpon.  Definitely something I've wanted to get after. Would sure make a good reprieve in winter. Maybe I'll get to Florida over spring break next year and of all things to do, FISH! |
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Posts: 20213
Location: oswego, il | Muskies untill they start stocking tarpon up here....... |
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Posts: 149
| Tarpon get a lot bigger than muskies. Large tarpon can get upwards of 150 pounds. The only thing similar between muskies and tarpon are that they will both readily hit a topwater lure. I'd compare muskies to barracuda before I'd compare them to tarpon. Barracuda are bold, inquisitive, fearsome fish who are attracted to shiny objects. They attack fearlessly using very large sharp teeth to tear their prey apart. Thay are also shaped (and sized) extremely similar to muskies with the largest barracuda being about 6 feet long and close to 100 pounds. It's also why muskies are sometimes called "Freshwater Barracuda".
http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/planetocean/barracuda.... |
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Posts: 7036
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Hopefully I'll get to tell you all about it when I get back!
http://www.ticotravel.com/fishing/fishtarpon.htm |
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Posts: 469
Location: Downers Grove, IL | the real king are the volkswagen size Goliath Groupers
thedude |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | Muskies are King........up here! If you somehow could tie the tails of a muskie to a barracuda of the same size, the muskie would be swimming backwards all day! It is not fair to the muskie to compare it to saltwater fish. Muskies are king up here, like the old saying, "would you like to be a big fish in a small pond or......." |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Cats will give Muskies a run for their money pound for pound....I lovvve that kitty cattin! |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Just got back from the keys myself. Fished around Grassy Key. I had a 60-70# Tarpon taken away from me by a 13' shark!
It was an unreal experience, the shark appeared almost on cue at the first hook up. While I fought the tarpon, my guide drove the boat at the shark trying to drive him off. After 15-20 minutes of this, the shark finally got what he wanted. He got my fish and the both of them went racing out into deeper at a pace I've never experienced. My drag was screaming then pop went the line. We sat there in amazement watching the water boil as the shark and tarpon duked it out. The tarpon managed to leap out of the boil after a while then things settled down. We hoped that meant it escaped.
I wasn't too bummed about losing that fish, it was worth it to see this unfold in front of me. Heck, I got to fight it for a while anyway. Tarpon are a blast, everyone should give it a go sometime.
I caught a smaller one later that day, he was only 35-36" maybe 10-12#. That fish cleared 8' jumping out of the water. What a riot.
Most "Kings" don't get their @$$ chewed so I'd say the shark is king!
I do know that I can't wait get back down there and try it again.
Jono
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Posts: 341
| I think a barracuda is a better comparison.
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Posts: 189
Location: Hoboken, NJ / North Webster, IN | Until Muskie get ths big, I have to go with the Tarpon......but I think it's apples to oranges, and it's all where you live and what you're into.
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| That is a big butt tarpon |
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| Nice fish! sweet! |
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| Have to agree apples to oranges. Muskie and Barracuda are shaped the same and have major teeth, though the baracuda will totally slice a fish you have on the line in half. Problem with the comparison is that if I baracuda sees it he eats it. No hesitation like with a Muskie you do not get follows. I once had a Florida Keys guide tell me that if i like Muskie I should come catch barracuda because they bite like that. I told him that was half the the fun and mystery with Muskies you cannot be sure that they will bite.
So to Tarpon, for fight there is really no comparison. I once hooked a 80-100 lb tarpon in Puerto Rico on 16 lb spinning tackle, the big ones were not supposed to be there that time of the year, and spent the next three hours fighting her. Ask anyone who fishes both fresh and salt water the salt water fish are much tougher. In general when you hunt the top of the food chain you get longer first runs and much more power in salt water fish
That said I have two weeklong trips to fish salt water this year, one to cast for Red Drum in Carolina and one to fish for bill fish in Cabo San Lucas Mexico and all I really ever think about is the week I spend Muskie fishing, this year at AML on Eagle. I am hooke on Muskies |
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | A freind of mine Caught a Tarpon that was just shy of the Fla State record by 2 lbs( 240 ) The fish was released.
Like most Muskie Guides the Fla Tarpon Guides promote Catch & Release
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | There is no betther game fish than the Muskie-Period!! I have a friend that has a charter business that fishes for Bone fish and tarpon in the Florida Keys.On the front of His sign up shack He has a picture of a beautifull fish.Its not a bone fish or a tarpon or a Barracuda...its a 49 inch Muskie that it took him five years to catch fishing two months in the fall.Tarpon are relatively easy to catch as are most salt water fish.The Muskie always has had and will always have the greatest Mystique in sports fishing.Muskies are the king ,the emperor,the shah,the Dalia lama,the queen,and the supreme creature that swims.They are the be all ,end all and the holy grail of all things with fins.The finest fishermen in the world fish for muskies.The rest should be throwing dough balls for carp in a sewage treament pond.Anybody,man, woman or child that doesnt realize this should be taken out and sumarrily shot at dawn on the Last Saturday in May.The only other creature a true Muskie man would even consider casting for would be a Blue whale and that would only be because his wife forced him to vacation on the the ocean. CAN YOU TELL I NEED SOME OPEN WATER !!!!!!!!! |
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Location: Lake Chautauqua & Latham, New York, USA | Definitely apples to oranges... Been fishin' muskies for over 50 years on Lake Chautauqua and the St. Lawrence River. Got 5 over 50" and too many mid-to-upper 40's to count... both casting and trolling, BUT there is no really valid comparison to the many 100-200 pound tarpon we catch (on 600 yards of 50 lb test braided line) from April thru June every year from the Gulf Coast side of the south Florida Keys all the way up to the Boca Grande Pass. They're both great fighters, and tarpon are continuous great leapers as well. However, my experience tells me that tarpon are much easier to catch in Florida waters than a big muskie is in a northern lake --- but it's definitely apples vs. oranges!!! |
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Posts: 132
Location: Elkhart, IN | Howie,
Hilarious!!
Brian
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Posts: 663
| On a trip a couple years back I was out with a relative who guides out of Islamorada. We had a cuda follow up to the boat but didn't hit. I immediately started to figure 8 and caught the fish (about a four footer). The guide had never seen that technique and basically asked "what the %^&&$ was that?" I explained the technique to him and he got quite a kick out of it. He also was not too impressed with the 70 pound tarpon I caught. While my knees were shaking he told me "sorry but I just don't get too excited until they get over 100 lbs." They are no doubt an exciting catch regardless of size. I could easily get spoiled going after the big silver fish! |
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Posts: 7036
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | To get to eat, muskies. To fight, tarpon without question. At least in my humble opinion.....from a day and a half's results of:
-22 strikes
-17 hooks
-1 broken line
-2 to the gaff
-and strangely, 2 follows (the guide almost lost his mind when he saw me figure 8-ing a 110lb tarpon).
Here are some pics of the bigger one I had come to the gaff....after 35 minutes of fighting him, where he nearly spooled me 4X, only avoided by chasing the fish with the boat at pretty high speed, into heavy chop, with me up front trying not to fall over while reelling madly. Like I said, kind of a stronger fighter. the tarpon might be.
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Tarpon 1i.JPG (105KB - 124 downloads)
Tarpon 2i.JPG (120KB - 124 downloads)
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Tarpon 5i.JPG (105KB - 159 downloads)
Tarpon 6i.JPG (102KB - 138 downloads)
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | That appears to be an ocean carp. Carpus Oceanis of the order bottomus feedioris. Basically a nuisance fish that became to fearfull to live in the freshwater lakes that the Great Muskellunge inhabits and fled to the sea a few millenia ago( Millenia? ) |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Nice FISH Slamr!! I bet that trip was a hoot. Did the guide give you an estimated weight on that silver bullet? |
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Posts: 457
Location: Minneconia | Beat me to it, I was going to say how can you compare carp to muskies?!? |
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Posts: 42
| this is an easy one. a dead give away. given the facts and the information presented to me and being a fisherman for the greatest fish our lord has laid in all of our waters in the world the obvious answer is...............MUSKIE!!!!!!!!!!
MG5 |
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Posts: 136
| I love my muskie fishing....the chase for a 50" has to be the biggest thrill out there. It took me 13 yrs to get mine. But, I got to try the big water. Marlin is #1 on my list, with tarpon being next. Im going to try Cabo this October for a big blue or striped marlin. Probably try tarpon the year after. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Wishin I Was Fishin' | Howie you Rock!
Can't wait for you to come speak in May.
On another note.....
I've taken up Steel Head fishing on fly gear to get me through till the musky season. Biggest this year 33" female 12#+ and 31" male 12#+. 15 minute plus fight. Can't imagine one pushing 40". When you let them go they go right back to spawning, like you hardly phased them!
Oh ya, these were caught closer then most musky water is to my house in Wisconsin not on the West Coast.
They are second to the musky in freshwater! especially on fly gear, alot like hunting musky but in a small stream and smaller lures. I guess it's a good thing that the run is only a few weeks long.
Edited by Jomusky 4/18/2005 10:17 PM
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| Tarpon Got teeth? (zactly) do I have to deal with southerners? (zactly) Muskies Rock and Roll, Tarpon banjo music, case closed |
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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | Nice visor, did you go golfing after you were done? |
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Posts: 100
Location: Blaine, MN 55449 | This is a gret post! |
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