I never caught a Tarpon before this …….he was 7'4" long & 157 ¼ lbs (weighed in at Blue Water Marina on the S. end of Channel 5).…I caught him in the Keys, fishing On the Channel 5 bridge (about 50 yards N from the SW end), a 9 ft rod, 50lb test Ande Mono & a Penn Squidder with a metal spool & casting a 8" wooden blue-flash Creek Chub Pikie... I won the BoneFish Harbor yearly tournament for this (for Tarpon), but never picked up the Trophy …to bad as it was the only one I had ever won :-( …… just thought it would be cool ta put up to show you fishing ‘buffs’ that you don’t have ta have a 50k dollar boat & Fin-Nor reels to catch the ‘big one’, but a little luck & a little skill & a love of fishing … JC
PS; the only reason I kept him is the he was 'gut hooked' (swallowed the last 2 hooks of the pikie - which is a rarity) & had no chance to live - I would not destroy a beautiful fish like this just for a trophy or picture - the Tarpon at my feet is not mine.....