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What's everyone's thoughts on this?

5K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  Mack in N.C. 
#1 ·
I know the regulation in NC for tarpon is 1/day and I think that regulation is dead wrong. Thoughts on pulling a 70 inch tarpon on to a pier? Obviously the pier doesn't care, that photo will just bring them more $$. Just like the flounder nets this is another backwards regulation. I think more reasonable would be a size limit, since the harvest value of a 69 inch tarpon is basically zero.
 

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#2 ·
Hard call....tarpon are generally a bycatch when cobia/king fishin. the only alternative to bringing them on the pier deck is to cut the line and let them drag twenty feet of mono around until the hook rusts out. Dont see the point in intentionally killing one when the food value is non existent.
 
#3 ·
I think its a rare enough occurrence that the one fish limit is fine. One tarpon is more tarpon than most NC fisherman will ever catch in their lifetime anyway. I'm sure the kid in the pic u posted was king fishing and not "tarpon fishing".

I do agree its a waste to kill the fish for a photo, but maybe he got it mounted, I would.
 
#4 ·
It's a common practice to pop the line once you get the tarpon to the pier, which tends to break the line very close to the knot from my experience, or fight it to the beach and take the hook out if you want to even go that far and get a picture. I know they are bycatch but I believe in doing things right, this fish was dropped 20-30 ft back into the water after spending 3-5 minutes out of it after a long fight just for a picture.
 
#9 ·
Congrats the fisherman on not getting spooled from a pier! However, I hate seeing pictures like that! The "Silver King" is purely a sport fish therefore no reason to kill...unless the angler wanted keep for taxidermy purposes but even then no reason to kill. I'm from SW Florida where catching a tarpon from a pier is a common occurrence and I have never seen anybody try to bring one on the peir. There are two options: 1) cut the line once the fish is brought to the peir, as ncdead suggested or 2) drag the fish along side the pier to the beach for a safe release. I'm no hippy however I want my son to be able to catch 70 inch tarpon and I'm a huge supported of preserving our fisheries.
 
#11 ·
I guess me being from Florida and seeing people go after these monsters off piers in south Florida with 1000 dollar van staal setups in case they hook a 200 pounder has my opinion biased. When I heard it was the kids first sportfish I was shocked and impressed, tarpon are no easy fight and I have seen many people get spooled quickly hooking something that had power they knew nothing about. I guess I am also biased because I was taught to respect nature and everything that swims in the ocean, if I was 14 I would have taken that fish into the waves, got in to the water and taken the picture of a lifetime. I'd estimate a fish that is that long would cost probably a grand to have fully mounted, a big chunk of change for your typical NC pier fisherman.
 
#13 ·
upon my initial post i didnt realize the angler was the young man in the photo. It is legal to bring a tarpon on the deck....no doubt this angler will cherish that

moment for the rest of his life....old salts giving him cudos and backslaps...the things that create a lifelong fisherman. Good for him.
 
#15 ·
I vote for leaving NC regs alone on tarpon and banning it in Florida...way too many killed in Florida . See enough shows where they get bit in half by a shark and we want to worry about 1 maybe killed in NC. I wonder how many hundreds are killed in Florida every year...my vote goes to ban tarpon fishing in florida
 
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