Tarpon: the silver king

Hello readers, today we're going to tell you about a fish known for its aerial powers, the megalops atlanticus, commonly known as the Tarpon or Silver King. Rodmaps went to meet it twice, in 2013 in Mexico and in 2016 in Belize.

Tarpon morphology

This fish can greatly exceed two meters in length and weigh over 100 kilograms. What we notice in the first place is his armor of very impressive silver scales, especially when it is sunny. His jaw is particularly hard, it is a bone in its own right.

It can open over 140 degrees. The latter has a series of tiny teeth reminiscent of a stroke or thick sandpaper.

Its dorsal fin is also unique in its kind, triangular in shape but with a needle-like appendage that runs along part of its back. What is also shocking are her huge round eyes which are disproportionate to her size!

Tarpon behavior

Like all predators, it will tend to position itself around schools of fish, one of its favorite prey is the mule.

On Youtube, you can find an impressive number of videos that will show you the tarpon hunts, during the migration of schools of mules, on the beaches of Miami.

For small specimens, they hide near the coast in the feet of mangroves, in the mangroves, which gives them ideal hiding places to escape their main predators, bulldog sharks and hammerhead sharks.

How to fish for tarpon?

If you are looking for thrills on light rods, fishing for tarpon babys in the mangroves is for you! Generally fishing in mangroves is done in a shallow depth, surface fishing is then indicated.

It is a fish which reacts very well to stickbaits and poppers. The attacks are lightning because the tarpon performs impressive jumps of more than a meter above the water. They also react very well to small suspending jerkbaits, to bucktail jigs.

If you are looking for large specimens, there are several options available to you. The first is to go up the freshwater rivers in Belize until you reach mini causeways. We have noticed on several occasions that very large tarpons love the influx of fresh water above the mouths.

Another option is to fish them offshore, between 500 and 3000 nautical miles off the Atlantic coast, in the open water, observing the activity of birds which concentrate on schools of forage fish. One ultimate solution is to fish them from the beach with large topwaters depending on the tidal flow.

Certain places lend themselves well to it, the Gabonese beaches or those of Costa Rica.

Which rod for tarpon fishing?

The Shore Reaper by Jabbers (perfect for beach fishing)
The Wanderlust spinning by Jabbers (ideal for babysitting tarpons in the mangroves)
Jabbers Gamechanger75 PE3 (ultra versatile for all types of shore and boat fishing)
Huge Custom HS1OS-66R from Deps (boat fishing on all sizes of fish)