Snorkeling at Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary – Florida Keys
March 21, 2014Do Tarpons Bite? We Found Out at Robbie’s! (Islamorada, Florida)
April 3, 2014Snorkeling at Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary – Florida Keys
March 21, 2014Do Tarpons Bite? We Found Out at Robbie’s! (Islamorada, Florida)
April 3, 2014Fishing: Hooking Tarpon from No Name Key Bridge (Big Pine Key, Florida)
Photo Credit by: Maël BALLAND
QUESTION: What’s the biggest fish you've ever caught?
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Distance Traveled
3.3 miles one-way from Breezy Pines RV Park
Address
State Road 4a
Big Pine Key, FL 33043
Don't Forget
• Florida Fishing License
• Bait: Used Squid to catch Mangrove Snapper
Another windy day so instead of taking the porta-bote out, we fish off of No Name Key Bridge... right next to the Old Wooden Bridge Marina where we've rented a boat slip for the month. We've caught various fish from the bridge before... namely, Cero Mackerel and Black Grouper but today we learned how to fish for giant tarpons!
An elderly couple, next to us, seemed to have a system. Wifey would use shrimp to catch the bait fish while hubby would use the bait fish she caught to sport fish for tarpon. He shared his knowledge with us and showed us how to hook our Mangrove Snapper through it's spine. Today was our first experience ever hooking tarpon. Tarpon season here is from May and June but they're around alright! I can see getting on a charter boat just so you can pull the tarpon on the boat... really see how big your catch was. There was no way we could ever pull up the tarpon from the bridge. These guys had to be between 20-130lbs. I've never seen such big fish leap out of the water making a louder cannonball than I could ever make! They were smart, too! Every single one that was hooked would go back towards the bridge to break our lines.
Tarpon Facts
- Tarpons have been recorded at up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in length and weighing up to 161 kg (355 lb).
- The Atlantic tarpon is also known as the silver king.
- In appearance, a tarpon is greenish or bluish on top and silver on the sides.
- In Florida and Alabama, a special permit is required to kill and keep a tarpon, so most tarpon fishing there is catch and release.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Bucketlist Activities & Tours
Night Trip
Looe Key Dive Center
Duration
3 hours
About
Offered every Friday, you can Dive & Snorkel aboard our 45 ft. Catamaran Kokomo Cat II or Island Hopper to a single site with 1.5 hours in-water time.
Sunset Tour
Looe Key Dive Center
Duration
2 hours
About
Join us for a breath taking beautiful sunset off the coast of Summerland Key!
Sunset Tours are available Monday, Wednesday & Saturday weather permitting.
Boat will leave at 6pm, please arrive 15 minutes early and will return at roughly 8pm.
Half Day Snorkel/Dive Reef Trip
Looe Key Dive Center
Duration
4 hours
About
Divers, Snorklers or just along for the ride you'll come aboard our 45 ft. Catamaran; Kokomo Cat II. Two trips daily each with two- 1 hour sites at Looe Key Reef.
Morning Trip: Check-in at 8:00am and return approximately 12:15pm
Afternoon Trip: Check-in at 12:45pm and return approximately 5:15pm
Bucketlist Activities & Tours
Night Trip
Looe Key Dive Center
Duration
3 hours
About
Offered every Friday, you can Dive & Snorkel aboard our 45 ft. Catamaran Kokomo Cat II or Island Hopper to a single site with 1.5 hours in-water time.
Sunset Tour
Looe Key Dive Center
Duration
2 hours
About
Join us for a breath taking beautiful sunset off the coast of Summerland Key!
Sunset Tours are available Monday, Wednesday & Saturday weather permitting.
Boat will leave at 6pm, please arrive 15 minutes early and will return at roughly 8pm.
Half Day Snorkel/Dive Reef Trip
Looe Key Dive Center
Duration
4 hours
About
Divers, Snorklers or just along for the ride you'll come aboard our 45 ft. Catamaran; Kokomo Cat II. Two trips daily each with two- 1 hour sites at Looe Key Reef.
Morning Trip: Check-in at 8:00am and return approximately 12:15pm
Afternoon Trip: Check-in at 12:45pm and return approximately 5:15pm