Animals in the United States
Martha's Vineyard Angler Shocked By Catching 6 Foot Tarpon While Fishing For Bluefish During Derby
iStockphoto / Daniel Smith
The 79th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby kicked off on Sunday and will run through this time next month with local anglers seeking eternal glory in the eyes of their fellow fishermen. There are daily weigh-ins at between 8-10 AM and 7-9 PM and daily awards, weekly awards, and division awards split across boat/shore and all tackle, junior, and fly-rod.
It's a massive production that dates back to 1946 when Gordon Pitman of NYC won the first Martha's Vineyard Derby with a 47 pound striped bass. And anglers have gotten really good over the years at targeting stripers and bluefish which is a huge reason why one angler was stunned that he hooked up with a 6-foot tarpon on the first night of derby fishing.
Richard Mann was down from Halifax to fish the Martha's Vineyard Derby and absolutely did not expect to catch such a rare fish on night 1. He landed a 6-foot tarpon, aka the 'Silver King,' which is one of the most highly sought after gamefish in my home state of Florida but virtually unheard of in Martha's Vineyard.
This tarpon obviously can't be weighed or entered into the Martha's Vineyard Fishing Derby but angler Richard Mann told the Vineyard Gazette that it was the fish of a lifetime. Mann said "I just cast a fresh piece of bait out, and before I could even put the rod down, I felt the fish hit the line. I picked it up, and I went, I know what that is. I know it's not a small bluefish. I know it's something much bigger with teeth."
He also said they thought it was a shark and were "hooting and hollering" upon realizing it was a 6 foot tarpon.
On the one hand, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility for a tarpon to be caught in that area. In fact, in August of last year a 20-year-old angler caught a 6′ tarpon while fishing off Cape Cod. But at the same time, it really is virtually unheard of to see or catch this fish that far north in the Atlantic and at the risk of sounding alarmist I'm concerned how a fish that THRIVES in the Caribbean tropics can comfortably survive in the Northeast well into mid-September.
Ultimately, fish go wherever the bait is to be found. The best explanation is that at some point this fish kept following its food source and that took it north instead of south.
As a Floridian, it is jarring to see that big tarpon out of the water like that. It's the law here in Florida to keep them in the water after catching them. Some say their stomach rolls if they are brought onto land. But those are fishing regulations in Florida and tarpon are so rare in Massachusetts and Martha's Vineyard that the state doesn't even list regulations for the species.
Picky Albies, MV Tarpon, Reports Of Mullet: Busy Week Of Fishing News
Published September 20, 2024 at 12:00 PM EDT
Listen • 4:03
Albies are erupting in front of you, but you're not catching a single one. Maddening! Here's a compassionate take on what you can do.
Also: a tarpon makes an appearance at this year's Martha's Vineyard fishing derby.
And look out for the appearance of a premium baitfish: mullet.
Kevin Blinkoff of On The Water joins us to talk about all this good stuff, and to prognosticate the week's fishing forecast, as some stormy weather shakes things up.
Give a listen.
Snook And Tarpon Are Plentiful As Fall Migration Of Baitfish Gearing Up
The fall migration in South Florida is days away. Just a few days ago, the shoreline from Bear Cut south along Key Biscayne small baitfish schools showed up and packed. If, by chance, you run into these schools and throw a cast net on them, make sure your net's mesh is ¼-inch. Anything bigger will require you to spend hours cleaning your net.
The fishing in the ocean inlets continues to be good for snook and tarpons. The best action continues to be best during the low side of the outgoing tides. Sizeable live shrimp, pilchards, mullets, and pinfish have been getting many strikes. If you like throwing artificial baits, the 3" NLBN jig heads tipped with a 3" paddle tail soft plastic and the Flare Hawk jigs have been getting snook strikes. Keep your baits near the bottom for the best results.
The offshore bite has been hit or miss. Kingfish, bonitos, blackfin tunas, barracudas, wahoo, and sailfish have been scattered along the coast in depths from 90 to 300 feet of water. The best action occurs along current rips, over artificial reefs and near ocean inlets. Because the fish have been so spread out, trolling drone spoons with a planer and Sea Witches with a bonito strip far behind the boat lets you cover lots of water and intercept small groups of fish. Drifting or slow trolling live bait fish free-lined or from under a kite is catching fish, but locating a group of hungry fish takes longer. Dolphin fish continue to be scattered offshore.
On the bottom when the currents allow, vermillion sand mutton snappers are being caught over artificial reefs in depths from 160 to over 300 feet of water. Some large amberjacks are feeding over reefs. For the vermillion, use squid and bonito strips.
Daytime anglers are catching yellowtail and mutton snappers over the natural reefs in depths of 60 to 100 feet. Anchoring and chumming while fishing small baits with small weights is getting the snapper strikes. The night reef bite is the same, but with mangrove and lane snappers added to the catch.
Capt. Alan Sherman, who operates "Get Em" Sportfishing Charters, has been leading fishing charters in South Florida for 30+ years. He can be reached here or by calling (786) 436-2064.
For last week's fishing report, click here.
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