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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
May 19, 2004
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Lady Angler Battles Huge Tarpon
Every now and then I get a report from an angler who had a really great experience with a tarpon. Victoria Justice got a taste of tarpon fever. According to her boy friend, William Campbell, this tarpon could have been over 150 pounds. After a long battle, she was trembling and sobbing.
They were just trout fishing, so no gaff was on board and in my opinion it is just as well as the fish needed to survive to make little ones. Not that they would have killed it, but the injury to such a beautiful and old fish would have been a mortality if lifted up vertically for a photograph.
During a long battle tarpon build up lactic acid and it takes a long time for it to recover. A shark could easily eat the tarpon in this poor condition.
This is a controversial subject, I know some people would soon kill it just to see if it is a record. There is a mathmatical formula to estimate weight by using a tape measure. Sometimes this measurement is too much stress for the big fish.
Not to make Justice feel bad, as this was a great battle of endurance for both tarpon and woman. Both the tarpon and the lady were winners as the fish got its life back and she made a memory of a lifetime.
With the right tackle she would have been able to bring the fish to the side of the boat in time under an hour. Many light tackle records take hours of fishing time and the fish do die.
I am not a bleeding heart liberal, as I would kill a big tarpon if she was indeed a record, which would have to be at least 205 pounds on 20 pound tippet using the 9 foot fly rod. My angler a few years ago had one over 200 pounds, but it broke the rod and this disqualifies a record entry, so we happily released it.
I conclude with Miss Justice's incredible story in her own words of the battle with the mighty silver king or is that queen?
This past weekend (May 15th) I encountered a large tarpon. I was fishing for trout south of Crystal River, FL. I had a Shimono Stratgic spinning reel and a RedBone rod. The reel has 12lb test line. I was using a "Cajun Thunder" rig cork, 3 feet of 20lb mono and two 12 inch metal leaders attached to a # 3 hook. My bait was a large dead shrimp. My partner and I were fishing an outgoing tide late in the afternoon. We where in 6-8 feet of water. The trout had been slow, and suddenly I had a very powerful strike followed by a huge spray of water. The fish took off due west. My partner started the boat (18 foot cc) and we pursued. The fish stripped approximately 100 yards of line and I was down to 6-8 wraps. I was able to start regaining some line and the fish jumped! It was a huge tarpon! We chased/followed the fish for two hours. During this she tried everything to get off. She ran for crab traps, two other boats, the channel into Crystal River, and a shallow shoal. Long story short, she cleared the water at least 6 times, surfaced many times to take a breath, and shot me a silver moon more than once. I was able to get her next to the boat four times. My arm finally gave out. The last time I had her under my feet (I was standing on the bow) the cork was right under the surface and she took a dive and went directly under the boat. She left us on her on accord before she began to really tire (thank goodness). My line broke and she disappeared into the green gulf. I am a 130lb and 5 feet 8 inches tall. This fish was larger than I am. She was at 6 + feet. From her dorsal to the bottom of her belly it was 24-26 inches. I have never seen a mounted tarpon this big. I wonder if she's possibly a record on 12lb test?? I was the one holding the rod, but this was a team effort. Myself, my boyfriend, the fish and God. Wow! What an experience! Miss Victoria Justice.
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