Fish of the Month (Dec '23)

Anybody who has ever had an in interest in saltwater fly fishing will have heard of the 'Silver king' - a fish that can grow to gigantic proportions and prized as one of the greatest sportfish on the planet. I am, of course talking about Tarpon - fish of the month for December.

There are only two known species of tarpon. By far the most well known is the Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus). Florida Museum states that this species can grow up to 8 feet (2.44 metres) long and weigh up to 350 lbs (160 kg). Atlantic tarpon are found in coastal areas on both sides of the Atlantic in Africa and the Americas in mostly tropical and sub-tropical regions, but are probably best known in the Caribbean Sea and Florida in the United States.

The lesser known Indo-Pacific tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides) can be found from the Pacific coast of Africa, through the middle-east, India, Asia and the northern coastal waters of Australia. While still regarded highly as a sportfish, the Indo-Pacific tarpon is usually much smaller than it's Atlantic cousin - evidenced by its other common names of Ox-eye herring, and bony herring - rarely growing larger than 20 inches (50 cm), though larger specimens have been caught.

Tarpon are prehistoric animals - having remained unchanged in form for the past 125 million years. They have a swim bladder acting like a simple lung which allows them to breathe air to supplement their oxygen requirements, which is usually obtained via the gills like most other fishes.

Atlantic tarpon numbers have plummeted since the 1970's due to a number of threats with habitat loss, pollution and poor water quality among the greatest. Nevertheless, they remain a prized sportfishing target.

Together with permit and bonefish, tarpon have become legendary among saltwater fly anglers with people travelling from all over the world to experience being hooked up to one of these incredible fish. Check out the short video below, produced by tournament tarpon angler Andy Mill and his son, Nicky, to get a taste of the tarpon fly fishing addiction.