Wild Fly Charters
Captain Gregg Mckee
May 2024
Last month I wrote a very basic introduction to tarpon and their biology. I didn't go into much detail about catching them since my fellow writers always cover that thoroughly this time of year. I did quickly touch on the fact that some huge, world record size tarpon routinely swim in our Southwest Florida waters. So let's talk about what exactly a world record tarpon is and how you'd go about getting one.
For starters, you'll want to look at the International Game Fish Association's website (IGFA.org) and possibly join as an individual member. This is the governing body that sets the rules anglers need to follow to get an official world record, and there are a lot of rules for both fly and conventional fishing. There are also separate records kept for both men and women.
You don't have to be a member to set a world record, but you're handicapping yourself if you're not. The record book itself is more than worth the price of the membership. You'll get an actual printed copy annually and in addition to the rules and steps necessary to catch and submit a record, 17 pages of those in total, there are over one hundred pages listing all the current world records for a mind-boggling number of species in both fresh and salt water. There are records for everything from bluegill to blue marlin and dozens of exotic species I guarantee you've never heard of. I used to spend hours thumbing through my copy each year.
Because tarpon are considered a recognized gamefish, there are records for several different line classes up to 130-pound test. The current all tackle record is a 286.9-pound monster caught off Africa using 80-pound monofilament. Since the majority of my anglers use fly rods, here's some of the steps it would take to get into the book with the biggest fly-caught tarpon. For fly fishing there are six different recognized lines weights, also called tippets, from 2-pound to 20-pound test. There are also several rules dictating the length of the leader attached to the fly.
The current men's 2-pound test record is a 32-pound fish. That's a small tarpon, but it's an insane achievement since it was basically caught on a length of line no stronger than horse hair. (The women's 2-pound test record is only a 4-pound fish, and that can easily be beaten. So go get it, ladies.) At the top of the fly rod list is a 202.8-pounder that was caught on 20-pound tippet back in 2001 in Homosassa, FL. That particular tarpon record was a monumental event in fly fishing and even had a book written about it, the excellent "Lords of the Fly" by Monte Burke, which I can't recommend highly enough.
At least once a year, I'll see a world record tarpon swim past my boat, usually out in Pine Island Sound or off the beach at Cayo Costa. To beat the current 20-pound record, one of my anglers would have to hook a tarpon weighing no less than 204-pounds. They would have to fight the fish completely unassisted. If someone even touches the line or tackle during the fight, the catch is disqualified. The guide can only net or gaff the fish to bring it into the boat once it's subdued. The fish then needs to be weighed on an IGFA certified scale on dry ground. Unfortunately, a 200-pound, 7-foot-long tarpon can't be dropped into a live well to be taken in and weighed, so that world record fish won't survive.
Even though tarpon are a heavily protected species, Florida does allow anglers to purchase a Kill Tag for $50 that allows you to take a single fish just for this purpose. You have to have this physical tag on the boat in advance before you even take the fish out of the water. You can't hook a potential record and order one online during the fight.
After the fish is weighed, the paperwork begins, and this is a challenge all its own. Two out of those 17 pages of IGFA rules specifically address fly fishing and there are several more pages dedicated to submitting photos, witness statements, and samples of the fly line and leader for testing. This is where a lot of records are unfortunately disqualified. If the tippet over-tests or a section of leader measures too long, the record is tossed.
The paperwork is heavily scrutinized and I've even heard of a record being rejected because the angler misspelled the Latin name of the species on the application. If everything checks out, and I've definitely skipped a few details, in about six months you'll get a nice certificate along with your name next to the record, and nothing else. There's absolutely no prize money allowed by the IGFA.
But catching that huge tarpon will make you famous in certain circles. As I mentioned earlier, an entire book was written about the pursuit of the fly rod record, which has now stood for 23 years. Bigger fish have been caught since Jim Holland's legendary 202.8-pounder, but none of them met the IGFA criteria or the angler simply wasn't trying for the record. An estimated 230-pound tarpon was caught and released on fly in Puerto Rico in 2007. I met the angler and saw the photos, but the tackle wasn't IGFA legal.
Since tarpon can live over 100 years and are migratory, that fish could be much bigger today and swimming up here in Florida right now. I may have even seen it once or twice. If one of my customers lands it, they're not getting the record either since I don't have a kill tag. Fortunately, we live in the age of iPhones and social media. If an angler somehow miracles that fish up to my boat, it'll swim away safely but the people who need to know, will know. And maybe I'll hit Powerball later that night, too. Crazier things have happened.
Capt. Gregg Mckee
Wildfly Charters