Can you eat Tarpon? How to Eat, Catch, and More

Can you eat tarpon? This can be a question that can lead to some really interesting conversations. Some people will say yes, and others will say no. The answer is very simple: of course you can eat tarpon! It’s just like eating any other fish, but it has the bonus of being delicious. In this article we’ll cover how to catch them, how to cook them if you want to eat them raw or cooked (or even pickled!), and all sorts of other things related to this awesome species of fish.

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What is a Tarpon Fish

A tarpon fish is any one of seven species in the genus Megalops that can be found both saltwater and freshwater all around the world. They can range in size from about 12 inches to over eight feet long, with most being between two and three feet long when fully grown. A tarpon fish can weigh up to 220 pounds, meaning they are some pretty large fish.

Tarpon fish are often fished for in canals and rivers, but can also be found in the sea. They can survive both fresh and salt water environments, making them a versatile fish to hunt or catch.

What is Tarpon Fish Like?

Tarpon fish are silver with bright scales all over their bodies when they’re young. As they grow older, their color can change to match their surroundings. They can be dark gray, brownish silver, or even blue-green depending on where they are in the world and what time of day it is.

Check out the picture below to see what Tarpon fish actually look like.

Ways to catch the tarpon fish

How can you catch a tarpon? The best way to catch one is by trolling for them using artificial lures or live bait, which could include shrimp, crabs, mullet, and more. If they are fresh out of brackish water estuaries then cast netting can be an effective method as well.

You can also fish on the bottom for them using heavy jigs or lead-head lures, cast from canals and river banks. There are also a few different types of traps that can be used to catch tarpon fish as well.

They like to eat mullet, so you can also go with that as bait. You can catch your own mullet to use for the best results when catching tarpon fish using cast nets in shallow waters near docks or banks where they are likely to be hiding out.

Don’t forget – if you’re not sure how something works then just ask a local!

Tarpon fishing in many ways is just like fishing for other species, pay attention to your surroundings and you will definitely snag one of these prized fish.

How to cook Tarpon meat

Cooking tarpon is best done in a frying pan, with chicken broth, with garlic powder, dijon mustard, and honestly ou can eat tarpon raw as well!

Many seafood lovers enjoy it in the form of tarpon fish cakes.

You can also smoke tarpon fish, or use it to make ceviche.

The best ways are by using an oven, deep frying the filets for about three minutes per side. You can also grill them if you want! Grilling is great because then they don’t fall apart as easily when you’re eating them.

Cooking fish in this way makes them taste quite good. Fish cakes are a fantastic way to eat this impressive fish.

A lot of people will complain about fish meat having that “fishy taste” and honestly, tarpon is not immune to this.

One last piece of information on cooking tarpon is that if you are going to cook your own tarpon, then be sure to watch for the tiny bones that can be present in this meat, it will surprise you if you aren’t aware of it.

What does Tarpon Taste like

Many people complain that they have a very fishy taste, are difficult to clean due to the tiny bones, and have a pungent smell.

There are a lot of things you can do to try and get rid of the taste, but at the end of the day a lot of people just don’t think it is worth it to eat tarpon.

Can a Tarpon Hurt you

Tarpon can be dangerous, as can any fish with sharp teeth and a large mouth.

This can be especially true for people who are fishing in canals or river banks, where the tarpon may feel cornered and lash out at whoever is on their territory.

They also have fins that can cause severe lacerations to unsuspecting anglers during the fishing process, so be careful out there!

Tarpon can also get large – very large. They can reach up to 200 pounds in weight at the bigger end of their scale and can grow quite long.

There are stories of these fish getting huge enough that they can flip boats over with ease if the angler is not prepared for the weight.

Don’t be afraid to try tarpon, but just remember that they can hurt you if not handled properly!

Are tarpon hard to catch

Tarpon can be very difficult to catch, especially if you are not used to fishing for them.

They can be very picky when it comes down to what they want as bait and can also take a long time before biting on your line.

Tarpon can fight hard once caught too, so don’t go into this process without being prepared! They can jump, they can shake your line loose, and they can cause a lot of damage to the gear if you are not prepared.

They can also be hard because tarpon fishing is considered more difficult than other types of saltwater fish like cod or halibut.

Tarpon can be very finicky when it comes down to what they want as bait and can be difficult to catch even for seasoned anglers.

The best thing you can do is get local help if possible, ask people who live in your area about where the tarpon like to hang out and when it’s best time to go fishing for them (this can change depending on the region).

Can you catch tarpon from shore

Catching tarpon from shore is possible, but can be difficult.

They can get large and can be very heavy, so it takes a lot of strength to pull them onto the shore where you can finish up your catch process.

There are also times that tarpon will cause trouble by jumping out of the water when they feel cornered into shallow waters from people wading too close to them.

If you can get a tarpon up onto the shore, then congratulations! They can be very difficult if not impossible to take out of shallow waters and can cause damage by thrashing around violently.

Tarpon can also be dangerous because their mouths have teeth that can easily break through your line and cut into your skin.

Why do Tarpon Jump Out of the Water

They jump out of the water because they can get spooked by people who are near where they reside.

There have been times when anglers have waded into waters that were too shallow and the tarpon felt cornered, so they jumped out of the water to try and break free from their pursuers.

This can also happen if a fisherman casts close enough to a tarpon that it can feel threatened, or if they are casting to a spot where there are multiple tarpon and one feels cornered.

Their jumping can also be caused by the way their mouths have teeth – these can easily cut through fishing lines so even just setting up your tackle can cause an issue!

It’s best to stay away from tarpon when you can, especially if they are jumping or thrashing about.

Can Tarpon be Used as Bait for Other Fish

Tarpon can be used to catch other fish but can also become bait themselves – keep this in mind while fishing!

There have been reports of people using the meat of tarpon as bait for other fish, but the meat can also be used to catch tarpon itself.

Tarpon can become their own form of bait because they are large creatures that can easily tempt smaller predators into thinking they can make a meal out of them!

Conclusion

This was a brief overview of can you eat tarpon, how to catch them, and all things related to this awesome species.

Tarpon can be very difficult to catch because they are picky about what their bait is (some people think that only specific kinds of shrimp or crab can work as bait for tarpon), but once caught can provide a fight of their own.

They can jump out of the water to try and escape from you, can get spooked easily if approached by people wading too close to them, and can sometimes even become bait for themselves or other fish!

Hopefully this provided you some good information.

Thanks for reading.