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Guide admits tarpon tag laws skirted in PTTS tourney; fish fed to sharks

The following was posted by Capt. Scott Hughes on the Florida Sportsman Southwest Florida forum. The comment came in response to a debate over an article published on BocaBeacon.com written by David Futch. The article appears in the January issue of  Pirate Coast Magazine and is reprinted with permission. There are two posts here. And yes, we are archiving all of the posts on this subject in the event they somehow vanish. The Professional Tarpon Tournament Series is predominately fished by jiggers.

You can follow the debate here.  (UPDATE: His post has been deleted from the FS Forum. Surprise!)  But the discussion is still there. And it’s really pretty entertaining. Here is what Capt. Hughes wrote.

Each time a person possesses a tarpon a “kill tag” is to be permanently fixed to the tarpon’s mouth. A new tag must be purchased to possess another tarpon.

This is widely abused. I rarely see a tag in a tarpons mouth when I see them being hoisted with a gaff picked up out of the water. I’m sure that most of these captains have one on board but they only buy one and if they were to get checked they would bring it out of the boat and put it in the tarpons mouth.

Another way to avoid buying multiple tags is to put the tag in backwards which allows the tag to be removed intact after releasing the tarpon. This tactic was wide spread in the 2006 PTTS in which my team won the Championship. We weighed in 4 tarpon that season and used the same tag for each weighed fish. We were not the only ones doing this, as I had never fished the PTTS and was advised by other teams what to do.

I regret being part of that but my job was to catch fish and the other members were in charge of the money.

Near the end of the main Boca Grande Pass tarpon season I see guys each year (who possess tarpon tags which are going to go to waste) give full grown tarpon to shark anglers to use as bait for bull and hammerhead sharks. Talk about making you sick. Using a 20-30 year old tarpon as bait. It’s like dragging a dead and defeated warrior though the streets to be spit upon.

And here is another post from the same forum. Both are very interesting.

Well this is the first time ever posting on this site, and hope its the last.  My name is Capt. Mike Manning most of the guides speaking on here know me and I know some of them like McCue, Andy B., Scott, and Sapp.  As for the rest of you, I dont know you dont care to know you!!!  I do know there are a lot of you talking about things you dont anything about.  The reason I say this is beause I am there everyday of tarpon season if it is fishable I am there with a charter.

Number one,  the fight over the jig  fishing is over, there was just a few people that went around this state to every meeting that was held on the subject. And   that was McCue, Markett, and myself we won that battle its over guys.  The PTTS had nothing to do with it!! I dont even think they were around when that subject was going on? ” could be wrong”  Someone also said the PTTS is the only thing out there to protect the recreational anglers in BGP well I think that is funny because if you want  to see people getting yelled at, come watch the guides fishing in the PTTS screeming at the recreational anglers.  While on the subject of the PTTS they say they are not hurting the fishery well, I saw a photo of a PTTS boat during a tournament with at gaff stuck thru the eye of the tarpon while being towed to the weight boat.  The photo was in the Boca Beacon during the 2009 season.  So you can not say that fish lived a normal life after that!!!!!  Nor can you claim weighting the fish dont hurt them.  I also observed the leader of the PTTS pick up a tarpon well over 100 pounds in the middle of the pass to take a photo.  Not a big deal we have all done it!! but this fish was eaten by bull sharks when released.

Number two, Why anyone would suport a kill tag for tarpon I dont know?  What it looks like to me is there are a few people that benefit from the kill tag.  I could be wrong but the only one that seem to benefit are the guides fishing the PTTS or  other touraments and the people who put them on.

Number three,  as for the live baiters if the jiggers did not short drift them, set up in front of them, drop lines down in front of them while they have a fish on, the jiggers would not have as many problems as they do.  Hell the jigger are so bad now that they drop jigs right in front of their friends while their friend have  a fish on.  My point is the jiggers have started there own problems.  I know this for a fact I fish next to the live baiters all the time and I never have a problem with any of them, but again I give them the respect they deserve.  If you dont beleave me just ask any of them about me!!!! JUST GIVE THEM SOME RESPECT!!!!!

Hey understand I dont care if you people have your touraments because it benefits me as much as anyone.  I get charters from people seeing the show, but most of all I get to catch a lot more fish because you guys chase them out of the pass right to me and several others.

I know I have made several mistakes over the years, just like everyone else has.  I am not claiming to know it all or to be the perfect guide that always does the right thing.

I am friends with several people on both side of this issue.  I am sure I am going to make some of them mad at me for what I said, but I have put my time in when it come to BGP and I have a right to my opinion.  Well this is the last thing I have to say about this issue!!! GOOD LUCK ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE!!!!!