Some of the best gamefish in the sea are tarpon.
Tarpon are found on both sides of the Atlantic ocean, ranging from Senegal to the Congo on the eastern side and Novia Scotia to Argentina on the western. They can range in size from 4 to 8 feet and typically weigh between 60 and 280 pounds, the largest ever recorded being 286 pounds, nine ounces.
They are also well-known for their athleticism and will leap up to 10 feet in the air and 20 feet horizontally when hooked, putting them on top of the list of most desirable species for anglers.
All of that is to say, these fish are impressively strong, something the guy in this video found out the hard way.
While fishing in what I assume is Florida, a man saw a bunch of tarpon (and possibly a small shark) swimming right next to the dock he was standing on and got the bright idea to throw some bait out on a hand line and see if he could bring one up the old school way.
Definitely a cool idea and something I may have done, but unfortunately for this guy, he was extremely unprepared for the fight he was getting in.
As soon as his bait hit the surface, a large tarpon grabbed a hold and took off, pulling the man easily into the water. The fish were obviously pretty spooked and began thrashing around, beating the man up as he tried to get his head above water. He was able to come up for air but at the exact same time one of the fish threw itself high into the air and came down on his skull with a textbook People’s Elbow, further adding injury to insult.
Can we appreciate the cameraman? He had to be one of this guy’s close friends and he just stood there and kept all the action in frame while laughing his ass off. That’s how you know they’ll be friends for the rest of their lives.
A fun idea and an even funnier ending for us. I’m sure the guy was a bit bruised, physically and emotionally, but hey, at least you got the video.
