Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

Depth0–5 ft

Smaller tarpon work the channels and mangrove edges, peaking in the warm months.

Largest recorded355 lb8 ft 2 in
Depth range0–98 ftspecies-wide
IGFA all-tackle286 lb 9 ozRubane, Guinea-Bissau, Africa · 2003

How big, really

A tarpon and a six-foot adult, drawn to one scale.

A six-foot adult man standing for scale, drawn to the same scale as the fish — Both drawn to one scale from the sourced length below. The fish is an illustration, not a photograph; the human figure is a stipulated 6 ft (1.83 m) reference, not a measurement.

Tarpon drawn 8 ft 2 in long beside a six-foot adult at the same scale — Both drawn to one scale from the sourced length below. The fish is an illustration, not a photograph; the human figure is a stipulated 6 ft (1.83 m) reference, not a measurement.

The tarpon year

Twelve months around the dial, straight from the island's season data — peak months reach the outer ring. Pick a month to see what else is running. Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug.

Field notes

How it is fished: Guides live-bait (mullet, pinfish, crabs, shrimp) or fly-fish channels, deep cuts, and mangrove/bridge edges where tidal current concentrates baitfish. Tarpon are known for explosive, aerial 'silver king' fights, often leaping up to 10 ft out of the water.
What it eats: Fish (mullet, pinfish, marine catfishes, needlefish, sardines) and crustaceans (shrimp, crabs), typically swallowed whole; larvae absorb dissolved nutrients directly from the water, and juveniles eat zooplankton.
Depth: FishBase: 0-40 m (0-131 ft), usually 0-15 m (0-49 ft).
Worth knowing: Tarpon have a modified, highly vascularized swim bladder that functions as an accessory air-breathing organ, letting them gulp air at the surface and survive in low-oxygen, stagnant, brackish or fresh water. They are also remarkably long-lived: males can exceed 30 years and females can exceed 50, with one captive female documented living to 63.
Conservation & rules: IUCN Red List: Vulnerable, decreasing population trend (corroborated via secondary sources; primary IUCN page could not be directly fetched, 403 error). The 2017 Bahamas Flats Fishing Regulations name tarpon explicitly alongside bonefish, permit, snook, and cobia as catch-and-release-only on the flats, with commercial flats fishing banned and an angler license required. The U.S. recreational tarpon fishery is also largely catch-and-release, with ongoing NOAA-adjacent research into post-release mortality.

The record

286 lb 9 ozIGFA all-tackle world record

Angler Max Domecq · Rubane, Guinea-Bissau, Africa · 2003

Source

Where it lives

The island's relief model with the flats lit — 0–3 ft, gin-clear over white sand. Drag it to change the angle.

4 of 8 mapped — 4 without usable coordinates, all listed belowEvery charter and guide the directory holds. Which boats work which water changes with the season and the weather — ask when you call.Seabed: GMRT · Coastline: © OpenStreetMap contributors

The Bimini story

Smaller tarpon work Bimini's channels and mangrove edges, peaking in the warm months, per longstanding local guide reputation — but no specific IGFA record or major tournament tied to Bimini tarpon could be verified.

Sources

What we could not verify (3)

Typical angler-catch length/weight range.
Any Bimini-specific tarpon record or tournament connection.
Primary IUCN Red List page (403 error on direct fetch).