February 7, 2024
Ever tried bungee jumping or skydiving to get that heart pumping? Well, hold onto your fishing hat because I stumbled upon a wild, fin-tastic way to make your adrenaline do the cha-cha – hand-feeding tarpon! Yeah, those gigantic, Jurassic Park-looking fish with mouths big enough to make your bagel disappear faster than a magician’s trick.
So, we rolled into Robbie’s Marina on Islamorada– the place with more fun than a barrel of monkeys. You can shop ’til you drop in the gift shop, munch on grub at the dock, fly high with parasailing, or dive into the crazy world of feeding tarpon. Guess which one we picked? Yep, the tarpon feeding adventure.
For just a couple of bucks, they handed us a bucket of bait to charm the tarpon doing their lazy laps around the marina.
But oh boy, I wasn’t prepared for the excitement that awaited me. The tarpon just sit there in the water, patiently watching the bait we’re holding overhead. Then, before you know it, one will suddenly jump out of the water, opening its mouth to snatch that little bait.
Now, let’s talk about those tarpon mouths – imagine you’re holding a fishy treat, and out of nowhere, a tarpon the size of a small child leaps at you, mouth wide open like it’s auditioning for the role of the ocean’s vacuum cleaner. Panic hits, and I’m thinking I’m about to donate a finger to the fish snack gods. But nope, turns out, tarpon are more into the food than nibbling on unsuspecting humans. Who knew? Check out the following video and see how big their mouths are!
And if that wasn’t enough, we had to fend off a gang of pelicans who clearly missed the memo on personal space. These feathered freeloaders were either following us on the dock or doing dive-bombs, trying to snatch the bait right out of our hands. It was like a scene from a Hitchcock movie, but with wings and way more fish.
In the end, I survived the tarpon feeding with all my fingers intact, armed with epic photos. So, if you’re up for a wild ride, forget bungee jumping and skydiving – head to the nearest tarpon shindig and get ready for a fishy fiesta like no other. Just pack your humor, a sturdy bait bucket, and maybe a spare bagel for the especially hungry tarpon. Happy fishing!
Just A Bit Loopy 