Suncoast Tarpon Roundup Goes To All-Release Format

By FRANK SARGEANT The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 11, 2008

The Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, the nation's oldest tarpon tournament, announced a few months back that this year's event would finally go to an all-release format, and the rules have now been released, affirming that dramatic change.

Formerly, the Roundup had clung to a weigh-in system that outraged many tarpon anglers and kept most sponsors in the fishing and boating industry from associating with the event. Since the tarpon tag went into place in 1989, killing tarpon has been considered bad form by conservationist anglers statewide. The fish take a decade to reach maturity, and have a lifespan approaching 50 years, so with catch-and-release, one fish can be caught many times during its lifetime.

When the Roundup gets underway May 24, anglers will be bound to release all fish immediately; a vote by the committee, at the urging of President Jason Gell, brought about the change this year. Thanks to gradual rules changes, the number of fish killed had already reached a modern low, with only 40 of 794 fish caught last year weighed in. But this year, the kill should be zero, except for the few fish that die as a result of deep hooking.

Modern technology will make it possible for anglers to prove their catches; each angler will be issued a kit to take DNA scrapings from their fish before release. The angler then calls in the catch, fills out a catch report and mails it in along with the scraping.

The DNA will be recorded by state biologists and kept on record, so that when these fish are caught again later, a record of their migrations and growth can be developed. The conservation angle has brought back dozens of sponsors to the event, and seems to promise that it will return to former glory.

Winners of the weekly events are determined by the most releases. And anglers who place first through third in the weekly events, or in the top 30 for most releases overall, go on to fish in the Finale Day in early August for top prizes.

Open waters will be Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Only fish 48 inches and larger can be counted as releases.

In general, the best bite for adult fish is along the beaches and around the Sunshine Skyway in May and June, roughly to the time when the summer rains begin. The fish disappear for a few weeks in early July, when they reportedly head offshore to spawn. When they return, many travel well inside the larger bays like Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, and remain there feeding on shad and glass minnows into October.

For details on the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, visit

suncoasttarpon

roundup.org.

FOLLOWUP ON TIPS: Last week's column of tips for beginning anglers drew a number of follow-up letters, and most asked about the best rods and reels for inshore fishing. Everyone has their own preference, but many experts these days prefer spinning tackle equipped with a quality microfiber line of 10- to 15-pound test - PowerPro, and Stren Superbraid are two of the best.

In reels, Shimano and Daiwa are well-known; the 2500 size is tops for snook, reds and trout. Avoid buying a big, heavy reel - it makes daylong casting impossible.

In rods, medium-heavy action is best for most applications, in lengths from 6-foot-6 to 7-foot. Note this is medium heavy within the genre of light tackle; these rods are typically rated to cast one-fourth- to five-eighth-ounce lures - the rating is on the shaft. Buy only graphite rods if you expect to fish artificials; it's much lighter and more sensitive, casts better and handles big fish better. Shimano's Crucial in 6-foot-8 length and Falcon's Cara T7 in 6-foot-6 size are two of my personal favorites, but every angler has their own preferences.

It used to be that many saltwater anglers preferred baitcasters because they handle heavier lines better, but the advent of microfiber has made it possible to use stouter lines on spinning gear. That plus the lower incidence of backlashes with spinning has made it the favorite of most anglers these days, and it's particularly advantageous for beginning anglers because you can learn to use it in minutes, rather than days as with baitcasting gear.