THE TARPON KING OF THE PIRATE COAST

Georgia's Titanic Tarpon

EDITOR'S NOTE: Very little has been written about the tarpon along Georgia's Pirate Coast where the legendary Blackbeard once pillaged for wealth and treasure, and pirates once ruled with tyranny and fear. But this undiscovered-tarpon hotspot is without question one of the best places to catch the most tarpon in the shortest time. In a day-and-a-half of fishing, we had eight chances to catch tarpon, and we brought four fish to the leader and one fish along the side of the boat. This week, we'll look at the secrets to catching tarpon along the Pirate Coast and talk to Greg Hildreth of Brunswick, Georgia, the King of Tarpon on the Pirate Coast. He'll tell us where to find tarpon and how to catch them.

Question: Why does the Georgia Coast not get the publicity that many other tarpon hotspots receive?
Answer: I really don't know -- other than the fact that there's only 80 miles of Georgia Coast and only about 20 boats available for charter in the Golden Isles area. St. Simons, Brunswick, Jekyll Island and Sea Island are known more for their golfing resorts than for their tarpon fishing. But the fishermen who come here have learned how good the fishing really is.

Question: How big are the average tarpon you catch?
Answer: The tarpon usually weigh between 80 and 150 pounds. However, the charter-boat captains here often catch several tarpon every year that weigh over 200 pounds. Last week my fishing party caught and released a tarpon that was 80 inches to the fork of the tail. That fish probably weighed more than 200 pounds.

Question: Most fisherman want to catch tarpon and get their photos made with the fish they've caught. How can your anglers get their pictures made with tarpon and still be able to release the fish alive?
Answer: I usually have more than one fisherman out on the charter. So, the fisherman who has caught the tarpon will stand behind me and the fish while the fish is still in the water, and someone else snaps that picture. Then, if the fish is small enough, I'll lift it out of the water for a second while someone takes another photo. If we catch a really big fish, I don't even try to lift it out of the water.

Question: Are you tagging any of the tarpon?
Answer: Yes, we started tagging tarpon last year for Georgia's Department of Natural Resources. Right now we don't know where our tarpon come from or where they go, and we hope this tagging program will help us learn more.

Question: In three days of tarpon fishing in July and August, how many tarpon do you expect to catch?
Answer: Although we can't guarantee a tarpon every day we go fishing, I believe an angler who fishes for three days has an 80% chance of catching a tarpon and getting the fish to the boat. During that same three days, however, I'll expect to jump 15-20 tarpon.

Question: Why do anglers lose so many tarpon?
Answer: The tarpon's mouth is a huge bone that acts like an armored plate. Getting the hook to stay in the tarpon's mouth while it's fighting and jumping is extremely difficult. But that's what makes tarpon fishing so exciting. I expect to catch one out of every five tarpon I jump.

Question: What's the most tarpon you've ever jumped in one day?
Answer: Captain Ken Doss and I jumped 24 tarpon in a single day in only 6 hours of fishing.

Question: Of the 24 tarpon that you jumped, how many of those fish were you able to put your hands on?
Answer: Only 7.

To learn more about fishing with Captain Greg Hildreth out of Brunswick, Georgia, call (912) 261-1763.

TOMORROW: A TYPICAL DAY OF TARPON FISHING