While on our honeymoon in Florida, we spent a week traveling from Orlando (Disney) down through the Keys on our way towards Key West. While the first part of our trip was spent wrapped up in fantasy, this portion of the trip was meant to experience and share outdoor activities and various other real world touristy activities.
Thankfully along the way, several locals gave us recommendations for things to stop and see. Located at mile marker 77.5 on the Bay side is a place called Robbie’s of Islamorada. After donating a couple of dollars, we were handed a bucket filled with fish to be used to feed all the tarpon at the end of the piers.
Tarpon Food
I am in no way a fisherman, and had no idea at the time what the difference was between a blue gill and a tarpon. So I was surprised to see hundreds of fish six-inches in diameter and 2-3 feet in length swimming around the end of some shallow piers. These tarpon were no slouches. They knew exactly what was about to happen. My only experience with anything such as this was throwing the ducks back home some broken pieces of stale bread. At most I got a disgruntled quack out of one of them because I tossed him a piece of rye instead of wheat. Who knew they knew the difference?
My new wife and I stood in amazement at what I am about to unfold. As you reach into the bucket to pull out a dead fish, it is almost as if the tarpon can feel the water move in excitement. Then as you dangle the fish over the water, they start to circle. These fish have been well trained by hundreds of tourists over the years. The tarpon, and other scavengers, start to congregate at the site of the fish above the water. I am not sure how they even notice such a small fish in a tourists hands. Then as soon as you toss it, and before it even hits the water surface, tons of fish dart towards the location to devour the treat. That in alone was spectacular!
Tarpon Congregating
So after going through a bucket or two of fish, I decided to start to get more daring, and impress that new wife of mine. After all, she was not ever to impressed with my feeding skills at our home aquarium. So this is where it took getting some nerve. These fish can weigh as much as 150 pounds. So one of the workers there demonstrated by taking a fish and holding it inches from the water. Instantly, giant tarpon leaped out of the water and took in the gentleman’s entire arm. It was crazy…and then the guy realized not only was the fish food gone, but so was his watch.
This where I had to rethink my adventure and attempts to impress the new wife. I not only had my brand new wedding ring on, but also a new watch that my wife purchased me as a wedding present. So I was not about to lose them in the belly of a tarpon, or she would have probably pushed me in to go and get it back which was a fight I did not want to attempt.
Feeding the Tarpon
Besides my possible jewelry loss, I was also concerned that once these tarpon latched on, what if they just plane pulled me into the ocean? So what did I do?
I carefully leaned over the edge of the pier. I held the fish food in my right hand where I did not have any jewelry on. Last, I took a deep breathe and carefully lowered the fish to the water surface.
Look At That Tarpon Mouth
As those tarpon broke the surface and lept out of the water, I did what every man would do. Drop that fish into their mouth and pull my hand away as fast as I possible could. Even though the guy who lost his watch said the tarpon do not have teeth, the blood on his arm was enough to make me reconsider diving my arm into the tarpon’s stomach.
To see a video of the tarpon feeding action, you can check out the one on Robbie’s website. Just please believe me when I say the fish in the video are tame, because the ones we saw were way more actionable and would leap completely out of the water under the right conditions.
Now I had a week in the Keys to figure out another way to prove to that new wife of mine that she married the right guy.
