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Catching tarpon in South Carolina is far from a sure
thing, which is exactly what drives many anglers to
try it again and again. And they have hope, because
for nearly a decade, tarpon have been encountered
with increasing regularity among the inlets and bays
of the state’s famed Lowcountry fishing grounds.
Some have even been in the 100-LB. class. To support
this budding fishing resource, the Lowcountry
Tarpon Tournament offers anglers a unique,
conservation-driven competition for catching
these hard-fighting fish. In place of prize money,
the tournament offers bragging rights and the
opportunity to tag tarpon for research.
BY JEFF DENNIS GHM INSIDER
South Carlina anglers are seeing more and more tarpon
every summer. This one put on a show before being
landed near Georgetown. Photo: Capt. Steve Roffs.

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The first thing new participants learn is that fishing for silver
kings in South Carolina is not like fishing for them in the clear
and shallow waters of Florida. The waters of the Lowcountry are
often brown with mud and silt after regular tidal intervals. But
when the“clean green”waters of the Atlantic Ocean make a push
inshore to areas like Bull’s Bay and Winyah Bay, the bite turns
on. Every year, more would-be tarpon tamers in the region are
learning how to bow to a jumping tarpon in order to achieve a
successful catch and release.
Three years ago, a unique collaboration began between
tarpon anglers in the Lowcountry and the Bonefish and Tarpon
Trust (BTT). BTT board member Andrew McLain rallied a few
die-hard fishing enthusiasts to come together to form a tarpon
tourney that utilizes BTT’s assets in order to benefit the study of
tarpon life cycles. Tracking a tarpon’s travel off the South Carolina
coast has never been tried before, so any and all information
helps build a data set for future anglers to analyze.
“We have averaged 30 to 40 anglers each of the first two
years of the tournament,”said McLain.“These tarpon are larger
than what anglers in the Keys may tangle with because of the
abundance of bait in the area. We have put five PSAT [pop-up
archival tags] tags in place over the first two events, and are
Left: Bruce Unger of Miami tags a tarpon at the 2012 Lowcountry
Tarpon Tournament. Photo courtesy BTT. Above: BTT board members
Andrew McLain and Dr. Jerry Ault. Photo: Jeff Dennis.
committed to continuing this effort. I’m aware of only one other tournament of
this type outside of the Keys, and that one is in Texas.”
South Carolina law still allows for the harvest of one tarpon per day per angler,
but event organizers are more interested in promoting a culture of conservation.
“The harvest of a tarpon is incompatible with the purpose of the tournament,”
said McLain.“First, we want to raise awareness about the excellent tarpon fishery
along the South Carolina coast, including proper release techniques; and second,
we hope to increase the scientific knowledge base concerning what the tarpon do
after their visit to South Carolina waters.”
“The reality that comes to mind with respect to the Lowcountry tarpon
tournament is that this is the leading edge of study about a fish that we know very
little about,”said McLain.“Thousands of hours of fishing time have been put in
by Lowcountry anglers trying to learn the habits of the visiting tarpon from June
through the peak of the season in September. We try and time the event dates,
September 14-15, with the annual mullet run that the tarpon follow and target.”
Dr. Aaron Adams is the director of operations at BTT and the senior scientist
with Mote Marine Lab, and believes that this tarpon tagging partnership is
unique outside of the Florida Keys.“We don’t seem to hear as much about tarpon
in Georgia and North Carolina, though we know they exist there,”said Adams.
“We have only identified a limited number of tarpon aggregation sites, and the
Bull’s Bay location near McClellanville, S.C., appears to be a good spot for us to
concentrate our [research] efforts.
“Just like the previous two years, BTT will provide pop-up archival tags for
anglers to use during the event,”said Adams.“Dr. Jerry Ault from the University of
Miami will bring the satellite tags and also give a lecture on the study’s progress.”
Adams says tarpon tagged in South Carolina have shown a variety of travel
patterns, including at least one that led north to Chesapeake Bay, and many that
were traced to the south. This tells researchers that management plans need to be
developed beyond the state level to adequately manage these migratory fish.
The fact that tarpon have never been the target of a commercial fishery also
poses a challenge. Without catch records, there is no data set to study that would
indicate stock numbers or even frequency of encounters. However, even with this
limited data, some important discoveries have been made. Researchers do know
that tarpon do not become sexually active until around 10 years old, and that they
are a slow-growing and a long-lived species. Tarpon, some believe, may live as
long as 80 years.
“A satellite tag records data at certain times of day like salinity levels, water
temperature and more, which allows us to estimate the tarpon’s location,”said
Adams.“Tracking tarpon is important because we hope to unlock spawning
secrets in the future, which might signal to us where to ensure conservation
measures are in place. For instance, if several tagged tarpon show up in a similar
place offshore and during a full moon, then it might signal a spawning mass.”
Research currently indicates that spawning is complete by the end of fall,
with peak levels occurring earlier in the summer. And, it appears that water
Right: Although SC law allows one fish per
angler,alltarponcaughtduringthetournament
are released. Photo: Capt. Jordan Pate.

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temperature is a key to migration. When water temps dip below 76 or
75 degrees, the tarpon move south. Tarpon tagging in South Carolina
should reveal where tarpon go during winter, and highlight areas in
need of habitat preservation. If juvenile tarpon require coastal habitat
for their earliest years, then the conservation of mangrove swamps,
backcountry lagoons and all around other inky waters can become a
real priority.
In one example of this, BTT has already begun a partnership with
the Lemon Bay Conservancy in Florida to restore a wetland that had
been converted into a waterfront golf course. Studying the use of the
restored area by juvenile tarpon will help researchers apply lessons
learned to future BTT conservation efforts, in Florida and elsewhere. One
of the key geographical factors is that a dividing line occurs somewhere
around Daytona Beach, with mangroves to the south and salt marsh
habitat to the north. Understanding how tarpon use these different
habitats is critical to conservation efforts. There are already some
encounters with juvenile tarpon in South Carolina coastal habitats,
which offer vast quantities of spartina grass.
While the BTT is focused on learning as much about tarpon
behavior and habitat, it’s also making a real push to educate people.
“In South Carolina and the Southeast, BTT has made a lot of
progress concerning education of anglers and the public,”said Adams.
“It could be that just 10 years ago people did not get upset about
seeing a dead tarpon back on the docks. Today, there is a lot more
discussion about tournament formats that drag tarpon to weigh
stations or otherwise endanger the fish (see“Battle for the Silver King”
on page 26). We want fishermen to get involved in the tarpon fishery,
and we invite them to join our conservation group.”
The Lowcountry Tarpon Tournament is proving to be a great
platform for both research and public education. Dr. Paul Sasser
volunteers as the website administrator for the event and says that the
$400 entry fee goes directly to the BTT in order to pay for more satellite
tags. And he says the tournament action is real.
“The southward migration includes the big breeder females, and
I estimate the average tarpon caught in the fall to be 120 lbs.,”said
Sasser.“The tarpon put on as much as 20 lbs. as they gorge themselves
on mullet this time of year, and anglers get jumpy knowing that these
tarpon are here to eat!”
As anglers prepare for this year’s tourney, they’re looking forward to
the chance to bow before the big silver kings, and to contribute to their
long and healthy reign.
Top: The mullet run is the main attraction for SC tarpon, so anglers cast their
nets for plenty of bait. Photo: Jeff Dennis. Middle: Tarpon working the surface.
Photo: Jay Nelson. Bottom: Proper release and tagging techniques include
leaving the tarpon in the water to minimize stress on the fish. Photo: BTT.
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