What was your experience like?
I asked this question almost a decade ago, and basically got nothing but wisecracks about “Oh, I thought you were asking about eating a tampon.” Oh, yuck, yuck, yuck! Har-dee-har! What a knee-slapper!
Anyway, the point remains. Sounds like they just don’t taste very good, are very bony, and if you eat them at all it’s with everything ground up into a tarpon fish cake.
Nasty bony oily but they put up a hell of a fight when hooked. I didn’t think anyone actually ate them, I’ve always done catch-and-release (otherwise known as “fucking with the fish’s head.”)
If you catch one for me, I’ll try it.
Around here they are also know as bonefish for a reason. Fun to catch, not to eat.
I apologize for not actually having eaten tarpon, but I do have some anecdotal information.
Tarpon (and I’ve seen, dived with them) are one of the 3 “grand slam” fish of salt-water fly fishing. When I went to Belize for a dive trip, I learned all about saltwater fly-fishing. The other two are Bonefish and Permit. The “grand slam” being to catch at least one of each of these fish in a single day.
When I asked about eating any of these prizes, everyone told me they’re practically never eaten - all catch and release:
Moving from IMHO to cafe society.
I’ve never eaten tarpon, and only got close to landing one once (lost it after a 45 minute fight). Just reading this thread made me want to go book a Key West vacation.
Sharks are extremely fond of eating the tarpon that are fighting to get off anglers’ hooks. They wouldn’t usually be able to catch them otherwise, so I guess at least they consider them a treat. Plugging “tarpon shark” into a Youtube search will yield many thrilling results, if you’re not opposed/squeamish to watch such things.
We see/feed tarpon all the time in the FL Keys but I’ve never really heard of anyone eating them- they’re a catch/release fun to fish for but not an eating fish as far as I’m aware. Too many other good fish to eat I guess.
I’ve eaten in and enjoyed visits to, Tarpon Springs, FL.
Does that count?
Just adding my anecdotal experience from working for a saltwater fishing enthusiast and going mackerel fishing with him a few times and tarpon fishing once.
They offered to let me try tarpon fishing but I declined because I am a tiny person and was sure I’d end up shark bait. We went to Boca Grande, which is one of the places to go for Tarpon fishing. We did see lots of tarpon. So through that experience and being around my boss and all his fishing friends and his involvement in a saltwater fishing organization, I learned that they are catch and release only, no one eats tarpon.