So it looks like after day one of the Lowcountry Tarpon Open six tarpon were caught. One thing I've come to learn about fly fishing in some tournaments for some kinds of fish is that leader releases count as a caught fish. As long as the guide or the angler has their hand on the leader and can control the fish that counts. I believe that's done for billfish as well.
Years ago it was all kill tournaments, for species like tarpon, bonefish, permit and striped bass. I was never a fan of tournaments especially for species that were not doing well, like where that overfishing and overfished designation from the ASMFC comes in. I got skewered online when I questioned if a tournament on the Delaware River made sense when the numbers of bass were in the tank and regulations were changed to protect the spawning bass, which is what those tournaments would be targeting.
I checked out the rules for the Lowcountry Tarpon Open online. There is a separate category for fly only with specific rules. So the way I get it there's an overall division, which both bait and fly anglers can win, and then a fly only division.
There are some big name tarpon tournaments that are held down Florida through the Keys and then up to Sarasota and into Louisiana. While the push, through organizations like the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, is to have all tournaments go catch and release there are still kill tournaments out there, like Louisiana's International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.
Above is angler Guy Cenac with a 208 pound tarpon taken during the 2018 Rodeo. A 200 pound tarpon is about 30 years old and is basically inedible. I mean you could eat it if you were stranded on a desert island with the other choice sawing off your own foot and grilling it, but for most they don't eat them. It's sad these kill tournaments remove fish from the biomass for prizes and chest thumping. It's not illegal, but it's just not good.
One of the most prestigious fly fishing only tournaments is the Gold Cup held each year down in Islamorada, Florida. I'm not much in the know of tarpon and tournaments but have listened about both on the Mill House Podcast I spoke about yesterday. The field in this tournament is limited to 25 anglers. This years winner was Captain Rob Fordyce and angler Julian Robertson who crushed the competition with an all-time weight fish of 176.5 pounds. If you've never listened you can check out Fordyce with Andy HERE.