If you’re a tarpon angler or have dreams of chasing these silver giants and you haven’t heard of all the controversy in Southwest Florida (Boca Grande in particular) about the use of the bottom weighted “boca grande jig” you may want to take a look at some of the discussion going on between both parties. People in favor of the jig say there is not enough scientific evidence done to prove it snags more fish than a normal jig. The other side, some of whom used the jig for many years before discovering the dark secret of why the jig is effective, have come out saying it is nothing more than a snagging device. My opinion is this: a hook with a weight placed directly below the bend is more likely to snag a fish- period! and if fish are eating the jig than the placement of the weight should not matter. So why all the fuss from the jiggers? Because most of the jiggers are PTTS participants who are looking for bragging rights and prize money for every tarpon they catch, and according to the folks observing the tournaments (and all the photos), many of the fish hooked outside of the mouth are counted for points in the tournament. The “foul-hooking” and poor handling of the fish during the PTTS tournaments (which is nationally broadcast on tv and carefully edited) has not only caused an increased mortality rate, but also promotes a very unsportsmanlike and disrespectful way to catch the worlds greatest gamefish. Wednesday morning the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted in favor of the new regulations regarding the definition of snagging as it pertains to tarpon and also to limit the use of certain gear in Boca Grande Pass. The answer is no surprise to me. The cat is out of the bag on this issue and I don’t see how the PTTS can get out of this one. You can only hide the smell of bullshit for so long… FWC is starting to smell it.
