Fish ID....Tarpon in Prien??
 

Ok....my buddy at American Rodsmiths came down for a trip with a guide recently and sent me this pic. I know tarpon used to inhabit prien back in the day, but have moved out supposedly because of the pogie boats.......anyway. Been debating whether a tarpon or lady fish? Lady fish scales don't get that big right? I have another guy who is claiming he caught a tarpon in his marsh. Be awesome if they are coming back in this area!!

Guide said it was a tarpon.....What say you tarpon or ladyfish?

comparision pics
 

For comparision.....small tarpon pic vs. large lady fish pic:

I'd say a tarpon going by it's lower jaw kind of hooking up like it is. Plus a ladyfish has a long skinny body where as this one kind of has a belly.

Top pic - Tarpon
Bottom pic - Ladyfish

tarpon for sure

Took the words right out of my mouth.......looks like a tarpon

Dont know how much truth holds to this but my dad told me that my Great Grand paw caught at 30lbs Tarpon in Prien lake in the 50's or 60's time frame......

They have an old pic of it....

thats a poon fo sho

I know nothing about tarpon......can you keep them that size or can you even eat them?

Looks just like this picture of a tarpon.

http://www.rodnreel.com/gulffish/lar....asp?FishID=73

wow, been fishing that area for 24 years & never seen or caught one there.

i have seen some big ones busting bait outside the jettys

W....I believe it. Go into George Parets Drug Store on Lake St. and look at some of his old pics..They used to catch loads of tarpon in Prien way back when.

Prien Lake has got some deep holes [40+ feet] just like Lake P.....where they catch lots of Tarpon.

Also, in Flordia......don't they catch Tarpon back in some of the rivers where the salinity is probably similar to Prien Lake.

TARPON!!

Whoever asked to eat them, if yall catch them, let em go!

i'm guessing you mean years ago correct? the only 40 foot water I know of in prien is the old river.

man that is awesome , i hope they come back but unfortunately with the general attitude in south Louisiana of kill everything you catch i don't think its very realistic ........ would be nice though

X2!!!!!
As soon as somebody "meat hauler" catches one, that baby will be in the Ice Chest!

or the channel, where that one looks caught

Wouldn't eat it, just asking for general knowledge.

It's cool, i do beleive some people eat them in FL, but majoirty let them go as sport fish.

dude thats awesome!! definitely a tarpon! Did it fight good!? I'm about to go fishing for that exact same fish lol

Tieing on the Flies as we speak!! lmao

Definitely a tarpon......I've seen pics of huge ones caught out of v-bay near the pass.....but they are from many many years ago..........


As far as eating them? I didn't know they were even edible. .....I heard they are about as good to eat as a lady fish, nuttin but oil....

mmmmmm mm bones!

What did he catch it on?

Bet dat be good blackened!

Corky:rolleyes:

caught on shrimp under cork and was released.

ETA - I've heard they are terrible to eat, but I wouldn't know, I've never caught one or tasted one.

i bet he thought he had the new state record for a second...

Def a tarpon unless its a lady fish with a serious underbite!

Bloody meat. Not good.
There were Tarpon along the coast of Cameron 40 years ago, but I ain't seen any
since then.
If there is Tarpon in Prien Lake, it is Bush's fault.

i caught a couple stripers in prien long time ago

I've caught them at the barrier-Lake Charles-Calcashoux River no BS

caught the one on Calcashoux on a zebco when i was 7

Catch small tarpon all the time in cast net while catching shad. They are at the flume in contraband bayou.

I have caught a few at the plantation fishing with goggle eye's....:grinpimp:

Sorry for the hi-jack.....

It is definitely a tarpon, I caught one that went 23 inches in Prien Lake 3 years ago. No one believed me until I showed them the pic. We released it also.

Looking for the pic right now......

crazy how that little fish can get over 200lbs!

Ya'll better pull this post immediately or ole' "Coon Pop" will be fishing the lake before you know it.....that is a tarpon!

def a tarpon My pawpaw grew up on Contraband and he used to tell me about tarpon in Lake Charles but that was before the Ship Channel Would be nice if they came back

Yea that is why Cameron high is the tarpons