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" ..make no mistake....there are world record Tarpon swimming in these waters…no doubt about it ! ”
- Mr. Dan Jacobs There are several things that make the UTC Trini Tarpon Tournament unique: 2) The area where the tournament is held is not only unique and picturesque, but has water depths of up to 150' deep thus making fighting these large Tarpon significantly more difficult than fighting them in shallow water. Big fish...hard fights! 3) The tournament will be using the live weigh in format for all fish that are 125lbs and over. Similar to what is done at the famous Boca Grande tournament in the Florida Keys, the weigh station will be setup on the back of a 50' mobile catamaran with a sling system, where the boats will tow any fish they believe to be 125lbs or greater, so that it can be weighed and released unharmed. 4) In conjunction with Captain Bruce Ungar of the Tarpon and Bonefish Unlimited group, the tournament will also be deploying PAT tags ('Pop-off Archival Tags) on several fish that Captain Ungar deems eligible to carry the tag. This is part of a wider PAT tagging program ongoing throughout the Caribbean basin and Florida area to determine the migration patterns of these incredible animals. You can learn more about the program here. 5) Captain Ungar will also be taking DNA samples of the fish that are brought to the scale. In addition to this, the tournament will be giving DNA sampling kits to several competitors in an attempt to get as many DNA samples as possible. These DNA samples are invaluable to the research and conservation work being done by Captain Ungar and the Bonefish & Tarpon Conservation Center. History In 2005, ‘tarpon fever’ spread to Trinidad. Well-known U.S. angler and international tournament organizer/director Dan Jacobs of Marlin and Sport Fishing magazines recognized the largely untapped potential of Trinidad as a major tarpon fishing destination. •Jacobs organized and hosted – Trinidad Tarpon Bash 2005 – an international tarpon tournament complete with U.S. and Caribbean angling teams, game fishing journalists, photographers and videographers. •Trinidad Tarpon Bash 2005 (and its successor, Tarpon Bash 2006) focused the international game fishing ‘eye’ squarely on Chaguaramas and the Bocas as a tarpon fishing paradise. During the Tarpon Bash, a pioneering tarpon tagging exercise also took place.In the Southern Caribbean’s first exercise of its kind, Capt. Bruce Ungar and professionals from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) of University of Miami’s Rosenthiel School of Marine deployed US$6,000 Pop-Up Archival Transmitting Tags (PAT) on live tarpons caught at the event for tracking their migration and evaluate their habitat.Results indicate that ‘our’ tarpon travel north up the Caribbean and may migrate as far as Florida, where the world’s #1 tarpon fishing tournament is held. Since the programs inception in 2001, a total of 55 Tarpon of been PAT tagged throughout the Southeast U.S., Mexico, Trinidad, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. The PAT tags record water temperature, depth, light level, and time every 10 seconds. This data is used to help better understand Tarpon's migration and movements to help fill knowledge gaps in research and ensure the survival of the tarpon population. Learn more about the program here. This is why the UTC Trini Tarpon Tournament has decided to partner with Mr. Dan Jacobs and Captain Ungar in order to capitalize on their experience and passion for the Tarpon fishery in Trinidad. Mr. Jacobs will be the weigh master and head judge for the tournament while Captain Ungar will be deploying some more PSAT tags to fish that he deems eligible to carry the tags. With this experience involved and the grade of fish that are swimming in these waters, the UTC Trini Tarpon Tournament is well on its way to attaining its goal of becoming one of the biggest and most prestigious tarpon tournaments in the world! |
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