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"Amazing,"
"breathtaking" and "impressive"
are words we often hear from first-time visitors to
the end of our dock. What they're referring to is the
school of 50 to 100 tarpon that come here daily and
linger for hours. |
| Photos
by Ron Bolesky |
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Occasionally,
a tarpon actually rises up from the water in a powerful
flash of silver and green to meet the fish as it leaves
your hand. It's a sight to behold! Maybe the "Silver
Kings" just come here to see the humans, but toss
a baitfish among them and the water churns as these
monsters and the resident pelicans vie for the snack,
causing quite a spectacle. |
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Robbie
and his wife Mona started feeding Scarface 18 years
ago. Scarface appeared floundering in the shallow
waters near the dock; Robbie saw the struggling
tarpon and, thinking it had swum too shallow and
gotten stuck on the bank, went out into the water
to free it. He lifted the fish and saw that the
right side of its jaw was torn open. Hoping to revive
the tarpon, Robbie placed it in the oxygen-rich
shrimp tank and called old Doc Roach. The doctor
showed up with his wife's mattress needles and some
twine, and Scarface became the first known tarpon
with stitches. After several days of force-feeding,
Scarface showed good recovery and weight gain; six
months later he was released into the waters off
the dock. Afterwards, Scarface continued to frequent
the docks; sometimes bringing a
friend.
Soon more and more of the fish began to appear.
Today, the tradition continues, with visitors from
all across the world coming to marvel at the spectacle
and offer these magnificent creatures a snack. |
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