June 12, 2017
Written by: Toni McRae
Out on the Edge!
If you always find yourself going for walks in the park to feed the geese and fish, you should definitely visit Robbie's! Robbie's is a famous tourist attraction in Islamorada, Florida where you get to buy Florida's beautiful shells and feed Tarpon fish. When people come to feed the 6 to 8 foot long Tarpon, they don't just throw the small fish in the water, they live life on the edge a little bit.
The visitors don't have to, but choose to lay down onto the dock holding the bait in their hands close to the water and release the food as the Tarpon pops up. Because the Tarpon fish's mouths are so wide, some people, like this little feller aren't so quick to get up out of there in time and get their hands bitten off! Okay, I may be over exaggerating a bit. Your hand won't be bitten off, but it can hurt a little. NO BIGGIE, just watch for the approaching fish. Oh yeah, because you're feeding these big guys, the pelicans try to steal a free meal for the day.
They float on the water near the dock, where the feeding is occurring and act as creeps waiting for their next opportunity to happen. During my trip today I witnessed three people in a short amount of time lose a fish that they originally wanted to feed to the Tarpon to a greedy pelican. I mean hey, a pelican has to eat too right?
And don't worry if you don't like the smell of fish bait on your hands. Robbie's has an outside bucket on the dock filled with soap and water, and a whose with clean water to wash your hands. I personally just made sure to wash my hands for a second time when I got the chance to be sure.
Overall it's a lovely place! The shells and other little trinkets they sell are amazing. If I were to go by myself for the next time around, I would just have to keep an eye on how much bait buy and how fast I throw it out to feed the Tarpon. Who knows, maybe I will be the next lucky tourist that reaches down to live life on the edge and get my hand eaten by an eight-foot fish! It can't be that bad. What's a hand useful for anyway?
If you would like to know more about tarpon and what they eat head over to this website! Check it out: tarpon_fishing_tips.htm
You can also check out http://www.fla-keys.com/fishing/ to learn more about fishing in the Keys in Florida!
#Robbies #Tarpon #FishFeeding #LivingOutOnTheEdge
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ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting to see the Tarpon up that close! I guess their logic is if they're getting fed here then why move elsewhere to hunt for food? It would be bad if that were the case - training the Tarpon to stay here for an income towards your tourist attraction. So who knows? In any case, though, I still won't forgive that one Pelican for stealing my fish that was meant for the Tarpon!
ReplyDeleteEdit: Misspelled a word
Toni,
ReplyDeleteRobbie's is one of my favorite tourists traps in the Keys! I'm so glad I got to experience it with all of you! Sometimes I feel like it takes the hunting out of the fishes' daily routine by learning they can get a free meal here at the dock. But, nonetheless, it was a great experience to see the protruding jaws of a tarpon come up for a treat out of your hands!