(dramatic music)
- I'm Coyote Peterson,
and I'm about to be chomped by a giant Tarpon.
(Christina screams)
- [Coyote] Ah.
That was a huge fish!
(rock cracking)
- Today we're on location in the Florida Keys,
at a very famous spot called Robbie's.
This is Christina Wilson,
wildlife biologist and adventurer extraordinaire.
Christina, what are we doing today?
- We are going to be feeding Tarpon,
which is one of the world's largest fighting fish.
- [Coyote] This is the only place in the world
that you can hang off of a dock and feed these fish by hand.
Now me personally, I've caught some big fish.
Alligator gar, white sturgeon, even a blue catfish.
That one did bite me.
How big can the Tarpon grow?
- They can get up to eight feet and 280 pounds.
- Wow. - [Christina] Yeah.
- 280 pound fish on your arm.
I have a feeling that this episode
is going to be a screamer.
Ready to feed some fish? - Let's do this.
- We're gonna feed you to the fish.
See what happens.
This looks like as good a spot as any.
- [Christina] All right.
- All right, so we've got our bucket of fish.
There are no Tarpon in front of us at the moment.
Now, part of the tactic for getting the fish here,
is to get a little bit of scent in the water,
and also a little bit of disturbance.
You wanna smack the water, see if we can get 'em here?
- Oh, all right.
(water splashing)
- [Coyote] Hopefully you're not bitten first.
- Here Tarpon, Tarpon, Tarpon.
(water splashing)
Ooh, just threw a fish in there, didn't you?
- I'm trying to get the fish here.
Little bit of scent, little bit of disturbance.
So why is this location so famous for seeing Tarpon?
Many years ago, there was a giant Tarpon by the name
of Scarface, who was found out the water with his face cut
from a boat propeller.
The owners here at Robbie's brought it into captivity,
and stitched it back up.
They rehabilitated it, and released it into these waters.
Who would've ever thought you could save a Tarpon?
What ultimately happened is that the Tarpon stayed
in this area, and as it was being fed,
and rejuvenated back to life,
it began to bring in other Tarpons.
So you must ask yourselves,
"Do fish communicate with each other?"
Did Scarface say to the other Tarpon,
"Hey people here are gonna actually help and feed you,
and ultimately bring in all these fish?"
Who knows.
But today, there are dozens of these Tarpon
here in the waters where you can come down yourself
and hand feed these fish.
- [Christina] Here we go, we got one.
- When it comes to fish bites, I've been bitten
by a pirana, and I've been bitten by a blue catfish.
- [Coyote] Oh, oh, oh. - [Speaker] You'll lose 'em.
- I got him, I got him, I got him.
Pirana have razor sharp teeth, which of course,
is gonna cut you open like a hot knife through butter.
But, the other fish has bitten by, the blue catfish
has very small compact teeth that almost worked together
like rough sandpaper grates, rubbing up against each other.
So imagine a really fine cheese grater
digging into your skin.
That is the same tooth structure that is built
into the Tarpon's mouth.
Only the mouth of the Tarpon- (Christina gasps)
- [Christina] Oh, you almost got one.
- [Coyote] Yeah?
He thought about it? - [Christina] Yeah.
- The mouth of a Tarpon is much larger
than the mouth of a blue catfish.
- Right.
They've actually been known to straighten fishing hooks
because that's how strong their jaw-
- [Coyote] Wow. - [Christina] Yeah.
- Woo!
Yeah. - Aw, man.
Tip of the finger.
(Christina laughing)
Ow.
- That was a good one.
- Wow.
So the speed and the power, and the bony nature
of these fish's skulls just jammed my finger straight-
- Oh!
- -into itself.
That really, really hurt.
(water splashing)
(Christina screams)
- That one nicked me.
That one nicked me.
- [Coyote] So Christina, what we're seeing here
is the athletic ability of these fish.
And look at the way they're just bam!
Hitting the surface.
And that's the thing that for anglers,
that makes them so exciting, right?
It's all about the fight in that bite.
- Yeah and then they got this beautiful
jump outta the water.
So I'm assuming that your arm might be
completely engulfed at some point.
(water splashing)
- [Coyote] That's Scarface, right here.
- [Christina] This one?
- [Coyote] Yes, this is Scarface.
This fish is massive, she dwarfs all the-
Oh my gosh, there she is right there.
Oh my gosh.
All right, we gotta get Scarface up to the surface.
(Christina screams)
This is the nibble method. - [Christina] Nibble, nibble-
(screams)
I still got my fish.
- What's really cool about the jaw structure is they have
this impressive underbite, so they gulp their prey in,
right?
Just power and force and that mouth opening.
And if we get that shot of seeing how wide
these fish can open their mouths, an entire human head
could fit inside of the mouth of Scarface.
Ooh, first blood.
What happened?
- Man, it nicked me.
- That's it? - Yeah.
- That was just a nick?
- That was just a nick.
So imagine your whole hand being in there.
- One thing that I can tell you, one of the scariest moments
I've ever had on the Brave Wilderness channel
was catching the blue catfish.
Being underwater, and placing my hand into the catfish hotel
and having that fish grab onto my wrist and shake it.
I thought it was going to break my wrist.
Legit, that was the power.
So it was really difficult to go back under there,
and take a second attempt.
So that fish was a fraction of the size of these fish.
- Right.
- Any fear that one of these could possibly
break your wrist?
- After this?
Yeah. - Yeah, okay.
- I'm afraid I'm gonna get pulled in.
And then there's gonna be a feeding frenzy.
(Coyote laughs)
- Well, the good news is that Tarpons do not eat humans.
They are fish eating experts.
But Christina has officially drawn first blood,
so let's see where this goes. - Man.
(water splashing)
- Now, if you hold 'em by the tip of the tail,
the Tarpon will probably pull it outta your fingers.
However, if you hold the fish down like this,
the Tarpon will engulf your hand.
Now I would never recommend you guys try doing this
if you visit Robbie's.
You don't want to get bitten by one of these fish.
Their sharp little sandpaper-like teeth
will rip up your skin.
Alrighty.
This is it.
Officially chomped by a Tarpon.
I mean, it's nerveracking just to hold the tip of the tail
and have them come to the surface.
So, the idea of one engulfing your hand,
feeling the power of those jaws,
and the grit of those teeth, man, this is gonna be it.
I'm Coyote Peterson, and I'm about to be chomped
by a giant Tarpon.
(water splashing)
- Scarface is waitin'.
- Scar-
Where's scarface?
(water splashing)
Oh.
Oh, that was a good hit.
Not super high out of the water, though.
- [Christina] What do you think all of these fish range
size wise right now?
- On average, three to four feet.
(Christina screams)
I don't know if that was Scarface, but that was a big one.
All right.
First real chomp there.
(dramatic music)
Yep.
Oh, yeah.
(water splashing)
- I thought I drew blood but-
- [Coyote] All right, second go.
Here we are.
Waitin' for Scarface.
There she is.
(water splashing)
Come on, Scarface.
Waiting for a big one.
- [Christina] She's right here, she's right here.
- [Coyote] Oh. - [Christina] So close.
- [Coyote] It's nerve wracking.
(water splashing)
Oh, man, knocked it right outta my hand.
(suspenseful music)
Okay.
Ah.
This is nerve wracking.
Scarface, where are you?
Go big or go home.
Be brave, face Scarface.
Say hello to my little friend.
Where are you buddy?
I wanna feel the wrath of Scarface.
(water splashing)
(suspenseful music)
- [Coyote] There.
(Christina laughs)
- [Christina] You still have the fish?
- [Coyote] I've still got the fish.
- [Christina] She's coming, she's coming for you.
She's coming. - Here she is, here she is.
- She's coming.
(suspenseful music)
(water splashing)
- Oh, not Scarface though.
Wow, that is intense.
As you can see, they definitely light me up,
but it's not cutting deep into the skin.
It's more like a bad rug burn.
A bloody rug burn.
(water splashing)
(suspenseful music)
(water splashing)
- Ah!
Was that Scarface?
- Oh, I think so. - That was a huge fish.
I think that would Scarface with the sneak attack.
- Yeah, that was massive.
- Wow, that one definitely did a number on my arm.
All right.
- [Christina] Oh my gosh, man.
- [Coyote] Oh, wow.
Man, that was a hit.
That was a hit and a half.
This side of my arm- - It's gnarly.
- -the fish came in from the back.
I didn't even see it coming.
Okay, okay, okay.
I'm pretty sure that that was Scarface.
Ah.
Okay, at that juncture,
I think I've taken the hits that I need to take.
- Yeah.
- And it was really the hit on this side that I think
was probably the worst, and most likely Scarface.
Woo.
So there you have it.
Hand feeding giant Tarpon off the dock at Robbie's.
Christina how is this experience for you?
- This was insane. - Right?
- Yeah.
- [Coyote] Well, it's important to note that dangling a fish
from the tip of its tail, totally safe.
Holding the fish in the palm of your hand
and letting the Tarpon take your hand,
not recommended for anyone to try at home.
As you can see from my arm,
it's a pretty painful experience.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
- I'm Christina Wilson.
- Be brave. - Stay wild.
- We'll see you on the next adventure.
I need a wash my arm off.
- Me too, I'm stinky.
(animal howling)