Larry Anderson and his fine concrete tarpon

Larry Anderson from Artistic Illusions in Englewood came out to Boca Grande on Thursday, Feb. 2 with a special passenger in his truck bed - a 1,600-pound concrete tarpon, to be exact. The tarpon replaces the original fiberglass fish at Gasparilla Properties, which was stolen months ago.

Larry said he created the six-foot tarpon by making a styrofoam mold and spraying concrete over it. He then made a hole in the tarpon’s mouth and put lacquer thinner inside to melt the styrofoam. Once the styrofoam liquified, he placed rebar and poured concrete inside the fish.

The tarpon can now be seen riding a wave in front of Gasparilla Properties. He said he came up with the design concept and created it by working on-and-off for about a month.

While Larry also created the first fiberglass tarpon that was stolen, this was his first attempt at concrete sculpture. He found the experience to be very satisfying.

Larry also did the mural on the wall of Boca Grande Real Estate, just across the street.

Our dream? To have a tarpon on every corner.

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