HUNTING TARPON IN CORPUS CHRISTI WATERS.* 



BY WILL M. SOUTHWORTH. 



We were late g-etting- started that 

 Tuesday morning, but finally we were 

 on board the lola with our dunnage, 

 the sails raised, and we were off on our 

 exploring expedition. We formed a 

 jolly crew, comprising Capt. Fermin 

 Rivas, a descendant of the Aztecs; Will 

 Bickenbaugh, tender of the jib; Mrs. 

 S. , chief steward ; Johnny, ' ' the Kid, " 

 Mrs. S. 's brother and cabin boy, and 

 myself. The lola, herself, deserves 

 description. She was a sloop of six 

 tons, thirty-one feet in length, and 

 scow built, having a width of about 

 nine feet at bow and eleven feet amid- 

 ships; full decked, with a cabin aft 

 containing two berths. All in all, the 

 lola was just the thing for a cruise. 



Our objective point was Corpus 

 Christi pass, forty miles to the south- 

 east, a place reported as teeming with 

 fish of every description. 



The wind was dead ahead when we 

 struck Corpus channel, and we had 

 to beat our way out for several miles, 

 but finally we got out into Corpus bay 

 and then made good progress. 



This bay has an area of 150 square 

 miles, and it can get up a rougher sea 

 than the gulf ; but Fermin, after giv- 



* During our vacation at Aransas Pass, we, that is, 

 Mrs. S. and myself, deteruiined to retrieve past de- 

 linquencies by catching at least one tarpon each. That 

 we did not do so is the fault of Dr. W. F. JMcMulIen and 

 Sam Panton. The blame of the latter lies in the fact 

 that he had no time togo a-fishing; was too busy, in 

 fact. The former's fault is more serious, and one that 

 can less easily be pardoned. Dr. McMullen is the 

 owner of a 31-foot sloop, which he maliciously placed 

 at our disposal, well knowing that if we accepted his 

 kind offer we would have no time to catch tarpon. 

 The intent is plainly seen when I state that although the 

 doctor has hooked many a tarpon, he has never j'et suc- 

 ceeded in landing one. The account which I have 

 written is of one of our cruises, and if the reader fails 

 to appreciate it, he must blame the genial Doctor. 

 — W. M. S. I 



ing us a taste of the waves, kept her 

 well over to the shore of Mustang island 

 so that we escaped the sometimes 

 embarrassing conditions enforced by 

 rough water. 



Our first meal on the boat was a cold 

 one, and as we sat on the deck eating 

 our lunch and watching the white caps 

 out in the bay, we were without a care, 

 except the occasional "hard a-lee " 

 from Fermin. 



We made excellent time after reach- 

 ing the bay, and five hours after our 

 start we sighted the great sand hills of 

 Padre island. As we came closer up 

 into the head of the bay, Johnny, who 

 was intently watching everything, sud- 

 denly exclaimed: 



"Look! What's all those sticks way 

 over there! " 



Of course we all looked, and as we 

 got closer, the sight reminded me of 

 the pictures in our old geographies, 

 showing long rows of penguins on some 

 northern coast. As far as we could see 

 there stretched lines of birds, black, 

 gray and white. It was a sight worth 

 seeing, but Fermin told us it was com- 

 mon-place to him. We noticed gulls of 

 different varieties; sea-pigeons, cranes, 

 water-turkeys and two varieties of pel- 

 icans. While we were absorbed in watch- 

 ing this, to us, wonderful sight, Johnny 

 made another discovery. We were 

 crossing a bar and the water was shal- 

 low, and seemingly filled with countless 

 mullets. In their efforts to get out of 

 our way, schools of them leaped into 

 the air before and after us, and now 

 and then one landed in the skiff" we 

 were towing behind. Some of them 

 struck the tow rope, and flew head over 



