"88 THE TARPON 



March 1933 near Long Key, Florida. 



Time 1% hours. 



Lure: The Bonbright fly, described in his article in 



the August 1933 number of Field & Stream. 



(This seems to be the record fish caught on a fly.) 

 (13) A. J. Walser, San Antonio, Texas. (1933.) 



135 lbs. on three-six tackle. 



Time: 1 hr. 20 min. Field S Stream, Nov. 1933. 



This is probably the record for this class of tackle. 

 Mr. Edward Trainer of Germantown, Pa., assisted by two 

 others captured a tarpon in the north fork of the St. Lucie 

 River, Florida, on March 28, 1929, which when weighed 

 scaled 221 pounds. It was 1' long and had a girth of 47''. 

 The fish was weighed by Mr. F. C. N. Parke, the taxidermist 

 of Bangor, Maine, forty-eight hours after it was captured. 

 It is fair to assume its weight exceeded 230 pounds before it 

 dried out. Mr. Parke kindly verified these facts in a personal 

 letter and as he is entirely competent and reliable, the catch 

 seems to be authentic. The fish was caught on a Wilson 

 spoon. It is not a record because Mr. Trainer was assisted; 

 but it seems to be the largest tarpon ever taken, on rod and 

 reel in the United States. 



Mr. Cowden's world's record fish was entered in the National 

 Sportsman's Fishing Contest and was authenticated by wit- 

 nesses, a sworn affidavit and a photograph. The record was 

 accepted by the American Museum of Natural History in 

 New York and was included in World's Record Fish, compiled 

 by Messrs. Van Campen Heilner and Ray Schrenkeisen. 

 There seems to be no doubt of the authenticity of the record. 



Mr. Oowden writes me under date of August 21, 1936, that 

 it took three hours to land the fish. It was caught in the 

 afternoon and weighed at ten o'clock the next day on the 

 Custom House scales at Tampico. The tarpon then weighed 

 242 pounds. 



