CHAPTER V 



HINTS ON FISHING METHODS AND EXPEDIENTS 



'*Now for the Art of Catching Fish, that is to say, how to 

 make a man that was none, to he an Angler by a hook." 



Isaac Walton. 



WHILE certain general principles which are applicable 

 everywhere, govern the art of capturing a tarpon, 

 methods vary according to local conditions, the kind 

 of bait used and the nature of the water fished. The following 

 suggestions are made for the benefit of the novice or the 

 angler who has taken but few fish. They are based, in part, 

 upon considerable personal experience, but in setting them 

 forth I have relied upon observation of the methods em- 

 ployed by anglers of varied experience with whom I have 

 fished for many years. Many anglers of experience never 

 develop any particular aptitude for the sport precisely as 

 a man fails to become a good shot or golf player, or a good 

 horseman, no matter how much time he may devote to 

 these sports. But tarpon fishing is a sociable sport and the 

 boats usually are close together. It is easy to note the methods 

 employed and the success which attends upon their practice. 

 The guides with whom I have made it a practice to talk have 

 given me much sound instruction and many hints which I am 

 sure can be followed with success. 



When the angler begins to fish the chances are that he has 

 not had a rod in his hands for a year or more. He is un- 

 accustomed to the boat, and being unused to the seaway, is 

 clumsy in all his movements. The rod feels heavy and strange 

 to the hand. One cannot get attuned to the surroundings and 

 be able to do his best until he has enjoyed several days of fish- 

 ing. 



