THE TARPON 117 



have observed that he would usually take three or four 



worms out of his bag, and put them into a little box in 



his pocket, where he would usually let them continue half 



an hour or more before he would bait his hook with them. 



I have asked him for his reason and he has replied: *He 



did but pick the best out to be in readiness against he 



baited his hook the next time' but he has been observed, 



both by others and myself, to catch more fish than I, 



or any other body that has ever gone a-fishing with him, 



could do, and especially Salmon, and I have been told 



lately, by one of his most intimate and secret friends 



that the box in which he put these wormis was annointed 



with a drop, or two or three, of the oil of ivy berries, 



made by expression or infusion; and told that by the 



worms remaining in that box an hour, or a like time, they 



had incorporated a kind of smell that was irresistibly 



attractive enough to force any fish within smell of them 



to bite." 



There are too many Oliver Henlys among the tarpon anglers 



and guides. If you find that the fish are striking at a certain 



depth, or at a particular bait, tell your fellow-anglers so that 



they too may share in your good fortune; for there is fish 



enough for all. 



The drag on the reel should be set at a moderate tension 

 and you must understand how to adjust it to meet the action 

 of the fish. 



The guide will adjust the drag until you have gained suf- 

 ficient experience to do it yourself. I usually keep it regulated 

 on a moderate brake and apply the desired greater resistance 

 by the use of the thumb pad, although some fish are so power- 

 ful that the drag needs to be readjusted during the struggle. 

 The application of the thumb pad when the drag is set is 

 attended with danger for one is apt in times of excitement to 

 press too strongly upon the pad, forgetting that the drag is 

 functioning. The beginner should rely solely upon the drag. 



