THE TARPON 129 



the line may get entangled on the reel, or elsewhere, and snap 

 off; the line may part; the leader may fail by breaking off 

 through kinking ; the fish may throw out the hook, or the hook 

 may break or spread so it will not hold ; a shark may take your 

 fish away, in whole or in part ; and finally, you may lose your 

 fish at the gaff. A bad run of luck may persist till the guide 

 views the angler with profound disgust and disapprobation, a 

 feeling which is warmly reciprocated by the angler. A fish is 

 counted as struck only when it jumps or is seen, and as hooked 

 when it is fast for two or more jumps. I have known skilled 

 fishermen to lose eleven or twelve successive fish after strik- 

 ing them. So the novice should not despair over the loss of a 

 few fish. Every precaution should be taken with the tackle and 

 the angler must be alert to foresee what maneuvre the fish is 

 attempting. The tarpon is so rapid in his movements that slack 

 line is unavoidable at times ; but the number of such crises 

 should be held to the minimum. You may catch four or five in 

 succession and then lose the next six or eight. 



I have had excellent sport at Captiva Pass, usually during 

 an ebbing tide. The fishing there is done by suspending the 

 bait, usually a fillet of mullet, a blue crab, or a live fish, about 

 seven feet below an ordinary net cork, and letting the cork 

 drift in the tideway sixty feet or so away from the drifting 

 boat. When the cork disappears, one must be quick to gain all 

 the slack and get a strain on the fish. Many are lost. The water 

 is so shallow that the fish leap repeatedly and it is very fine 

 sport. It is a charming spot with much to interest and delight 

 the angler. But the Pass is so narrow and shallow that only a 

 few boats can fish it for the capture of a few fish and the noise 

 of the boats changing position alarm the fish. 



The effect of motor boats upon fishing has not been investi- 

 gated thoroughly, although the Government has issued a paper 

 containing a careful study made by G. H. Parker, S. D., Pro- 

 fessor of Zoology at Harvard. (Bureau of Fisheries Doc. 

 752:1911.) The tarpon can feel through the skin, the organs 

 along the lateral lines, and the ears. The author says : 



