THE TARPON 163 



by. the lower jaw when the fish's mouth is closed. T am con- 

 vinced that this alone results in setting the hook. I believe 

 also that unless this is done before the fish jumps, it is never 

 done, for the fish usually throws the hook on his first jump. I 

 have landed tarpon and found the point of a 11/0 hook bent at 

 a ninety degree angle in being driven through the bones of the 

 mouth. One can judge how futile it is to attempt to set a 

 hook through striking by trying to lift a 5 lb. weight off the 

 floor at right angles to his rod. A jerk will set the point of the 

 hook in the jaw an.l a steady pull will hold it there until the 

 fish drives it home with the lower jaw. I believe the large size 

 hooks lend themselves to this better than too small a hook. 1 

 am also of the opinion that the wire of a hook larger than 11/0 

 is so thick that the hook is easily seen by the fish. I like a 

 hook with the smallest shank that is strong enough to stand 

 the strain, and one in which the point of the hook stands out 

 from the shank about y^ inch farther than does the regulation 

 "Captiva"hook. 



Depth of Pishing 



The channel at these fishing grounds averages about 45 feet 

 but it has many deep holes. At some places the bottom drops 

 to 90 feet in average conditions of the tide. The average 

 depth at which you can fish without getting the hook caught on 

 the bottom is about 40 feet, and the guide usually places a 

 marker on the line at this depth, which gives the best results 

 for one unfamiliar with the conformation of the bottom. Some 

 anglers fish the bottom at all times ; and by this is meant that 

 every little distance, (say about each 100 or 200 feet) the line 

 is dropped down until the lead weight strikes bottom, when it 

 is quickly reeled up for about three turns of the reel so as to 

 allow the hook to clear the bottom. This is consistently done in 

 deep or shallow water. The theory of this is that the tarpon is 

 a "bottom feeder", or a fish that looks for its food on or near 

 the bottom, regardless of the depth of the water. Others be- 



