X THE SEASON OF 1897 103 



contain as much as from 20 to 40 pounds of roe, be very sluggish 

 and non-resistant, and be brought to gaflf in but a few minutes. On 

 the other hand, early in the season with a strong active fish, an hour, 

 and even two and three hours have been necessarily employed, even 

 by those fairly expert. It seems a pity to take tarpon, as any other 

 fish, at or about the spawning time, but as they only visit the coast 

 apparently for that purpose, it is difficult to see how it can be wholly 

 avoided. All fish are, potentially, spawners as all animals are breeders, 

 and increase of game is necessarily diminished by each success of the 

 sportsman. Nevertheless, it would probably be desirable for future 

 sport if a limit of time were fixed. Substantially the increasing heat 

 of the weather in Southern Florida does fix a limit, as fishing practically 

 ceases by the 15 th of May, but probably ist May would be better. 

 The tarpon hardly falls within the class of edible fishes. They can, 

 of course, be eaten, and the little ones, 40 pounds and under, are not 

 as bad as the larger ones. But none are very good. This year at 

 Fort Myers, out of 165 fish taken in all, to and including the 12th of 

 May, 19 fish were under 70 pounds, the others running up to the 

 largest of the season, 187 pounds taken on the 28th of April by 

 Mr. W. Ashby Jones, of Richmond, Virginia. This fish measured 

 6 feet 1 1 inches in length, and it is very near the largest which has 

 been taken on rod and reel Mr. Jones's record, by the way, is the 

 best for the season. Fishing (from 21st March to nth May) on 

 45 days, he took 38 tarpon aggregating 4236 pounds, say 112 pounds 

 per fish. Of these one was taken " trolling," i.e. on an exaggerated 

 " Devon," trailed on the usual rod and reel behind a rowboat, the fish 

 being hooked in the mouth and landed in seven minutes. Necessarily, 

 this involves never allowing a fish to gain any slack, as hooking tarpon 

 in the mouth is a very unsecure method, there being nothing in which 

 the barb of the hook can set. This is better illustrated by the " Pass " 



