I04 THE ENGLISH ANGLER IN FLORIDA x 



fishing, which is wholly different from river fishing, but which, as this 

 letter is reaching an undue length, I can hardly describe in detail. It 

 may be sufficient to say that " Pass " fishing is mostly practised, on 

 the west coast, at Captiva Pass, a passage between two islands out to 

 the Gulf. The tide makes some miles an hour, and usually the 

 breakers outside are heavy. Your boat being anchored in the tide- 

 way, some 30 yards of line are allowed to trail behind in the tide 

 baited with either a gigantic spoon, enormous devon, or an entire 

 mullet hooked through the mouth. The tarpon running past strike 

 and must be themselves struck instantly. Immediately on striking a 

 fish the boatman gets up anchor and rows for the beach (as otherwise 

 boat, tarpon and all would go out through the Pass). The fish must 

 be landed on the beach, the gaffer going into the shallow water for 

 this purpose, and from beginning to end as bait and hook have not 

 been gorged, no slack line should be allowed the fish. It has been 

 suggested that " central draft "hooks would be the best for Pass fishing, 

 and I believe such have been tried. 



The Fort Myers Press publishes a record of the fish which 



A Season's ^1*^ landed and weighed at that place, and its 



Record, substantial accuracy may, I think, be fairly taken 



for granted. The Returns for the season are appended, and the 



reader will not fail to remark how uniformly heavy the fish 



were in the May month after my departure. 



