Reprint from The Field 

 T^othjuly 1898 



BOCA GRANDE'S GREAT TARPON FISHING 



Sir — You noticed in your issue of i6th July Mr. and Mrs. 

 Holloway's tarpon record of this season, fishing from 15th March 

 till 15th May, 10 1 fish, largest 177 lb. ; but what do you think of two 

 rods leaving New York 15th May, returning again in June to New York 

 with a record of 1 20 tarpon — one rod apiece ? Mr. O. A. Mygatt, who 

 is well known out there, and whom I have often seen with my glasses 

 working hard above Fort Myers from morn till night, either hunting or 

 fishing for tarpon, was one of them. On i8th May he and his friend 

 commenced fishing at Captiva Pass, but were not satisfied and went to 

 Boca Grande on the north side, trolling with the white part of a 

 mullet's belly. They saw hundreds of tarpon chasing fish, and playing, 

 but the sharks were very numerous and robbed them of many fish after 

 playing them for some time. Boca Grande is eight miles from Captiva 

 Pass. The water is very deep here, sixty feet, with hot tides, but there 

 is good anchorage inside for big vessels. Fishing one day, a mile 

 outside, and later in the day inside, Mr. Mygatt caught nineteen tarpon 

 and his friend ten, losing three others by sharks. He says it never 

 entered into his mind that he would have a better day than this. The 

 next day they were so tired out they rested. Four days later, in ten 

 hours, they killed thirteen tarpon, two measuring respectively 6 ft. 10 in. 

 by 42 in. girth and 6 ft. \\\ in. by 44 in. girth ; the next day Mr. O. A. 

 Mygatt got twenty-one tarpon to his own rod. 



