TROPICAL TROLLING. 



it for two days more, reversing it each day, when it hroke at the strike 

 of a moderate sized fish. The second "unset" "Rex"' broke about 

 two hours after I put it on the reel. The other four "Rex" I 

 "set" and found these give very varying results. One of them 

 broke the first day I used it, the others lasted several days each, 

 although it was necessary to reverse them every day, and in less than 

 two weeks all of the six "Rex" lines were unfit for service. 



The first "Gulf Tarpon Line," used "unset," encouraged me very 

 much, giving good service for the first day. The next day I took off a 

 "Rex," from one of my other reels and put a new "Gulf Tarpon" on 

 it. This broke at the first strike I had. I then took off the 

 "unset" lines and substituted "set" "Gulf Tarpon" lines. These gave 

 better service than the "unset," but still untwisted, unraveled, kinked 

 and broke. I reversed them every day and managed to catch some 

 fish with them, but never could trust them. 



Of the new lot of "Halls," received only a few days before leav- 

 ing Nassau, I went through the process of "setting" one, and found 

 that the soaking removed a very large part of the coloring matter. 

 After careful setting and drying I used this line for two days with 

 great caution, reversed it every night, and on the third day it broke 

 at the strike of a moderate sized fish. I did not dare to use any of the 

 other "Hall" lines, brought them back home with me, and returned 

 them to the seller. 



The best lines I had during the winter were two green tarpon 

 lines, bearing the name "E. Yom Hofe," costing considerably less than 

 any oMhe others, but even these were very far from good, enormously 

 inferior to those of five years ago. unraveled and kinked badly, and 

 broke frequently. Toward the end of my stay T always cut off the 

 lower ten or twelve feet, after one day's use. always doubled the lower 

 ten feet before using, watched very carefully for weak spots and, 

 when one showed, cut it out and knotted the line, used keel sinkers 

 and three large swivels, and yet continually got wretched service. 



The big kingfish were very late in arriving this year, perhaps 

 because the season was unusually cold, and all fish seemed very scarce, 

 so up to April thirteenth, when I left Xassau, 1 had only hooked eight 

 large ones. One was lost by the excitement of my skipper, one tore 

 the hook out of its mouth, and six broke my lines short off, in spite of 

 the v?ry greatest care I could use. 



During the whole winter 1 caught only one kingfish over twelve 

 pounds, and this was three days before leaving. He was forty-eight 



