Tarpon Fishing in Florida 



begun to realize that just at the time the 

 Florida hotel-keepers close their houses 

 the fishing becomes very good ; and in- 

 stead of going south in January or Febru- 

 ary, they are disposed to defer their trips 

 until the end of March, or, better, until 

 April. Of course many will prefer to 

 take the chance of getting fish at a season 

 when the Southern climate is most agree- 

 able, and our Northern winter most se- 

 vere ; but purely from the standpoint of 

 sport, there is no doubt that the later one 

 goes the more liable one is to catch tarpon. 

 To be sure, the flies may then be disagree- 

 able, and the weather uncomfortably warm; 

 but, on the other hand, it will not be ne- 

 cessary to pass days of anxious waiting for 

 the wind to change and the water to rise 

 to a proper temperature. Let it be added 

 that, though the hotel at St. James City 

 has hitherto been closed early in April, 

 Mr. Schultz has his " Tarpon House " at 

 Punta Rassa open all the year round. 



I found that up to my arrival, on March 

 1 4th, only nine tarpon had been taken 

 this season at St. James City, and not quite 

 so many, according to report, at Punta 

 Rassa. Of these nine, five had fallen to 

 one rod. There were about twenty fish- 

 ermen in the house, several of whom had 

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