Tarpon Fishing in Florida 



the hook. As a matter of practice you 

 will be likely to cut the line yourself 

 without further ado. A large channel 

 bass of twenty or thirty pounds also will 

 occasionally take the bait, or a grouper 

 a delicious fish of the perch family, that 

 makes very stout resistance for its size, 

 which does not exceed fifteen pounds. 

 The tactics of the grouper are to get into 

 a hole or cave, from which it can be dis- 

 lodged, if at all, only with great difficulty. 

 My neighbor of the five tarpon hooked 

 two groupers in the course of the fore- 

 noon, and preferred in each instance to 

 cut his line rather than waste time in trying 

 to bring them to terms. While we were 

 fishing for tarpon, the wife of this same 

 angler was trolling with a light rod in the 

 near distance with great success, taking 

 every few minutes one of the many lively 

 fish, channel bass (redfish) " sea trout" 

 (squeteauge or weakfish), cavalli, and oth- 

 ers with which the water of Charlotte Har- 

 bor abounds. Later in the day her example 

 was imitated by both of my companions ; 

 but I was advised by my guide to remain 

 at my post, for the reason that a tarpon 

 might take hold at any moment. He in- 

 timated that it was too much the custom 

 for sportsmen, after having fished for tar- 



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