Tarpon Fishing in Florida 



as an old salmon fisherman, I knew that 

 jumping fish are not apt to bite. Still it 

 was a great deal to be sure that they were 

 there. Three hours passed, and it was 

 luncheon-time again. Rather despond- 

 ently, I must confess, did I masticate the 

 sandwiches, doughnuts, hard-boiled eggs, 

 grape-fruit, and bananas which my din- 

 ner-pail contained. Just as I had finished, 

 there was another splash. A tarpon had 

 jumped behind us not more than two hun- 

 dred yards away. My companion almost 

 immediately pulled up his anchor ; but 

 instead of moving to where the fish had 

 jumped, as I expected, put his boat to- 

 ward the shore. " He has gone ashore 

 to fish for mullet," said my man. Where- 

 upon I recalled that he had expressed the 

 intention of spending the early part of the 

 night on the ground, for tarpon will bite 

 by moonlight ; then the tide would be at 

 the flood again, for now it was beginning 

 to ebb. His guide had a seine with him, 

 with which he was able to snare bait from 

 the shoals of mullet by wading knee-deep 

 and casting it over them. 



However, although the outlook was not 

 promising, we shifted our anchorage to 

 where the last tarpon had made his splash, 

 and put out our hooks again. 

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