The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



most temptingly. In trolling you will find that 

 you lose a large percentage of fish that strike. 

 This is owing to the extreme toughness of the 

 tarpon's mouth, into which it is very hard to 

 drive a hook over the barb. For the fish leaps 

 into the air so soon as it feels the hook, shaking 

 its head, a process that more often than not 

 produces from the fish's point of view the 

 desired result. 



I have seen some funny things happen whilst 

 fishing for tarpon. On one occasion a friend 

 of mine hooked a good fish that leapt into 

 the air, came towards the fisherman, jumped 

 into the boat, and knocked the man who was 

 rowing on to his back. It was a marvel the 

 boat did not capsize, for the brute weighed 

 at least 150 Ibs. On another occasion a girl 

 of about eighteen years of age hooked a fish 

 the first time she ever attempted to fish for 

 them. Her behaviour was most amusing, for 

 her hat hung down over one ear, her hair came 

 down, and her screams of delight as the fish 

 jumped awakened the usual solitude of the 

 place. She stuck to her task splendidly, though, 

 playing the fish to a finish without any help, 

 which was quite a creditable performance, end- 

 ing the fight by being put ashore. Here I 

 had the pleasure of gaffing her first tarpon, 

 which on being weighed pulled down the beam 

 at 160 Ibs. On another occasion a little old 



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