Giant Fish of Florida 



They have to be at their employers' beck and call at all hours 

 of the day and night, and to help him get sport in a willing 

 and efficient manner. During the fishing they have to 

 exercise great care in manoeuvring the boat, so as to keep 

 a tight line when it is impossible to reel in fast enough. 

 They must also be always on the lookout for moving tarpon, 

 and they must, above all, have an unfailing supply of fresh 

 and well-cut baits. All said and done, the daily wage of less 

 than a sovereign for the guide and boat is well earned. 



Tarpon fishing has one feature unique in angling annals ; 

 it is a social gathering, and not by any means a solitary sport. 

 Whether the undoubted charm of this distinction lies in the 

 inherent gregariousness, often undiscovered, in the angler's 

 bosom, or rather perhaps in the rare pleasure of seeing one's 

 friends in all manner of difficulties, it is quite certain that 

 tarpon fishing would be far less popular under other 

 conditions. As it is, where the fish are seen on the move, 

 there must every one go, and twenty or thirty boats will soon 

 be clustered with no more than twenty yards between each. 



An element of excitement is also imported by the 

 continual apparition of great fish leaping high in the air, 

 falling into boats and jeopardising life and limb, for it is a 

 poor choice whether you will have 150 Ib. of lively fish 

 dropped on the top of your skull, or whether you will rather 

 have it fair in the side, with the risk of being knocked over- 

 board to the sharks. 



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C 2 



