Fish and Fishing 



season. The latter part of May and June they 

 take the mullet readily. 



The tarpon is said to attain a length of over 

 eight feet and a weight of 400 pounds; as a food 

 fish it is of no value, and only the larger specimens 

 are kept for mounting as trophies, the smaller ones 

 being released to grow and be caught on a 

 future occasion. Some are so injured during 

 the combat that they are retained, and the beautiful 

 scales taken off to be sold by dealers as souvenirs. 

 Many scales are now used as postal cards, the 

 lucky anglers sending them to distant friends, 

 writing name, date and weight of fish on the 

 inside. 



The tarpon is, in its habits, a wanderer and a 

 voracious feeder upon mullet, sardines, and other 

 small fry, dashing into thick schools, devouring 

 enormous quantities, going into shallow 

 bays, and up various rivers in search of 

 prey. To the seine fisherman it is a dangerous 

 fish to catch, tearing and smashing the nets to 

 shreds in its leaps and efforts to escape. A first 

 view of the tarpon is a sight not easily forgotten; 

 in cruising 'round the Florida coast you see an 

 enormous mass of shining light, like a blanket of 

 silver dollars; up it goes high into the air, sometimes 

 twenty or thirty of them, and you may sail right 

 in the midst of them and fish for days before you 

 catch one; at other times the first cast is rewarded 

 by a magnificent strike that sends the shivers right 

 through you. At times there is no question but 

 that the sport is dangerous, even hair raising. 

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