SEA FISHING 

 serious tarpon-fisherman regards them, no doubt, as vermin, just as 

 amateurs in Australia, when fishing for snapper, contemptuously allude 

 to all other kinds of fish, with the single exception of another of scarlet 

 raiment, as "wrong colour." Nevertheless, on the light tackle used as at 

 Catalina, the kingfish, channel bass and cobia will try the angler's skill as 

 severely, in proportion to their size, as the tarpon itself. The kingfish and 

 cobia seize the bait close to the surface of the water and fight gallantly to 

 the last. The channel bass, groupers and jewfish are caught by accident 

 whenever the bait is allowed to sink too near the bottom. This happens 

 when there is too much line out, and the guide suddenly changes the direc- 

 tion of the skiff or rows more slowly. The jewfish are lazy, ponderous 

 creatures that must be ** pumped " to the surface with tremendous effort, 

 coming up at the end of the struggle on their sides, like drowned pigs. 

 Far more active are the sharks. On one occasion I lost more than two 

 precious hours tied up to a shark that measured fourteen feet from snout to 

 tail and must have weighed over 1,000 pounds. The only animal, besides 

 fish of some sort, that the angler is likely to hook in the Pass is a turtle. 

 These loggerhead turtles may be seen on the hottest days, swimming 

 lazily along the top of the water. They do not take the bait, but occasionally 

 they get foul-hooked in the fiippers. The sequel, if the angler does not at 

 once settle the business by cutting his line, is a long and arduous struggle 

 all the way to the beach. These turtles come on land the first full moon 

 in May to lay their eggs in the sand. The eggs are greedily eaten by the 

 coloured folk and half-castes, and hungry bears, newly awakened from 

 their winter sleep, also shamble down to the beaches at night and dig 

 them out of their hiding-places. 



In the shallower water round Useppa Island and elsewhere at the back 

 of Charlotte Harbour, the two fishes that give the angler most amusement 

 are the squeateague and sheepshead. The squeateague, a handsomely 

 spotted fish which grows to a weight of three or four pounds, goes locally 

 by the name of " trout," or '* sea trout," and to the casual eye it no doubt 

 resembles these fish, though it lacks the adipose fin found in all salmonoids. 

 It is chiefiy caught from boats, the bait being a dead " minnow," or 

 *' shiner," hooked just above the tail. An old trout rod, with light gut 

 tackle and a small fioat fixed three or four feet above the hook, will answer 

 the purpose admirably, and it is of first importance to strike smartly the 

 instant the fioat goes under, as these fish are very quick at knocking the 

 bait off the hook, and I remember missing my first half-dozen when 

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