THE TARPON 245 



savory or not. How the Romans would have doted upon 

 this fish, had they but lived within its realm! 



To-day it is beloved of every American sportsman who 

 can get in touch with it, first because of its imposing per- 

 sonality, and next because of the difficulty in catching it 

 with hook and line. It is taken by rod-and-reel fishing in 

 lagoons, and also by trolling in "the passes" between islands. 

 Its flesh is excellent, and will always hold its place in the 

 markets of the South. 



In cruising around the coast of Florida, you first see the 

 Tarpon breaking water, back in air, like an undulating por- 

 poise. You may see fifty of them, and sail and fish for days 

 before you catch one; but one big Silver King pays for a long 

 journey, and ten days of cruising. 



Twenty -five years ago no one attempted to catch a 

 100-pound Tarpon with rod, reel and line of light weight. 

 To-day angling for this grand creature has become an estab- 

 lished recreation, and on the Florida coast is regularly pur- 

 sued as such at Fort Myers, Punta Rassa, Boca Grande 

 Pass, Marco, and Bahia Honda, on the adjacent coast of 

 Cuba. Besides the above, Corpus Christi, Texas, and 

 Tampico, Mexico, have become famous as resorts for Tarpon 

 fishermen. 



The size of this fish is entirely satisfactory. Usually its 

 weight is between 100 and 200 pounds, but it is credited 

 with a maximum record of 383. Specimens six feet long 

 are by no means rare. 



So far as known on January 1, 1914, the championship 

 of Tarpon angling was then held by Mr. Edward vom Hofe 



