THE SHAD 247 



into deep water, this grand fish loves to bask in the sun- 

 shine, and linger in the warm, placid waters along the shore, 

 or in land-locked channels and bays. 



The Tarpon fisherman goes out early, and casts his bait, 

 half a mullet, upon the shallow waters. For hours he floats 

 upon a sea of molten silver, bathed in a flood of dazzling sun- 

 shine, and at times grilling in the heat which comes with it. 

 The clean leap out of water of a big Tarpon firmly hooked 

 is a sight that no sportsman ever can forget. 'The Book of 

 the Tarpon," by A. W. Dimock and Julian A. Dimock, is an 

 angling classic in word and picture. 



In a few localities Tarpon are really plentiful. The 

 Island of Marco, on the west coast of Florida, is truly an 

 ideal spot for Tarpon. Amid such surroundings as there 

 exist, the sport is irresistible, and the fish are all that an 

 angler could possibly desire. 



THE COMMON SHAD 1 is the most savory of all American 

 fishes. It possesses the maximum number of bones to the 

 cubic inch, but its flesh is fine-grained, juicy, and of exquisite 

 flavor. The freshest Shad is "the finest Shad," but when 

 treated with even a show of culinary fairness, every fresh 

 Shad is good. 



Like the salmon, the Shad spends half its life in the sea, 

 and enters the rivers of its choice only to spawn. Owing to 

 the practical impossibility of taking Shad in the ocean, the 

 shad-fishing season is limited to its spawning season. This is 

 one of the most prolific of our fishes, a single fish sometimes 

 yielding 150,000 eggs. It is easily propagated by artificial 



1 Al-o'sa sap-i-dis 'si-ma. 



