46 Big Game Fishes 



and the red snapper as far north as Fernandina. 

 The latter is a deep-water fish, found at vari- 

 ous points in depressions in the bottom, and 

 is not available for the rod unless one wishes 

 to reel in a fish in water from seventy-five to two 

 hundred feet in depth. With the hand or cast 

 line it proves a hard-fighting and gamy fish. I 

 have had excellent fishing for the red snapper 

 north of Middle Key, Florida reef. The line was 

 rigged with a heavy sinker, the hook with a 

 strong six-inch leader being two or three feet 

 above it, the reason for which was that if the 

 sinker entered coral or gorgonias, the bait would 

 swing clear above. At various points along the 

 Gulf coast off Florida and off Fernandina, the 

 mouths of the St. Johns and St. Marys, red- 

 snapper banks are found, being well known to 

 local and professional fishermen. The so-called 

 red-snapper banks are met with all along the 

 Gulf coast around to Texas and beyond. The 

 " banks," which are really depressions in the 

 sandy floor of the gulf, range in depth from 

 ninety to two hundred feet. On the outer reef 

 conch was a favorite bait, but the fish are by no 

 means epicures, and fish bait is the ordinary lure. 

 Off Middle Key fish were found in spawn in 



