172 Big Game Fishes 



Aransas Pass and other points on the Texan 

 coast, and in the Indian River region. At the 

 latter locality they afford excellent sport and can 

 almost always be found from May to November, 

 and few anglers in Florida but have tried conclu- 

 sions with this fish. The jack is a convivial fellow, 

 bold, daring, sociable, with a penchant for dis- 

 playing its attractions around wharves and docks, 

 darting along near the surface, a vision of silver, 

 gold, and green, its " Roman nose," large head, 

 and prominent eyes making it a conspicuous object, 

 while the variety in size renders it game for the 

 smallest rods. I have taken small jacks with a 

 trout-rod with good results, and one can grade 

 them up with rods adapted to their size, which 

 is an essential in all fair fishing. In taking the 

 large jacks I used a jointed greenheart rod eight 

 and a half feet long, not over twelve ounces 

 in weight ; the reel held about three hundred 

 feet of line corresponding to what is. known as 

 number twelve cuttyhunk; and for jacks weigh- 

 ing from ten to fifteen pounds, even a number 

 nine line, providing three hundred feet was at 

 hand, was sufficiently strong to enable me to land 

 the game. 



The jack is not an epicure ; any lure is game 



