The Tarpon 251 



and I held it with all my strength, right thumb on 

 the reel-pad and left thumb and forefinger on the 

 line above the reel, stopping the tarpon despite 

 its struggles and resulting, as I had expected, in 

 another frantic leap almost alongside. 



This jump may have been seven or eight feet. 

 I attempted to throw the fish from its position in 

 mid-air merely as an experiment, but failed to effect 

 it ; with a heavy line this could easily be done, 

 from all of which I deduce that with a good drag 

 there is no reason why a taut line should not be 

 kept when the tarpon is in air. As to the height 

 the tarpon attains when leaping, Mr. Waddell 

 states that he saw a fish, hooked by Mr. L. G. 

 Murphy of Converse, Indiana, make an initial leap 

 of twelve feet and follow it with six leaps all 

 equally high. He says, " The ordinary height a 

 tarpon leaps is from seven to eight feet." This 

 agrees with my observations, and that the fish 

 attains the highest jumps of the tuna is shown 

 by the statement of Mr. Mason. 



The time of my visit was considered an un- 

 fortunate one, owing to the fact that the recent 

 floods had filled the water with mud, which seri- 

 ously interfered with the fishing ; yet, at its worst, 

 I doubt if there is anywhere else such tarpon- 



