The Tarpon 259 



A cheap reel will go to pieces sooner or later. 

 The desirable reel costs from twenty dollars up- 

 ward. It must hold six hundred feet of wet 

 twenty-one cuttyhunk line, or some good line of 

 equivalent size. It can be fitted with one of the 

 several good drags on the market if desired, and 

 should have a leather or rubber thumb-pad fas- 

 tened to the cross-bar to press against the line. 

 The line must be of the best quality ; a number 

 eighteen is large enough for a cool, skilful angler, 

 and with it the largest fish can be killed ; but for 

 an angler in his novitiate a number twenty-one or 

 twenty-four is better. Such lines cost from three 

 and a half to four dollars and the fisherman will 

 do well to have several, especially if the fishing is 

 away from the haunts of men or dealers. In the 

 matter of hooks, quality and quantity both must 

 be observed. The Van Vleck is a favorite with 

 all tarpon anglers, and is the result of keen and 

 intelligent observation on the part of an ardent 

 tarpon angler. The 10/0 O'Shaughnessy is an 

 excellent hook. The latter is fastened to a leader 

 or snell of phosphor-bronzed wire at least five feet 

 in length, divided into three lengths, each con- 

 nected by a swivel. The angler can make his 

 own leaders, If so, a small vise, and pincers of 



