286 Big Game Fishes 



appearance. The eye was large, bright, and 

 beautiful. Such was the kingfish, or spotted 

 cero, Scomberomorus regalis, which later it was 

 my good luck to catch all along the reef from 

 Key West westward. 



The fish attains a much larger size than gener- 

 ally supposed, and I am confident that I hooked 

 specimens on the borders of the reef to the east 

 of Garden Key which would have tipped the 

 scales at over seventy pounds ; yet it is well to 

 bear in mind that it is the largest fish that inva- 

 riably escapes. At all sizes this fish is a gamy 

 catch, the small specimens making excellent play, 

 while the large ones are game, always hard fighters. 

 The fish is fairly common on the extreme outer 

 Florida reef, increasing in numbers as one goes 

 to the south toward Cuba. 



The second kingfish, and the best known in 

 our own waters, especially in the region between 

 Key West and Biscayne Bay, is the cero, Scom- 

 beromorus cavalla. It has a striking resemblance 

 to the former, but can be recognized by the 

 angler at once by the absence of the spots or 

 bands, its gray color, and by the lateral line which 

 takes a sudden dip just below the second dorsal 

 fin. This species is the fish of the people, the 



