372 Big Game Fishes 



a shark, like a hound, would follow it up and rise 

 from the sea, shaking the fish in one's very face. 

 I have had them on the extreme outer Florida 

 reef, about my boat by the dozen, chasing the 

 large barracuda that I had been playing, snatch- 

 ing it from the line, leaving me the head, perhaps, 

 as a reminder that they were not altogether 

 graceless. So plentiful were they, that I often 

 fished for them single-handed, or with a compan- 

 ion, in a small boat ; under such conditions a ten 

 or twelve foot shark has the advantage, and on 

 the Florida reef I frequently cut away, rather 

 than be towed out to sea by some unseen 

 monster. 



Shark-fishing is a legitimate sport if the par- 

 ticipator will approach the game fairly, and some 

 of the most exciting days of my life have been 

 passed on the Florida Keys or at the mouth of 

 the St. Johns River in the shad season, where, 

 alone, I endeavored to master large sharks ; and I 

 can commend the exercise to the man of seden- 

 tary pursuits. 



There are two sharks which, in their play when 

 hooked, are remarkable imitations of certain game 

 fishes which deserve the attention of anglers. 

 One of these is very common at Aransas Pass, 



