Big Game at Sea 



At Palm Beach there is much rivalry in the amber 

 jack field, and some splendid records are held by the 

 gentlemen who fish there. Mr. Wm. Lawrence 

 Green held the record for many seasons with an 

 8iJ^-pound fish which he killed after a hard strug- 

 gle. This record was beaten by Mr. J. B. Caldwell, 

 who in 1905 took an amber jack with a 2i-thread 

 line, rod and reel, that weighed 92 pounds; and this 

 may be said to be near the limit. Mr. Green stated 

 that he fished the amber jack waters for five years 

 before he made his record of 81^2. Some of Mr. 

 Green's fish weighed as follows: In March, 1904, 

 No. i, 46 inches, weight 34 pounds; No. 2, 50 inches 

 long, weight 42^/2 pounds; No. 3, 60 inches, weight 

 67 y 2 pounds; No. 4, 61 inches, weight 67 pounds; 

 No. 5, 60 inches in length, weight 8iJ^ pounds. 



My own amber jack fishing has been mainly on the 

 extreme outer reef, and for several seasons I was 

 content with one fish of good size. Long, East, 

 Garden, Bird, Middle, Sand and Loggerhead Keys 

 rose directly in the Gulf Stream that came sweeping 

 up from Yucatan and the winter home of the tarpon. 

 The water was beautiful in tint and tone, and the 

 reef of branch coral stretched away for miles, cut 

 here and there by vivid blue channels, the type of 

 all that is beautiful in color. The water was filled 

 with delicate forms of jelly fish, the fairy-like Physo- 

 phora with its blaze of colors, the luminous colonies 

 of Pyrosoma and chains of Salpa. I had fished for 



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