THE BOOK OF THE TARPON 



along the surface, or trolled. They preferred 

 light flies to those of more brilliant coloring. Yet 

 their tastes changed as often as the colors of a 

 chameleon, and they turned up their noses to- 

 day at the lure that best pleased them yesterday. 



The light fly-rod is too flexible to fasten the 

 hook in the hard mouth of the tarpon with any 

 approach to certainty. In the beginning the fly- 

 fisherman will fail, nine times out of ten, to 

 fasten the hook in the mouth of the striking tar- 

 pon. Then he will learn to thrust the butt of his 

 rod away from the fish when it seizes the bait, 

 and clutching the line or reel bring a strong, 

 straight pull to bear on the hook in the mouth of 

 the fish. 



My first fish on the fly-rod in Allen's River 

 weighed about four pounds, but it took longer to 

 land than its predecessor of twenty times that 

 weight. It led me into a narrow creek where an 

 out-thrusting branch from the bank forced me to 

 step out of the canoe into water waist deep. I 

 followed the fish up the shallowing stream, walk- 

 ing on the bank when the bushes permitted and 

 wading in the channel when trees came to the 

 water's edge. 



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