Tlie tackle for tarpon fishing must be remarkably strong, and during 

 the past ten years (marking the period of time since the species first came 

 into prominence in the category of game fishes) — tarpon rods, reels, lines, 

 etc., have been invented by American manufacturers to meet the rapidly 

 increasing demand. Tarpon fishing in Florida, like salntion fishing in 

 Canada, now attracts a host of distinguished devotees eager for records 

 and recreation. Dr. Kenworthy, describmg the sport in his graphic style, 

 says: "We frequent!}' read of the excitement attending the capture of a 

 bronze backer or a speckled trout, but those who give their experiences 

 should hitch on to a tarpon, and thev would discover 'music in the air' 

 worth recording ; for the capture of a silver king is a bright spot in a fish- 

 erman's existence, and a fact worth referring to at a camp fire." 



A strong, pliable split bamboo rod, seven to eight feet in length, and 

 of one joint; a Cutty hunk linen line of fifteen to twenty-one threads in size, 

 and a multiplying reel of the best quality, capable of holding at least six 

 hundred feet of strong line, are of first importance in the way of tackle. To 

 complete the outfit a good supply of strong Limerick or O'Shaughnessy 

 hooks, snoods of piano wire or treble braids of strong cotton line; a ser- 

 viceable gaff, and other appliances of minor importance will be required. 



For bait the mullet is generally taken — sometimes whole, and some- 

 times only a portion of the fish being used. The bait is allowed to sink to 

 the bottom, in water perhaps eight feet in depth, and the \boatman and 

 angler anchored some twenty-five yards away are constantly on the qui 

 vive to begin the battle as soon as the silver king leaps froinX the water, 

 which he will almost invariably do upon feeling the prick of t^e hook in 

 his gullet. During the first wild flurry the angler can o£fer\but little 

 resistance, as the series of turns and furious leaps endanger the tackle 

 most at the beginning, but when the 'vaulting ambition' of the tarpon has 

 'o'erleaped itself,' and the struggle is carried on under instead of above the 

 water, the angler can put his rod and line to the test in order to tire and 

 eventually bring his adversary in reach of the gaff. No finer finny tnophy 

 ever graced a table — or adorned a tale — than a well-mounted silver ^ing, 

 gorgeous in his own shining armor, and lying 



" Like a warrior taking his rest," 

 Bravest and boldest, brightest and best. 



