244 WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW TO CATCH FISH 



heretofore attracted more attention from the salt-water angling 

 fraternity. Parties stopping at the Royal Palm, Miami, and at the 

 Royal Poinciana and The Breakers, Palm Beach, can take the steamer 

 at Miami, arriving at Key West within sixteen hours, spend some 

 days fishing, if they have favorable weather, and return same route 

 in same time. 



The Griffin Brothers and Merritt Brothers, although market 

 fishers, and Henry J. Pierce, will at all times be glad to take parties 

 out and will usually give them good sport. 



On leaving Key West, December 27, 1901, I took what the 

 fishermen and sailors call the "bay way " north, running out through 

 Calda Channel into the Bay of Florida, and then northeast, leaving 

 the inside line of Keys on the right to the east, running into Big 

 Spanish Key Channel to Bahia Honda. A very pleasant and com- 

 paratively easy course during southerly and easterly winds. This 

 course can be continued on to Knight's Channel leading east to 

 Knight's Key, on the coast, thus passing by, to the west, all the 

 inner Keys between Key West and Sombrero Lighthouse. 



I arrived at Ponce Park October 10, 1901, and found heavy rains 

 had prevailed for several weeks, which had made the water in Halifax 

 River so fresh that the fishing, usually very good at that time, was 

 very poor. There were no Bluefish, or but occasionally one, and 

 very few Trout, or others of the great variety caught there in other 

 seasons. Channel Bass were in moderate supply in the surf, and near 

 the inlet on the banks inside. I left there on the 30th for a 

 cruise to Key West, remained three days at New Smyrna on Hillsboro 

 River, five miles south of Ponce Park, where I found very good fish- 

 ing for all the fishes of the locality, the water there being almost as 

 salt as usual, because there are no fresh-water streams emptying into 

 the Hillsboro. 



My next stop was at Indian River Inlet, where I found all the 

 conditions favorable ; plenty of Snappers, Groupers, Channel Bass, 

 Cavalle, etc., etc. 



During the year 1891 a law has been passed forbidding seine fish- 

 ing entirely in Indian River, but allowing gill nets and, of course, 

 cast nets. This law, and the one regarding the one-mile limit, are 

 well observed at the inlet, so it will soon be known what the result 

 of the new law will be. In addition to the above stops, I made one, 

 each, at Jupiter, Lake Worth Inlet, Miami, Bears Cut, Csesar's 



