150 SUNSHINE AND SPORT IN 



adopted by deep-sea fishermen, who leave long lines 

 with hundreds of hooks out all night, and take them 

 up again next morning, finding numbers of fish 

 tethered to the snoods, and with the hooks deep 

 down in their stomachs. It is the style of fishing 

 adopted in many parts for pike. It is, once more, 

 eminently deadly, but also the lowest form of sport. 

 Still, those who are so placed that no better kind of 

 fishing is possible cannot be blamed for catching a 

 tarpon that way rather than not at all. Having no 

 partiality for gorge-fishing in any shape or form, 

 and being conveniently situated for the more satis- 

 factory method, I did not once try it, but some idea 

 of the method may be gathered from an interesting 

 letter received from a sportsman at Fort Myers, 

 where, without forming a high opinion of the way 

 in which he was compelled to catch his fish, did as 

 Rome did, and evidently derived some amusement 

 from the experience. 



" HOTEL BRADFORD, 

 "FORT MYERS, 1st May. 



" . . .Mr , whom I have met here, told me that he 



met you coming down on the train from Jacksonville. He 

 said that you were going down to Useppa Island to fish 

 for tarpon in Boca Grande Pass. ... I am writing to tell 

 you of the sport we are having here with the tarpon, 

 because, unless you are better informed at Useppa of the 

 sport we are having at Fort Myers than vice versa, you 

 will have very little idea of it. The only reliable informa- 

 tion that we have received from Useppa was from three 

 guides, who returned here yesterday, and from their 

 account, sport seems to have been really poor there. 

 Here, for the last week, we have been having great sport. 

 I myself caught my first fish on Sunday week, and in 

 eight days' fishing since then have caught nine fish, losing 



