56 THETARPON 



Workshop " (Forest and Stream Pub. Co. N. Y.) for 

 an interesting and practical text book. The author 

 there gives specifications for a home made tarpon rod 

 and describes clearly how to varnish and wind them. 



The angler should carry two rods for accidents fre- 

 quently happen, usually to the tips, and rods may fail 

 under the best of care. It is well to purchase extra 

 tips (shaped in the rough) fitting the butt joint and 

 to finish mount, wrap and varnish them during the 

 winter. The invisible knot is easily learned and 

 Frazer clearly describes precisely how to perform 

 every stage of the process. The so-called Sarasota 

 bamboo rods are serviceable and cheap. They are 

 made out of one piece of raw bamboo, carefully wound, 

 shellaced and varnished. They are light, resilient and 

 durable. 



Reels This part of the angler *s equipment plays 

 the most important part in the capture of the fish. The 

 reel made by Edward Vom Hofe and catalogued as the 

 "Universal Star" is the one most generally used by 

 tarpon anglers. The one used with 24 thread line 

 should hold comfortably 600 feet of line when wet, 

 bearing in mind that laid lines swell in the wetting. 

 It is built like a watch and costs nearly as much as the 

 remainder of the tackle, or about $70.00 at the present 

 time (1921). It has a light drag upon the left side, and 

 an adjustable drag upon the other. It is so constructed 

 that the handle does not revolve backward when line i# 

 being taken by the fish, thus avoiding injury to the hand 

 from the action of the handle. Its use enables almost 

 anyone to capture a large fish if its mechanism is un- 



