THETARPON 71 



his guide. Unless great care is exercised in putting 

 the line overboard the leader will become entangled in 

 the sinker or in the line. When the line is put down 

 while the boat is at rest use care to avoid the entangling 

 of the leader by paying out the line slowly, bearing in 

 mind that one might as well be on shore gathering 

 shells as fishing with the tackle in a snarled condition. 

 Therefore, before the boat is stopped and permitted to 

 drift in the tideway the hook should be baited and the 

 line slowly paid out so as to straighten out the leader. 



You will probably be fishing in close proximity to 

 several other boats. Watch the methods they employ 

 and try to ascertain how deep they are fishing in the 

 event they strike a fish as well as the bait used and the 

 precise location of the fish when it took the bait. Your 

 guide will be quick to adopt your methods to those 

 employed by successful anglers near by. 



The drag on the reel should be set at a moderate 

 tension and you must understand how to adjust it to 

 meet the attack of the fish while the fight is on. The 

 guide will adjust the drag until you have gained suf- 

 ficient experience to do it yourself. I usually keep it 

 regulated for a moderate strain and apply the desired 

 greater resistance by the use of the thumb pad, 

 although some fish are found to be so powerful that 

 the drag needs to be readjusted during the struggle. 

 The application of the thumb pad when the drag is set 

 is attended with danger for one is apt in times of ex- 

 citement to press too strongly upon the pad, forgetting 

 that the drag is functioning. The beginner should at 

 first rely upon the drag. 



