18 THE TARPON 



The method of fishing was casting a bait into 

 the white tumbling surf from the rocks or from 

 stands built for that purpose. 



The three jointed rods of ash or lance wood 

 used at first were later abandoned, for two-piece 

 rods of Japan or Calcutta bamboo, and these 

 rods were later developed into the two-piece 

 split bamboos with guides and tips of agate of 

 the present day. 



The reels had no drag but were supplied with a 

 musical click of small value. Later on in the 

 80 's a light drag was placed on the left side of 

 the reel for tarpon fishing, to prevent the line 

 from over-running in case of carelessness. 



The first tarpon fishermen were old bass fish- 

 ermen who had learned the trick of playing 

 heavy fish with rod and reel and they all fished 

 with the right thumb on the reel as it had been 

 their custom so to fish when casting. 



A few of us took up tarpon fishing without ever 

 having done much bass fishing and we fished 

 with the left thumbs on the reels and pumped 

 the fish with our right hands. 



This method had a great advantage for the 

 right hand was always free, away from the reel 

 handle and out of danger, yet always ready to 

 reel in the slack. 



