THE TARPON 19 



The man who attempted to check a fish with 

 his right thumb on the reel and then reel in the 

 slack with his right hand was always in danger 

 of the back lash of the reel handle. 



E. H. Vom Hofe, the celebrated tackle man- 

 ufacturer, was one of the first and most success- 

 ful tarpon fishermen, and, being an expert bass 

 fisherman as well, always fished with his right 

 thumb on the reel. 



We often discussed the two ways of fishing 

 and I could not persuade him that my way was 

 right and his way was wrong until one day as he 

 was playing a heavy fish at Captiva Pass the 

 reel handle broke his right thumb. 



The Rabbeth drag had already been invented 

 but was taboo according to the Tuna Club 

 Rules, so Vom Hofe sat up nights until he had 

 perfected the reel drag as we know it to-day. 



He showed it to me and I had the first reel 

 made with the new invention. He described 

 it to me at the time as a "reel with which a man 

 can fish who has no thumbs at all." (1902). 



Later on the B -Ocean reel was adapted by 

 Mr. Boschen, the greatest fisherman of all time, 

 with a free running spool and stationary handle 

 for heavy sword-fishing, for this fish takes sud- 

 den dives of two hundred feet and more and if 



