24 THE TARPON 



The drawback to bottom fishing was that the 

 fish were all destroyed and could not be set free. 



The snoods were made of deerskin or cotton 

 cord partly for the reason that wire is stiff and 

 the fish would drop such a bait and also that if 

 a shark picked up the bait he would bite through 

 the snood and free himself. 



I always used snoods made of three strands 

 of fine wire twisted. They were not so easily 

 seen, were pliable and took more fish, besides I 

 enjoyed playing the mackerel sharks for they 

 are great jumpers and strong fighters. 



When the Van Vleck hook was invented the 

 general method of fishing changed. It had been 

 discovered that when trolling the greater part 

 of the fish were hooked over the incisors which 

 are very large in the tarpon and that the fish 

 would jump and throw the hook. Mr. Van 

 Vleck had hooks made with the belly nearer the 

 point of the hook, which made it more difficult 

 for the fish to get rid of the hook when jumping. 



I say this hook was invented, yet I have seen 

 in the Naples Museum, the very same hook 

 found in Pompeii (destroyed A. D. 79) and 

 probably used for trolling for tunney-fish. 



We then either trolled for tarpon or anchored 

 in strong tideways in the Passes with a strip of 



