The Tarpon 259 
A cheap reel will go to pieces sooner or later. 
The desirable reel costs from twenty dollars up- 
ward. It must hold six hundred feet of wet 
twenty-one cuttyhunk line, or some good line of 
equivalent size. It can be fitted with one of the 
several good drags on the market if desired, and 
should have a leather or rubber thumb-pad fas- 
tened to the cross-bar to press against the line. 
The line must be of the best quality; a number 
eighteen is large enough for a cool, skilful angler, 
and with it the largest fish can be killed; but for 
an angler in his novitiate a number twenty-one or 
twenty-four is better. Such lines cost from three 
and a half to four dollars — and the fisherman will 
do well to have several, especially if the fishing is 
away from the haunts of men or dealers. In the 
matter of hooks, quality and quantity both must 
be observed. The Van Vleck is a favorite with 
all tarpon anglers, and is the result of keen and 
intelligent observation on the part of an ardent 
tarpon angler. The 1o/o O'Shaughnessy is an 
excellent hook. The latter is fastened to a leader 
or snell of phosphor-bronzed wire at least five feet 
in length, divided into three lengths, each con- 
nected by a swivel. The angler can make his 
own leaders, If so, a small vise and pincers of 
