THE BONEFISH 



cast your bait in the direction of the chum. 

 Another method is to bait a chosen spot with 

 chum, place your baited hook near by, move 

 off some distance paying out hne, and 

 anchor. Allow the fish to pick up the bait 

 and move off before striking, or better still 

 by stopping the reel with your thumb allow 

 the fish to hook itself. 



It is most interesting to watch the bone- 

 fish feeding along with the tide and gradu- 

 ally approaching the spot where your bait 

 lies. You can see their fins above the sur- 

 face, and now and then the tail of a feeding 

 fish will appear or the flash of the sun as 

 it strikes their silvery sides will catch your 

 eye. 



When hooked the bonefish is off with a 

 dash for it is the fastest moving fish that 

 swims. It will take from two to four hun- 

 dred feet of line in its first run, which is 

 not infrequently repeated two or three 

 times. This is the more remarkable owing 

 to the shallow water. When the steady pres- 



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