CHAPTER III 
HOW TO CATCH TARPON 
HaveE I sufficiently introduced the tarpon itself? I hope so. 
The fish shown in the frontispiece was caught in March, and 
was therefore in poor condition. They improve rapidly 
towards the end of April, and are heavy with spawn late 
in May. Strips of mullet—four cut from the white belly 
of each—are the orthodox bait for tarpon, yet an autopsy will 
reveal only an occasional fish, small crabs being by far the 
more usual food. When a tarpon is seen rising slowly, head 
and tail like a salmon, it may be regarded as on its way 
to the bottom to feed, its movements when routing among the 
rocks and weeds being notified by the string of bubbles that 
rise to the surface, much like the otter’s chain. 
In Boca Grand the tarpon is fished for close to the 
bottom, but elsewhere it is sometimes caught near the 
43 
c 
