Giant Fish of Florida 
convinced by the evidence of her own eyes, that she had 
fallen over a log 
There were many other successful lady anglers. One of 
these caught and landed a jewfish scaling 137 lb., and this 
must have called for all her strength, for these jewfish have 
enormous power of resistance so long as they sulk at the 
bottom, which they do as if they were rocks. I have watched 
a man fighting with a 350-lb. jewfish, which he eventually 
succeeded in killing, though not without a severe tussle, which 
taxed his patience and his tackle in no small degree. 
For a long time we thought he was playing a rock, after the 
manner dear to ‘‘ Dibbler,” so little did the object in which the 
hook was fast seem to yield to his persuasions, and it was only 
the fact of his being too old a hand to be taken in by any such 
' makebelieve that convinced us that big game was really in 
question. For a good twenty minutes hard pulling he cannot 
have moved that jewfish through more than fourteen feet of 
water, and all his labour would seem to be undone next 
moment, for the monster simply sinks to the bottom again and 
is doubtless trying to cut his line against some sharp coral edge. 
Yet his skill and patience have not in fact been thrown away, 
for the great fish is tiring. The next steady strain brings it 
appreciably nearer to the surface, and at last, after a giant’s 
contest lasting fully two hours, the three hundred and odd 
pounds of fish float blown and helpless on the top of the water, 
the vanquished monster looking more like a barrel than a fish. 
74 
