THETARPON 83 



spread so it will not hold ; a shark may take your fish 

 away, in whole or in part; and finally, you may lose 

 your fish at the gaff. A bad run of luck may persist 

 till the guide views the angler with profound disgust 

 and disapprobation, a feeling which is warmly recip- 

 rocated by the angler. A fish is counted as struck 

 when it jumps, and as hooked when it is fast for two 

 or more jumps. I have known skilled fishermen to 

 lose nine successive fish after striking them. So the 

 novice should not despair over the loss of a few fish. 

 Every precaution should be taken with the tackle and 

 the angler must be alert to foresee what maneuvre 

 the fish is attempting. The tarpon is so rapid in his 

 movements that slack line is unavoidable at times ; but 

 the number of such crises should be held to the mini- 

 mum. You may catch four or five in succession and 

 then lose the next six or eight. 



There are numerous other methods of capture. Mr. 

 Fred A. Bishop has taken tarpon on a plug and has 

 written of his methods in the July, 1919, American 

 Angler. He states that Mr. T. N. Burket of Lincoln, 

 Nebraska, took a 112-pound tarpon at Chrystal River, 

 Florida, on a light bamboo rod, a 15-thread linen line, 

 and a No. 2 Hedden minnow. Mr. Burket states in a 

 letter there published, dated February 23, 1919, that 

 he now uses a No. 2/0 Vom Hof e reel, 400 feet of King- 

 fisher No. 33 silk line and a plug known as a white 

 Tango with a red head and extra heavy No. 2/0 

 Pflueger hooks. 



Dimock, in his charming book entitled "The Book 

 of the Tarpon" Outing Publication Co., N. Y., relates 



