Jan. 9. mo.) 



FOREST AND STREAM SUPPLEMENT. 



489 



fi-h there. The pompano is stated to 

 reach a length of 19*in. arid a weight 

 of Gjlbs. . but the average size is much 

 smaller. 



Pompano are in the best condition 

 in the fall. I have seen great num- 

 bers of the fry about an inch long in 

 August in various bays from New 

 Jer&ey to Cape Cod, from which T 

 infer that some individuals spawn in 

 the spring in our waters. At Pensa- 

 cola the greatest runs of pompano 

 occur in April; some appear there in 

 March, and the arrivals continue un- 

 til late in May. It is supposed that 

 the spawning takes place soon after 

 the i incoming of the great schools. 



"The pompano is the very best fish 

 that swims for the table, and is a 

 fine game fUh as well if we are so 

 fortunate as to get the hook fast to 

 one. which does not often happen. 



•'It has quite a small mouth and 

 is seldom known to take the hook. 



It runs to a pound or two in weight, usually. I have taken several with clam bait 

 and mussel on the flood tide, near the inlets, as they were coming in to feed, but T 

 have had more pompano jump in 



my boat of their own accord than I ih&fdtdbdyi 

 ever caught by angling — more's the 



pity." ^s^^^^^^^^m 



The Dolphin {Coryphana h ip- 

 j;wrwi).— The dolphin, or dorado, is 

 a pelagic fish, found most abundantly 

 on the high seas. It is said to bi> 

 common, also, in the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Our species is believed to occur as 

 well in the Mediterranean, the At- 

 lantic, the Indian Ocean and the Pa- 

 cific. 



This powerful swimmer eagerly 

 pursues the flying fishes and other 

 surface species. Sailors prize its flesh 

 very highly, and every one becomes 

 more or less enthusiastic over its 

 changing hues while dying. The fish is not weU known to the angler, chiefly because 

 of its inaccessibility. Silas Stearns has secured a moderately large number of indi- 

 viduals in the Gulf of Mex'co. Dr. 

 Henshall has ''seen several taken on 

 heavy trolling lines at sea near the 

 Gulf Stream." 



The Sea Trout or Weakfish | Oy- 

 noscion mamlatumJ.-Pojyuiar names 

 of this fish include spotted sea trout, 

 salt-water trout, gray trout, sun 

 trout, shad trout, salmon trout, 

 speckled trout, weakfish and spotted 

 weakfish. 



The spotted weakfish is found oc- 

 casionally as far north as Long- 

 Island, and is common southward, 

 extending into the Gulf of Mexico. 

 It runs up the tidal creeks after its 

 food. In east Florida the species is 

 very abundant, and also in the Gulf, 

 where it ranks next to the channel 

 ba«s in importance. In the Halifax 

 River it is plentiful in March. The 

 spotted weakfish is migratory within short distances, moving south in winter; it is an 

 associate of the bluefish, and suffers greatly from the. depredations of that tyrant. It 

 swarms in brackish water, but does 

 not enter fresh streams and ponds. 

 In Florida Dr. Kenworthy found it 

 abundant in rapid waters an si on 

 oyster beds and weedy flats. It feeds 

 voraciously on small fishes, being a 

 dear lover of anchovies and mullets. 

 It takes the bait with a rush, fights 

 hard, and is difficult to bring to net 

 because of its tender mouth. 



In some parts of Florida this fish 

 varies in weight from 1 to olbs. In 

 the Gulf it sometimes reaches 101b?., 

 and measures 2ft. The spawning 

 season is in the spring and sum- 

 mer, and the young will grow to 3 or 4in. in length by the middle of September. 

 The annual increase in length has been estimated to be Gin. The best time for fishing 

 is on the young flood, and mullet bait is preferred. Shedder crab and shrimp are 

 The gear is similar to that 



salt-water trout, is very abundant on 

 both the east and west coasts, and 

 withal is a better and gamier fish 

 than its Northern brother. The 

 'trout' is usually taken of 2 or 31be. 

 in weight, and occasionally of 6 or 

 81b? . It is a bold biter and given 

 considerable play, and being a sur- 

 face feeder rises well to the artificial 

 fly. It is found not only in the bays 

 and about the inlets, but it runs up 

 the streams to fresh water, where it 

 is frequently taken with bait and fly. 



"The Henshall black bass red of 

 8oz. is just the tool for bait-fishing, 

 or the 'Little Giant' rod previously 

 mentioned will answer for those of 

 the heaviest weights. A medium- 

 sized multiplying reel and a braided 

 'E' line, linen or silk, with Sproat 

 hook, 3-0 to 4-0, on gimp snell, con- 

 stitute the tackle for 'trout' fishing 

 on the Florida coasts. 

 "The bait should be pilchard, an 

 anchovy or a small mullet, all of which swarm in "great schools in Florida waters. 

 The shrimp is also an excellent bait, and the artificial rubber minnow may be used if 



kept in constant motion. The anglers 



Ufa 



The Dkim {Putfomas cluomis). 



The Black Bass (Microptervs salmoidex). 



The Sea Bass {Centropristis striatus). 



The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatriz). 



used for the weakfish of Northern 

 waters. A rod of 8 or 10ft. supplied 

 with a multiplying reel and drag is 

 recommended by Clarke. Hooks of 

 the Cutty hunk pattern on 15-thread 

 lines of 100yds. or more and hollow 

 sinkers weighing loz. complete the 

 outfit. As tlpis fish often moves in 

 large schools the angler will not find 

 time hang heavy on his hands when 

 they begin business. 



"The spotted weakfish, or, as it is 

 called in Florida, spotted trout, or 



The Cobia (Elacate canada). 



of Tampa have great sport in taking 

 the 'trout' from the piers at Port 

 Tampa in March and April, when 

 they appear in schools on the flood 

 tide following the swarms of pil- 

 chard and other fry. 



"For fly- fishing a heavy black bat s 

 fly-rod of not less than 9 or lOoz. is 

 preferable to a lighter red. for there 

 is no knowing what fish may take a 

 fancy to the angler's fly, it not being 

 unusual for a ravallia or tarpon of 

 201bs. to snap up the feathery lure. 

 The line should be of enameled silk, 

 size E, and the fly tied on a 3-0 Sproat 

 hook. Almost any style or color of 

 fly may be used, but one with some 

 red or brown in it is best. If the tide serves right about sundown or later the 

 fly-fisher will not be disappointed in the 'trout' of Florida." 



The Whiting or Kingfish (Men- 

 ticirrus ameriemms). — Among the 

 popular names of this fish are: Caro- 

 lina whiting, ground mullet, barb 

 and kingfish. 



The whiting is found on the south 

 Atlantic coast from New Jersey to 

 Florida, and in the Gulf of Mexico. 



It frequents the deep channels and 

 rarely approaches the shores. It pre- 

 fers sandy bottoms. Stearns states 

 that it rarely leaves the sea water, 

 but specimens have been taken in 

 fresh water in the Appalachicola 

 River. Its dark coloiation and dif- 

 ferent habits distinguish it readily 

 from its associate, the pale colored 

 surf whituig. 



The whiting subsists upon crus- 

 taceans, including crab? and tlirimp. 

 It seizes the bait with a strong rush 

 and fights hard for liberty. In Florida the average weight, according to Goode, is 

 about three-quarters of a pound; Clarke states it to be lib. The maximum is recorded 



as about l|lbs. Spawning takes 

 place at sea in April and May. The 

 rate of growth is not recorded. 



"The whiting, or barb kingfish, is 

 more common on the east coast than 

 on the Gulf coast of Florida, though 

 I have never found it abundant any- 

 where in that State, and it is rare 

 about the Florida keys — it is rather 

 a brackish water fish of the bays and 

 estuaries. I took but one adult last 

 winter in Florida, owing to the un- 

 usually cold water along the shores; 

 it weighed nearly 21bs., and was 

 taken at Cape Haze, at the upper 

 end of Charlotte Harbor. The whiting is quite palatable when perfectly fresh, and 

 is a fair game fish, giving considerable play, and weighs from 1 to 51b?., though 

 usually about 21bs. in weight. It has a small, tough mouth and holds the hook well- 



Black bass, or similar tackle, is quite 

 suitable for this fish. 



"In all coast fishing the weight of 

 the sinker must be adapted to the 

 strength and swiftness of the tidal 

 currents, and may vary from the 

 smallest size to one weighing 4oz. or 

 more for rod and reel fishing. Small 

 Sproat hooks, not larger than No. 1, 

 are best, and the bait may be crab, 

 fiddler or clam. On the Jersey and 

 Long Island shores the kingfish is of 

 more imp utance, being found in 

 greater abundance than in Florida. " 



