510 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[June zg, 1901= 
Tarpon Fishing. 
Second Paper — Tackle and Outfit. 
, Editor Forest and Stream: 
Notwithstanding m}'^ failure to inaugurate a discussion 
on the question of "where to go tarpon fishing," I here- 
with send you, according to promise, my second paper of 
the series, which will cover the subjects of tackle and out- 
fit. I hope that this paper will have better luck than its 
predecessor, and I desire to point out the fact that it is 
by no means too late to discuss the svtbject of "where to 
go," in case that any tarpon fisherman decides to repent 
his former negligence and to give his brother sportsmen 
the benefit of his experience. For instance, Mr. Ed vom 
Hofe might be induced to tell something about his nu- 
merous haunts in Florida. 
The following is a list of tackle that I consider essen- 
tial for any one who can afford it, and who desires to 
have everything that is necessai-y for a two or three 
Aveeks' outing on tarpon and other game fishes, with 
plenty of it not only for his own use, but also to provide 
occasionally a day's sport for a friend who has no tackle 
and who desires to try his hand at tarpon fishing. 
Nothing is more exasperating than to run short of tackle 
and be unable to purchase more, so the true sportsman will 
provide himself with everything that he thinks maj"- be 
necessary, and probably a little besides. For my part, I 
never on any fishing trip fail to break and lose a lot of 
tackle, and I always find some good fellow who wants to 
borrow an outfit either to trj^ the sport for the first time 
or to replenish his failing stock. Moreover, the beginner 
invariably succeeds in breaking or losing something, so 
when I return from a trip I generally have to spend from 
$25 to $50 in order to replenish my outfit. 
This list covers everything reqviired for all other kinds 
of fishing that is to be found with the tarpon fishing, for 
the reason that on some days the tarpon are absent or will 
not strike, while other fish are obtainable ; besides, some 
sportsmen like an occasional change from large to small 
fish. It is true that one can catch nearly all salt-water 
game fishes on tarpon tackle simply by changing the snells. 
but, as there is not much sport in "spearing minnows with 
a harpoon," it is better to adjust the tackle to the fish. 
Occasionally one gets left by so doing, because tarpon 
and jackfish will often go for small bait. When one of 
them gets hung on light tackle, there is an exciting time 
till something parts. I once for twent}- minutes held a 
6- foot tarpon on a light, ii-foot rod with a small bass 
reel containing 100 feet of strong line, the hook being a 
No. 2 mackerel, mounted on a 12-inch wire, and the bait a 
minnow about 2 inches long. In endeavoring to prevent ■ 
the fish from towing the boat into the surf, I broke the 
rod, then the hook straightened out and the fish escaped. 
Such an experience is extremely exciting, and by no means 
disappointing, because the odds are fullj^ 100 to i in favor 
of the fish. 
List of Tackle. 
1 long trunk for rods. j 
1 sheet iron box for tackle. 
2 or 3 tarpon rods. 
2 medium-sized rods for channel bass, etc. 
2 light rods for small fish. 
2 or .3 tarpon reels. 
2 medium-sized reels. 
2 small reels. 
2 or 3 tarpon lines. 
2 medium-sized lines. j 
2 light lines. 
2 dozen tarpon snells. 
2 dozen snells with medium-sized hooks. 
2 dozen snells with small hooks. 
1 dozen unmounted tarpon hooks. 
1 dozen unmounted medium-sized hooks. 
1 dozen unmounted small hooks. 
3 dozen large bronze barrel swivels. 
3 dozen medium-sized swivels. 
3 dozen small swivels. 
40 tarpon snell wires about 2 feet long. 
40 lighter snell wires about 1% feet long. 
40 light snell wires about 1 foot or 1 foot 3 inches long. 
1 gaif hook. , : 
1 revolver with from 50 to 100 cartridges. 
4 dozen heavy, detachable sinkers. 
4 dozen smaller assorted sinkers, 
2 or 3 large cork floats. 
2 or 3 smaller floats. 
1 old tarpon line, or other strong line for tying on reels and 
splicing cracked rods. 
1 piece of beeswax. 
1 small table vise. 
1 pair strong cutting pincers, 
l.pair smaller flat pincers. 
1 pair round pincers. 
1 piece of rubber belting about % inch thick, large enough 
for half a dozen brakes. 
1 piece of sheet lead. 
2 flat files. 
1 triangular file. 
2 disgorgers. 
1 stick of glue, or other composition for mending rods. 
1 large strong knife for cutting hooks out of fish. 
2 or 3 sheets of emery paper. 
1 bottle of oil. 
1 oiler. 
1 leather case for carrying hooks, etc. 
1 belt with socket for rod. 
1 cushion for chair. 
1 screw driver. 
1 pocket tool box. ' 
1 spool of fine copper wire. 
1 ball of strong cord. 
1 scale for weighing fish up to 50 pounds. 
1 scale for weighing fish up to 300 pounds. 
. 1 spool of strong linen thread. 
1 bottle of vaseline for greasing steel. 
3 or 4 thumb guards. 
1 dozen finger guards. 
1 line dryer. 
The following is a list of outfit that is provided by the 
boatman at most fishing resorts ; but the sportsman in- 
variably should make sure each day that no item tliereof 
has been omitted: 
2 pair oars. 
4 rowlocks. 
1 anchor, with long rope and buoy. 
1 chair lashed down near stern of boat. 
1 club for killing fish. 
1 large jug of drinking water. 
1 drinking cup. 
2 bailing dishes. 
1 sail and mast, if desired. 
1 live bait box, if desired. 
1 piece of rope 10 or 12 feet long. 
1 sheath knife. 
Sometimes the boatman furnishes also a . gaff and a 
cushion, but it is better for the sportsman to go provided 
with these, 
Th^ following list clothing, ^tc, may prove useful 
to the uninitiated, and perhaps even to old sportsmen to 
use as a check on the things that they have collected for an 
outing. For years I have made a practice, of providing 
t}-pewritten lists of such things for my own use and for 
that of friends who intend joining me on my fishing ex- 
peditions. All agree that such lists are of the greatest 
convenience. 
Clothing, Etc. 
1 light-colored felt hat, and for hot weather, a Chinese scoop 
liat set out from the head. 
1 rubber coat or poncho. 
3 flannel shirts. ' 
1 or 2 hunting coats. 
2 or 3 pairs blue jeans or overalls. 
1 vest or sweater, if cool weather be expected. 
3 suits of underclothing suitable to the weather anticipated. 
6 pairs socks. 
1 pair hip rubber boots. These are not absolutely necessary, 
but sometimes are very convenient to have. 
2 pairs ordinary walking shoes. 
6 large bandanna handkerchiefs. 
1 pocket knife, with corkscrew. 
2 pairs leather or heav3' kid glove.";. 
t housewife, containing needles, thread, buttons, pins and safety 
pins. 
1 toilet ca.se. 
1 shaving outfit, if desired. 
1 package of toilet paper. 
1 bottle of Jamaica ginger or Chamberlain's colic cure. 
Any other medicines desired. 
1 bottle of vaseline for toilet purposes. 
1 bo.K of matches. 
Liquors or other drinkables, if de.sired. 
Cigars and .smoking paraphernalia, if desired. 
Some light liteurature for stormy days. 
In order to enable the novice to buy proper outfit, I 
append the following estimate of cost thereof. It is based 
on purchasing everything of excellent quality though not 
in all cases the most expensive article obtainable. 
If one is going to a well-known resort, he can omit 
many of the items on the list, especially the duplicates, and 
rely upon local dealers to replenish for breakage and 
loss ; but an old and enthusiastic tarpon fisherman sooner 
or later will provide himself with all the articles on the 
list, and more besides. ^ 
Cost of Outfit. 
1 trunk : $9 00 
1 tackle box ■ 5 00 
2 rods 32 00 
2 rods 20 00 
2 rods , 10 00 
2 reels 50 00 
2 reels 24 00 
2 reels 14 00 
2 lines S 00 
2 lines 5 00 
2 lines 2 00 
2 dozen snells 12 00 
2 dozen snells ; 6 Oft 
2 dozen snells 3 00 
3 dozen hooks ■ 3 00 
9 dozen swivels 4 00 
120 wires , 2 00 
1 gaff 5 00 
1 revolver with, cartridges 15 00 
8 dozen sinkers 2 00 
6 floats 1 00 
1 vise 1 00 
3 pairs pincers 1 0<) 
Belting, sheet lead, etc 1 OO 
3 files and 2 disgorgers 1 00 
1 knife, glue, etc 1 00 
1 oiler, oil and emery paper 1 00 
1 leather case 2 00 
1 belt 2 00 
1 cushion 1 00 
Sundries 1 00 
Scales, line dryer, thumb and finger guards 6 00 
Total ?2o0 00 
If it be desired to add one more first-class tarpon rod, 
reel and line, the preceding amount would be increased to 
about $300. 
Let not the size of this estimate deter any one from 
trying tarpon fishing, because he can get along with a 
much smaller outfit, especially by going to some well- 
known resort like Aransas Pass, where tackle, generally 
"cheap and nasty," is procurable. 
One might venture on going there with no outfit at all, 
counting upon hiring one at say one dollar a day, plus the 
cost of breakage ; but this is always unsatisfactory. Or 
he might buy a rod, reel and line with a dozen snells and 
trust to luck for the rest. 
And now let us go down the list and discuss the various 
items in respect to their quality, characteristics and price. 
Trunk, 
This can be bought in New York from a tackle store, 
but it will prove to be a rather flimsy article, and, conse- 
quently, short lived. It is better to have one made to order 
by a good manufacturer of trunks, giving instructions to 
have it built as strong and rigid as practicable. The 
dimensions on the inside should be 8 inches square and 6 
feet I inch long. It should have substantial twin locks 
near the ends and two strong snap hasps, one on each 
side of the middle and about i foot therefrom. The in- 
terior should be ribbed with steel flats, countersunk, so as 
not to injure the rods, and should be lined with cloth. 
My trunk made on this specification cost $9. It is large 
enough to contain all my rods, gaffs and snells, several 
reels, two guns in their cases, and a lot of small tackle and 
clothing. The latter prevents the heavier articles from 
moving about. The trunk should always be packed full, 
even if it be necessary to use paper for the purpose. 
Tackle Box. 
My tackle box is an ideal one, the plans and specifica- 
tions therefor having been prepared by the widely known 
tarpon fisherman, Mr. R. M. Snyder, of Kansas City. It is 
made of galvanized sheet iron, strengthened at the corners 
by filleting, and provided at the sides with strong handles, 
to which is buckled a stout leather strap. The outside 
dimensions are: Length, 16 inches; width. 12 inches, and 
height, 10^/^ inches. It is divided into three tiers, and 
contains two shelves. The top one is 4 inches deep, and 
occupies the entire area. The other is 3 inches deep, ii^ 
inches long and 10 inches wide. This leaA-es two fixed 
compartments, the deep one of .which is divided into two 
spaces of 6 inches by 6 inches, and the shallow one into 
three spaces of 3H inches hy 12 inches. The large tray is 
divided into four spaces, each about 4 inches by 12 inches, 
and the smaller one into three spaces, each about 4 inches 
by 10 inches. 
Any one wanting a truly first-class tarpon tackle box 
can do no better than to order one built according to these 
spegifi^.atioiii8, yim cost % Jt i§ perf^c^ in every way. 
except that it is a trifle heavy — a good fault for a box 
that has to be shipped as baggage from 6,000 to 10,000 
miles per annum. 
Rods. 
No rods that I have yet found are quite good enough 
for tarpon fishing. Cane ones are absolutely worthless, 
for, even if they do not break, they bend so excessively 
as to make one continually uneasy whenever a fish is on 
the line. A rod jointed at the middle is a delusion and a 
snare. I have a couple of them of the San Antonio pat- 
tern, and although they have landed some big fish, they 
are not to be depended on. Their weak place is just 
below the Joint, and they will all break there sooner or 
later. 
The split bamboo tarpon rod maj^ be a good one, but 
the only one I ever owned slivered under the strain 
caused by a 6-footer. It has since been wound over a 
couple of feet of its length, and continues to do good 
service. 
The best rod that I have yet found is Ed vom Hofe's 
■ $16 greenheart with agate guide and tip ; nevertheless I 
snapped one of them short off on my last outing, imder the 
strain of a 25-pound jackfish.. There is not enough ma- 
terial in tarpon rods, for they bend too much and break 
too easily. The sportsman should never have to consider 
anything but the strength of his line when fighting a fish. 
A steel rod would be the ideal one for tarpon fishing if 
it could be prevented from rusting. I have never heard 
6f such a rod. but would like to try one built like the 
Bristol steel rod, which, in my opinion,. is the ne phis ultra 
of rods for bait-casting and trolling in fresh water. How- 
ever, it will not withstand the rusting effect of salt 
water. The great advantage of a steel rod is that it never 
takes a permanent set or shows any bending after use. All 
wooden rods bend permanently more or less, especially 
those used in tarpon fishing, necessitating the constant 
reversion of the tip in the socket in order to bend it back. 
If Mr. vom Hofe would add about 25 per cent, to the 
diameters of his $16 greenheart rod, he would effect a 
great improvement. 
There is not much use in bU3dng cheap tarpon rods. 
They nearly always fail quickly, and cannot be relied on 
to handle heavy fish, although it was on a little $8 or $10 
Divine rod of mine that Dr. H. W. Llowe landed the 
record tarpon of 223 pounds. Although a stout little 
rod, it was cheaply built, and I noticed that the silk wind- 
ings came off after a few months' service. 
The Bethabara rod is much talked of, but my- limited 
experience with it leads me to believe that the wood is 
too brittle. 
Lancewood, if enough of it be used, makes a fairly good 
rod. Dr. Howe has one of his own manufacture that is 
nearly strong enough to land a whale. He uses it to lend 
to tyros, chumps and greenhorns who want to see what 
tarpon fishing is like. One of them lifted on it a 4^- 
footer and threw the fish into the boat. 
The medium rods for channel bass and other fish up to 
25 or 30 pounds in weight should be jointed at the butt 
only, but the light rods for small fish may have several 
joints. 
Reels. 
A really good tarpon reel cannot be bought for less than 
$20, and I prefer to pay $25 or $30. My experience has 
been mainly with the Ed vom llofe reels. His $20 rub- 
ber reel is pretty fair, but the one I have gets badly used 
up every year or two, and has to go back to the shop for 
repairs. His $25 reel (or $30 with the patent out- 
going drag) is more durable; but the said patent drag is 
by no means worth the extra $5, as it is altogether too 
feeble, although I understand that he claims to be making 
it more powerful than formerly. In my opinion, an initial 
resistance of 4 or 5 pounds would not be at all too much 
for such a drag. No drag should operate with an incom- 
ing line for the fish alone will provide all the work that 
the sportsman needs. 
Cheap reels are continually getting out of order, and arc 
therefore unsatisfactory. 
A good reel should hold readily 500 feet of line, and no 
more than this should be put on reels of ordinary size, 
unless the line be a fine one. It is very seldom that more 
than ,300 feet of line are taken out by a tarpon, and I 
don't think I have ever seen one take more than 350 feet. 
If Dr. Howe ever perfects his reel with the patent 
brake, it will run out of the market all of the reels that 
are being manufactured to-day; but he has been trying to 
have his reels constructed in Mexico, which is imprac- 
ticable, and he is working on the cut-and-try method in- 
stead of by complete detailed plans and specifications, 
which is the way in which an engineer would tackle the 
problem. 
The reel for the medium sized rod should carry readily 
not less than 300 feet of line, and should cost from $10 to 
$20. 
The reel for small fishing should carry not less than 
200 feet of line, and should cost from $6 to $io. 
I have heard a great deal about the Kentucky reel, and 
that it has lately been adapted to tarpon fishing; but 
have never even seen one, so can pass no opinion on it 
excepting as to price, which is high — ^prohibitively so for 
m.any sportsmen, as it costs about as much as a first-class 
modern gun. 
Lines. 
Of all the lines that I have ever tried, but two have 
proved satisfactory — viz., the Genuine Hall No. 27 and the 
Empire City No. 36. These are both truly excellent, being 
strong, durable and reliable. The diameter of the Hall 
lines increases with the numbers, but the No. 27 is de- 
cidedly larger than the Empire City No. 36. The latter has 
surprising strength for its size. It landed Dr. Howe's 
record tarpon, after having been in constant use for three 
weeks. On the other hand, one of my No. 27 Hall lines 
landed a 350-pound jewfish. 
Between these two lines there is almost no choice, ex- 
cept that a reel will spool more of the Empire City than 
of the Hall. 
There is on the market a dark, olive-green line termed 
"Cuttyhunk," which is absolutely worthless for tarpon 
fishing. It untwists immediately, gets soft and breaks. 
It is possible that there arc other good tarpon lines 
besides the two I have mentioned, but they have never 
com? wy notic?, ^ome on? telling m lately gf ^ 
