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FOREST AND STREAM 
Wonderful Catch of Florida Tarpon 
Record Figures for Trip Tabulated by Secretary of Tarpon Association 
Editor Forest and Stream-. 
The biggest event in tarpon fishing in local 
annals, and probably the greatest ever reached in 
the country itself occurred when a party com¬ 
posed of Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Magill of Ken¬ 
ilworth, Ill., who were chaperoned by Charles 
Leathlean and Arthur Wintle as guides, came 
to dock in Fort Myers in the big houseboat Ken- 
nesaw. 
The party left Fort Myers on an extended fish¬ 
ing trip, April 27th, and after about four weeks’ 
cruising in the Marco and Shard river section, 
changed their location to the Boca Grande passes 
and spent the last two weeks or more in that 
vicinity. 
The total catch for the entire trip consisted of 
sundry shark, jewifish, bass and multitudes of 
smaller fish, and a total of 176 tarpon. This is 
probably the largest number ever recorded from 
a single cruise. Considering the fact that they 
were all caught by the two persons composing 
the party the fact is truly remarkable. 
The total weight of these fish as tabulated 
reaches the almost incredible figure of 16,377 
pounds, over eight tons of tarpon, giving an aver¬ 
age for all the 176 fish caught of a trifle over 
93 pounds, in itself by no means insignificant 
for weight. The daily average counting every 
day the party was away from this port, was be¬ 
tween four and five fish and a total average 
daily weight of over 400 pounds for more than 
40 consecutive days. 
The largest number of fish caught m arty one 
day was taken on May 19, sixteen fish; on June 
8, fourteen fish, and on June 6 and 10; respec¬ 
tively, each ten fish. 
The largest weight of fish caught in any one 
day was taken on June 8, 2,054 pounds, over a 
ton. On June 10, 1,419 pounds; on May 27, 1,335 
and on June 6, 1,372 pounds. 
The largest average weight per day for any 
day was May 27, when the nine fish caught aver¬ 
aged over 148 pounds each. On June 8, the 
fourteen fish caught averaged 147 pounds each, 
and on June 10 and 6, respectively, the average 
was ten fish at 142 pounds each and ten fish 
each at 137 pounds. 
The largest fish was 19654 pounds, with one 
exception, to the best of my knowledge, the larg¬ 
est ever landed in America, of which there is 
any record. This was caught on May 26th. A 
second large fish weighing 196 pounds, only lack¬ 
ing the fraction of a pound from tying with this 
record fish, and having the honor of being the 
third largest recorded fish taken in American 
waters, was caught on the following day, May 
27th. Other large fish were: June 8, 194; June 
7, 192; May 3d, 184; June 6th, 183; June 8th, 
181; June 9th, 181; June 9th, 180; June 7th, 180: 
June 6th, 180. 
Four fish were caught which exceeded 190 
pounds eleven over 180; eighteen over 170; twen¬ 
ty-five over 160; forty over 150, and ninety-eight 
fish over 100 pounds in weight. Seventy-eight 
fish were captured weighing less than 100 pounds. 
The five biggest days totaled 7,345 pounds, al¬ 
most four tons, an average of about 1,470 pounds, 
or nearly three-quarters of a ton per day for the 
five days. 
Many incidents might be recorded, but space 
forbids, except the reference made by members 
The Jumping Tarpon. 
of the party to the scene in the Boca Grande 
passes during the days when the big fish were 
rampant there. Yachts and fishing boats dotted 
the whole expanse. In the evening the sight of 
the electric lights, the motion, the exhilarating 
sense of success, and the unusual number of ex¬ 
traordinary heavy fish caught were something 
never to be forgotten. At the same time that 
the Kennesaw party was at the pass there were 
other boats representing fishermen from all sec¬ 
tions. Among others the Whitney party with 
Harry Payne Whitney as host, and including 
Lewis S. Thompson of Red Bank, N. J., Judge 
Kemohan, William Payne Thompson, Page 
Thompson and Fred Watriss of New York as 
guests, on the magnificent Whitney yacht, the 
Captiva. Howard S. Kerner, on his yacht How- 
arda, with friends. Edward Vom Hofe of New 
York, the authority on all matters pertaining to 
tarpon tackle; Dr. Briggs of Charlotte, N. C., 
and a score or more of others were all enjoy¬ 
ing the unusual sport. A total of several hun¬ 
dred big fish were taken by these fishermen, in 
less than a week, during which the carnival con¬ 
tinued; a dozen at a time in different boats be¬ 
ing in the process of capture, oft repeated. Such 
sport and such fish have never been known be¬ 
fore. This will truly be the record season for 
many years to come. 
And the Magill party, as before noted, carried 
off the honors for all this numerous assembly, as 
well in number of fish caught, as in the landing 
of the two biggest fish taken during the whole 
time, 19654 and 196 pounds, respectively. 
A feature of the event was the unusual num¬ 
ber of exceedingly large fish captured, those 
under 100 pounds being almost a minus quan¬ 
tity, while 170, 180 and 190 were frequently in 
evidence. 
Mr. and Mrs. Magill express themselves as 
well satisfied with their cruise in Lee county 
waters, for besides the big fish captured, they 
both imbibed great quantities of our bracing 
Florida sunshine, and will return home greatly 
improved in health and in happiness and in the 
consciousness of having accomplished more in 
the tarpon fishing line than any recorded party 
has ever previously accomplished in American 
waters. Our best congratulations to both. 
E. L. Evans, Sec’y., 
Fort Myers Tarpon Fishing Association. 
June 22, 1915. 
THE “SUNNY” FINDS A DEFENDER 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
When I go fishing I always go after the big 
ones. Now you say you stand with Dr. Henshall 
that the bass, inch for inch and pound for pound, 
is king of fish. Well, I never got a pound sun- 
fish on a hook, though near it, so I can’t decide 
in pounds, but I never saw a five or six-inch 
bass that was a king to his cousin of same length. 
I never caught a bass much over five pounds, 
either, so I can’t judge of big ones, but that 
doesn’t prove that I am not always fishing for 
the big ones. I was a fisherman in the year ’76, 
when I was only six—at least, I acquired the title 
in that tender year of Fisher Bill, and ever since 
then and a year before, I have caught fish from 
many waters and I can’t give first place to bass, 
inch for inch. I am not from Missouri, but yet 
I am for fairness to every fin, whether it is the 
little fish or the big; I have caught them all by 
every known method and by methods little known, 
and I should like to see the bass, inch for inch, 
that can do his “sunshine” sunny cousin. Pound 
for pound I’ll leave you alone, but if it was pos¬ 
sible to hook five pounds of sunfish at once, your 
excitement would carry you away as fast as it 
does when bass fishing. Inch for inch, I won’t 
give the inch to the bass; pound for pound he’s 
a winner, but he’s under the shadow of the Rain¬ 
bow, and I don’t know but he wins over a mad 
trout by a foul, for there is a fish that’s some 
game! I can’t tell whether it’s his beauty or his 
high leap that entitle the name; anyway, he is 
pure red, white and blue, and these are game 
enough for me; but allow me to say—if you will 
take your light trout tackle, flies and all, and 
catch some “punkin seeds,” you’ll have more re¬ 
spect for the sunfish. So let’s not knock him; 
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