March 28, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
501 
enough. Fiddler crabs, shrimp and clams arc 
good baits. I have never caught them upon the 
fly, but conclude they, like' the catfish, will bite 
at almost everything, perhaps from mere force 
of habit. 
The drum ( Pogonias cromis) is commonly 
known as the black or banded drum; young fish 
commonly known as little drum. It is found as 
far north as Cape Cod, and is caught on both the 
east and west Florida coasts and oftentimes in 
the brackish streams which flow into the ocean 
and‘gulf. The drum is one of the largest game 
fishes and is frequently caught weighing up to 
100 pounds, although the average may be put 
down as 25 or 30 pounds weight. Its flesh is not 
of particularly good flavor, although the drum 
of ten pounds weight and under (little drum) is 
of fair quality. It is found in every locality 
where oysters abound, and is caught to a large 
size in the deeper water of the inlets. While a 
heavy pulling fish, the drum is not a top-notcher 
among game fishes. For big drum, striped bass 
tackle is used and for little drum an 8-ounce bass 
rod will be about right. Fiddler crabs, clams and 
shrimp are the usual baits. 
The redfish ( Scicena ocellata ) is known in the 
South as red drum, red bass, spotted bass, spot, 
channel bass and redhorse. It is frequently 
caught as far north as Maryland, and in Texas 
waters the redfish is known as poisson rouge or 
gold fish. It grows to a large size, specimens of 
70 pounds weight being common. The redfish is 
a gamy fish and its actions after being struck 
are very similar to those of the well-known 
striped bass. When hooked it keeps well to the 
surface, and its long rushes and sturdy tugs keep 
the angler busy. 
Large redfish require stout striped-bass tackle, 
yet a good weakfish rod, well handled, can be 
used. Smaller inside fish weighing up to fourteen 
pounds may be caught with lighter tackle and a 
heavy black bass rod, E silk minnow casting line 
and a 2/0 hook will be about right. Small red¬ 
fish rise well to a fly and fly-fishing is best near 
and under the fringe of mangroves which line 
the deep water of many inlets. Larger fish are 
usually taken near the inlets or passes, while 
smaller fish are caught in the shoal water fur¬ 
ther up, especially in the streams flowing into the 
passes. Fiddler crabs and shrimp are the best 
baits. 
The jewfish ( Promicrops itaiara) is better 
known as black grouper or warsaw. Although 
resembling the black grouper, it can be easily 
' told from this fish by noting its lower dorsal fin. 
The black grouper ( Epinephclus nigritus) is a 
distinct species and the dorsal fin is of a high 
triangular shape, while that of the jewfish ( Pro¬ 
microps itaiara ) is much flatter and lower. The 
jewfish grows to a very large size and is one of 
the largest of Southern fishes, frequently weigh¬ 
ing 400 pounds. It is not a cracker-jack game 
fish, although a 20-pounder will give fair sport. 
The best fishing ground is found in the passes 
where the banks are steep and the water is deep. 
Weakfish or light striped bass tackle is com¬ 
monly used for jewfish up to forty pounds, large 
fish being taken on a heavy hand or shark line. 
Mullet, crab and shrimp are the best baits. 
Charles Stillman, 
[to be concluded.1 
- I 
All the fish laws of the United States and Can¬ 
ada reinscd to date and now in force, are given 
in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
Fly-Fishing for Bass. 
Doniphan, Mo., March 14.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I wish to say to Mr. Finletter that I 
have been catching small-mouth bass with flies 
in the hill streams of this section for the last 
fifteen years, and have never found a season 
when, if the proper size and kind of flies are 
used, the fish fail to respond with a battle. 
The principal streams of this section where 
the small-mouth abound are, Spring River, 
Eleven Point, Current, the hill sections of Little 
Black, Big Black and St. Francis. As soon as 
the last few rivers reach alluvial lands, or rather 
flow through what is known as the swamp sec¬ 
tions, the big-mouth takes the former’s place. 
Few of these deep, swift streams can be waded 
except here and there in places, and one re¬ 
quires the services of a skilled boatman who 
knows how to hold a john-boat to slow action in 
swift water. 
The best months for fly-fishing are from Au¬ 
gust on until heavy frosts come. The river 
then keeps at a normal stage, logging and tie 
rafting are over, and the black fellows are not 
so fickle in their tastes. 
A dry spring or summer is also a favorable 
time. You can see the fish after insects, but best 
of all is when Current River is so clear that you 
can see every gravel stone in ten feet of water. 
Then you can rest assured that the small-mouth 
is ready for a leap at the feathers. 
He is not here particular about depth of water 
except at certain hours of the day, and more 
than often the most rises on a warm day occur 
in deep water, that cuts havoc along a rocky 
bluff, where a bank of rocky ledges from the 
surface to the bottom form a retreat for greatest 
of all game fishes. Again in extremely swift 
water that boils and foams and roars at the base 
of cut and gravel banks where the water aver¬ 
ages from three and four feet to twenty feet 
in depth. Again, early in the morning, swift 
shoals where you can wade, feathered on either 
edge with a scant growth of bulrushes, young 
cane or the ubiquitous water cress,'often yield the 
royal gentleman in his spotted garb eager for 
trouble. Every different point finds him changed 
in garb. Along the deep shaded bluffs his cos¬ 
tume is dark and mottled, as though a ray of 
light had never reached his abiding places. Take 
him a hundred yards further in bright sunny 
waters and his costume is one of bright, greenish 
yellow. 
A noted author on fishing for bass made a trip 
here and tried to convince us that every dark 
mottled bass was ready for the spawning bed, 
but taking the same fish and stringing them in 
deep water or where the sun reached them, the 
more modish green and yellow was evident and 
one of the latter kind strung along a shady bluff 
assumed the sombre hues—so this mottled ap¬ 
pearance does not always denote the spawning 
season’s approach, or that the old, lady is ready 
to go to her gravel bed and prepare to start an¬ 
other lot of fighters in the world. 
I invariably use very large flies, because in 
this way I am not so bothered by the hordes of 
sunfish of all kinds, that are in readiness to take 
any little fly that touches the water. In deep 
water recovery should be slow so as to give him 
time to get in range, for he often misses and 
stays a second on top of the water to make a 
second attempt, and generally gets it if the fly 
floats nicely on the eddy water and at times is 
even brazen enough to take it off a ledge of rock. 
Loch Laddie. 
Aransas Pass Tarpon Club. 
This angling club was organized last year and 
has its headquarters at Aransas Pass, Texas. L. 
P. Streeter of Pasadena, Cal., is president; W. 
B. Leach of Palestine, Texas, is first vice-presi¬ 
dent; A. W. Hooper of Boston, is second vice- 
president; J. E. Pflueger of Akron, Ohio, is cor¬ 
responding secretary, and J. E. Cotter of Tarpon, 
Texas, is secretary. Its objects are “To encour¬ 
age the use of light tackle, for a higher stand¬ 
ard of sport.” 
The club season is April i-November 1, in¬ 
clusive. Prizes are given, and rules observed, as 
follows: 
Silver Button—Awarded to angler landing, under club 
rules, a tarpon, the length of which shall not be less 
than 4 feet 6 inches. 
Gold Button—Awarded to angler landing, under club 
rules, a tarpon, the length of which shall not be less 
than 5 feet 6 inches. 
RULES. 
First—The line used must be a standard 9 -thread 
linen line. 
Second—Rod to be of wood, consisting of a butt and 
tip, and to be not shorter than 8 feet over all. Butt to 
be not over 18 inches in length. Tip not less than 5 
feet in length, and to weigh not more than 6 ounces. 
Third—There must not be more than 12 inches of line 
doubled back at the tie, and length of leader shall not 
exceed 5 feet. 
Fourth—Anglers competing for membership or prizes 
must submit their tackle for inspection to one of the 
measuring committee when catch is measured. 
Fifth—Every angler must bring his fish to gaff un¬ 
aided, and the fish must be reeled in. A broken rod, 
either before or after gaffing, disqualifies the angler. 
Sixth—Fish must be measured at the wharf by a mem¬ 
ber of the measuring committee, and recorded. 
Seventh—Membership is open to amateurs only. 
Eighth—Only one button is issued to each member. 
A gold button will be exchanged for the silver one 
when won. 
Notes.—By tip is meant that portion of rod, from 
the outer end of rod to point where same is assembled 
at butt, with tip fully seated. 
Initiation fee $ 5 . 00 . No dues. 
Last season President Streeter won a prize 
rod given by L. G. Murphy, of Converse, Ind., 
for a 5 foot g inch tarpon, while Mark Sarazan 
of Sherman, Texas, won a tarpon reel given by 
J. E. Pflueger of Akron, Ohio, for the shortest 
tarpon taken during the season. Its length was 
32]4 inches. Sam Bromley, boatman, won $15 
for the largest tarpon, taken by a patron, and 
Will Roberts, another boatman, won $10 for se¬ 
curing the greatest number of new members. 
Mr. Streeter is the only gold-button member. 
The silver-button members, and the size of tar¬ 
pon taken, are: Elmer E. Beach, Chicago, 5 
feet 5 inches; J. E Cotter, 4 feet 8 inches; A. 
W. Hooper, 4 feet 9 inches; Mark Sarazan, 5 
feet 4 inches. 
Secretary Pflueger says the good done by the 
club so far is very noticeable, and interest among 
the tarpon fishermen of the United States and 
Canada has been aroused. He has received nu¬ 
merous inquiries from sportsmen who contem¬ 
plate making a trip to Tarpon this season. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
