Fes. 3, 1906.] FOREST AND STREAM. 
185 



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THE WHITING OR KINGFISH. 

THE SEA BASS. 

THE DRUM, 
or bone squid answers just as well for trolling 
as the pork-rind, but is neither so cheap nor con- 
venient. for the ‘conch’ fisherman of Key West.” 
THe KincrisH (Scomberomorus cavalla).—- 
This is also the silver cero. The kingfish abounds 
in the West Indies and ranges southward to Bra- 
zil. It is very common abou the Florida keys. 
On the east coast individuals are occasionally 
taken as far north as Cape Cod. The species is 
a powerful and swift forager at sea in company 
with the cero and Spanish mackerel. It preys 
on other fishes and is caught in great numbers at 
the surface by trolling. This is the largest spe- 
cies of its genus, attaining a weight of 25 pounds. 
“As has just been mentioned, this is a larger 
species than the others of the Spanish mackerel 
group, and is nearly as good for food. It is 
caught by trolling along the Florida keys with 
hand-line and pork-rind bait, as mentioned in 
fishing for cero. A large fleet of fishing smacks 
is engaged in its capture, but the angling for this 
fish by regular and orthodox methods, with rod 
and reel, is yet to be developed, as I have no 
doubt it will be in the near future, for some pis- 
catorial Alexander, sighing for new worlds to 
conquer, will be sure to find it. 
“As a game fish the kingfish is second to none, 
being built for extraordinary bursts of speed, and 
leaps higher than any other fish, I believe, that 
swims. Its graceful form is spindle-shaped, very 
regular in outline, with small, conical head and 
wide mouth—a slender, keeled caudal peduncle, 
and a large, powerful, crescentic caudal fin—just 
the shape for quick and agile movements. I have 
frequently seen it leap fully ten feet above the 
water. It is even better built for speed and leap- 
ing than the salmon, and among other fishes is as 
a cup defender among a fleet of oyster boats. 
“IT have taken several on the rod, off the keys 
near Bahia Honda, with pilchard bait, and ven- 
ture the prediction that when its habits become 
better known it will some day rank higher as a 
game fish, than all other coast fishes in Florida. 
I have no doubt that it will rise to the artificial 
fly, though I have never tried it, but I once took 
one on the bunch of feathers usually attached to 
a trolling spoon, by trolling with it after the 
spoon had been broken off.” 
THE CavaLtt (Caranx Iippos)—This hand- 
some and active fish has various names, depend- 
ing on locality. About Cape Cod. it is confounded 
with a related species, the yellow mackerel. The 
best known name is crevallé; other appellations 
are horse crevallé and cavalla. The cavalli 
abounds in the Gulf of Mexico and east Florida. 
It occurs throughout the West Indies. North- 
ward its range includes Cape Cod, and rarely it 
is extended still further. Jordan records it as 
common in Lake Pontchartrain. The same form 
is credited to the Pacific coast from Panama to 
the Gulf of California. The cavalli is a fish of 
prey, and one of the swiftest, moving in schools 
near the surface. It feeds in shallow water near 
the shore. There is a migration northward in 
summer, and the young especially move along fre- 
quently to Cape Cod in moderately large num- 
bers. Great Egg Harbor is a favorite resort for 
small individuals in summer. The size is large, 
individuals weighing 30 pounds being reported; 
such a fish would measure three feet or more. 
The young of about a pound are considered very 
fine for the table; large ones are dark and insipid. 
. “The cavalli and its allied forms are good game 
fishes, and respond eagerly to the angler’s lures, 
whether artificial fly, bait, trolling-spoon, or a bit 
of white or red rag. It makes a very strong and 
determined resistance when hooked, and always 
fights to the last gasp. It is, moreover, an ex- 
ceedingly beautiful and gracefully-formed fish, 
but being so common and so easily captured, its 
merits are often overlooked. 
“For bait-fishing, heavy black bass or light 
striped bass rods are all suitable, with multiply- 
ing reel, E line, Sproat hooks, 2-0, and sinkers 
adapted to the strength of the tidal currents, or 
if in sheltered, quiet waters, the lightest sinker 
should be used, 
“Any small fish makes a good bait, or shrimp 
may be used—fishing from the sand spits and 
shores of inlets on the flood tide or from an 
anchored boat: Trolling with the spoon, bright 
squid, pork-rind or bit of white rag is more suc- 
cussful than sportsman-like. The cavalli will rise 
