188 

banded. They grow very fast and become “black 
drum,” according to Mr. A. W. Roberts, at the 
age of about three years. 
“The drum is found everywhere in Florida 
where there are oyster banks and mangrove roots 
laden with coon oysters. Their ‘drumming’ is 
constantly heard, especially at night, when one 
is anchored in the tideways and in the bays. The 
largest ones, of 20 to 60 pounds, are taken near 
the inlets, and those of smaller size further up 
the bays, and the character of the tackle to be 
used will depend on the locality to be fished. 
“For the ‘Jumbos’ heavy striped bass tools are 
required, while that recommended for the spotted 
weakfish is more suitable for those weighing less 
than 10 pounds. They are often taken while fish- 
ing for sheepshead, and the smaller ones are 
barred in a similar manner. It feeds on mollusks 
mostly, and the best baits are clam and fiddler. 
The drum, unless of large size, is not much of a 
game fish, though it pulls and tugs strongly and 
bores toward the bottom like the sheepshead, 
being also a bottom fish.” 
THE ReprisH (Sciena ocellata).—Drum, red 
drum, bass, red bass, spotted bass, channel bass, 
spot, red horse, poisson rouge, pez colorado, bull 
aie are some of the names of this valuable 
sh. 
This is one of the most important fishes of the 
Gulf of Mexico, and extends northward in sum- 
mer to the Chesapeake, and possibly to New Jer- 
sey. It is more abundant on the Texas coast than 
anywhere else, exceeding in number all the other 
food fishes. 
The species is carnivorous, subsisting on 
shrimp, crabs and small fish. It is said to root 
among the grasses and sea weeds with its head 
obliquely downward, in search of crustaceans, 
and to pursue schools of small fishes at the sur- 
face, when it sometimes breaches out of water. 
Specimens taken in the rivers and inlets in the 
spring range from 5 to 10 pounds in weight, but 
adults reach a weight of 60 pounds, when they are 
known in the Gulf of Mexico as bull redfish. 
Large individuals are not as well liked for eat- 
ing as moderate sized ones. 
“The channel bass, or redfish, is abundant in 
all Florida waters except along the southern keys 
from Cape Florida to Key West. It grows to 
40 or 50 pounds in weight, and is then a difficult 
fish to handle on the rod. It is a good game fish 
and pretty fair for the table. When hooked it 
gives good play, and does not bore toward the 
bottom like the drum, but will test the angler’s 
skill and tackle by frantic rushes and long runs, 
varied by energetic tugs and jerks. It has a large 
mouth and feeds on small fishes, crustaceans and 
ee mollusks, all of which are good for 
aits. 
“For the largest redfish, heavy striped bass 
tackle is just right, for it is not very unlike that 
fish in its way of taking a bait and its mode of 
fighting after being hooked, though it is not so 
active and succumbs sooner, The largest red- 
fish are caught near the inlets and passes, and 
the smaller ones further up the bays and in the 
streams emptying into them. 
“The mode of fishing for the large fish is by 
casting mullet bait, exactly as in striped bass 
fishing, though there is no necessity for long 
casts in Florida waters. Most of the 4o-pounder, 
however, are taken on hand lines. I once killed 
one of 35 pounds on an eight-ounce Henshall 
rod and black bass tackle in twenty minutes; and 
with a rod of 11 ounces I have killed them up to 
40 pounds, also drum and tarpon of as great a 
weight with the same rod, but a stout, well-made 
striped bass rod is the proper tool for such work. 
“For the smaller (2 to 10 pounds) channel 
bass of the streams and coves, light striped bass 
tackle, braided line, size E, and 3-0 Sproat or 
O’Shaughnessy hook will answer admirably. For 
bait use pilchard, anchovies or cut mullet, fiddlers 
or crabs. 
“The smaller bass will also rise pretty well to 
the artificial. fly, with predominating tints of red, 
brown or yellow. The best location for fly-fish- 
ing is under the mangroves on the deep-water 
side of channels and streams, the angler’s boat 
being anchored thirty or forty feet away.” 
THE SHEEPSHEAD (Archosargus probatocepha- 
lusQ.—This is one of the few common fishes of 
our coast which has only one popular name. It 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
is remarkable in a species having such a wide 
range. The sheepshead is not known to occur 
north of Cape Cod, and is rarely found that far 
north. The sheepshead ascends certain rivers be- 
yond the limits of brackish water. The species 
frequents the bottom in the shelter of high banks 
or the vicinity of submerged logs, wrecks, etc., 
in moderate depths. On the Florida coast it de- 
lights in the vicinity of mangrove roots on which 
barnacles are growing. From the peculiar struc- 
ture of its teeth, which are adapted for crushing 
clams, oysters and other shellfish, we would nat- 
urally infer its occurrence in localities where such 
food can be easily obtained. The young hide un- 
der sod banks and in the shelter of leafy sea- 
weeds. 
The natural food of the sheepshead includes 
barnacles, oysters, crabs, clams and mussels. It 
is particularly destructive to the oyster and may 
be attracted to a locality by placing crushed oys- 
ters on the bottom. The sheepshead is greatly 


A CAESAR CREEK TARPON, 
affected by the condition of the tide. The best 
time for fishing is usually during the latter half 
of the flood. 
In fishing for sheephead the bait should lie on 
the bottom and must be held down, of course, by 
a sinker varying in weight with the strength of 
the tide. Special hooks are made for this fish be- 
cause of the wonderful strength of its jaws and 
grinding power of its teeth. Clarke recommends 
the tautog hook used at Newport. The short 
shank hook in use in Great Egg Harbor Bay is 
one of the best we have been able to find. The 
line should be light but strong and very free from 
liability to kink; a 12-thread Cuttyhunk is recom- 
mended. 
For baits there is nothing better than the clam, 
which may be used either raw or boiled. Small 
soft-shell clams are very successful, shedder 
crabs and hermit crabs are particularly effective, 
and fiddler crabs, shrimp and conchs are also 
used. 
“The sheepshead is as ubiquitous in Florida 
waters as the catfish. It is very abundant on both 
the east and west coasts, though rare about Key 
West. Wherever there are oyster beds, or bar- 
nacle-covered posts or piles, or mangrove roots 
laden with coon-oysters, the sheepshead will be 
found, its food being principally mollusks. It is 
[FEB. 3, 1906. 
the most abundant game fish in Florida, and is 
found not only in salt and brackish water, but 
runs up the streams to fresh water, where I have 
frequently taken it ten or twelve miles above tide- 
water. Between Cedar Key and Anclote, on the 
west coast, are several rivers that issue from the 
base of a high sand ridge in the form of im- 
mense springs, fifty to seventy-five feet deep and 
an acre or more in extent. The water of these 
rivers—the Homosassa, Crystal, Pithlachesticoo- 
tie, Withlacoochie, Weckawachee, etc., are per- 
fectly fresh, pure and transparent, and sheepshead 
can be seen in them in great numbers along their 
entire course, and even at the bottom of these 
large springs. 
“At the fishing ranches of the west coast im- 
mense numbers of sheepshead are taken in the 
seines and salted with the mullet, and the settlers 
take them with the cast-net whenever they need 
them. The angler can hardly go astray for 
sheepshead anywhere in Florida waters, except, 
as I said before, about the keys near Key West, 
the waters there being, -I think, too salty, and 
their food is not abundant. About the piles of 
old wharves sheepshead can be taken as fast as 
the angler can bait his hooks. I know of a man 
taking 400 on a single tide at the old cattle wharf 
at’ Punta Rassa. (I do not mention this as a 
meritorious ‘performance, or a feat to be emu- 
lated, but to show the abundance of this fish in 
Florida. ) 
“The Florida sheepshead, however, is smaller 
than on the Jersey coast, running usually from a 
pound to five pounds in weight. At the light- 
house wharf on Sanibel Island, opposite Punta 
Rassa, they run larger than at the cattle wharf, 
and at Little Gasparilla, some thirty miles above, 
they are still larger. At any of the inlets or 
passes of the east or west coast, on the deep- 
water side, under the mangroves, sheepshead can 
be taken ad libitum with fiddler bait, which can 
be scooped up by the peck on the inside beaches 
of the inlets and bays. 
“For sheepshead fishing a short, stiffish rod is 
best, as this fish does not give much play, but 
pulls hard and bores constantly toward the bot- 
tom. A black bass rod, or a very light striped 
bass rod are just the tools. An impromptu rod, 
and one that answers pretty well, can be made in 
a few minutes from the leaf-stem or mid-rib of 
a large palmetto leaf, to which the line is to be 
tied, as a reel, of course, could not be used with 
such a rod—and, moreover, there is but little use 
for a reel in ‘sheepsheading’ in Florida. 
“The line should be strong, about size E, and 
the hook should be of the best quality to with- 
stand the sharp incisor teeth of the fish; it should 
have, moreover, a long shank, or else a wire snell 
should be used for the same reason. There is a 
special hook called ‘blackfish hook’ that answers 
a good purpose for sheepshead if the thick barb 
is kept sharp by a file, otherwise it is useless. I 
have found the Sproat hook all-sufficient and 
strong enough even for sheepshead, and prefer it 
to any other; the size should be 3-0 to 5-0, with 
gimp snell. 
“The best bait in Florida is the fiddler, and is 
very easily obtained; it is taken by the fish as 
readily as clam or crab bait. A whole one is 
(Continued on page 205.) 
Tarpon at Caesar Creek. 
New York, Jan. 26—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The photograph is one taken of my- 
self on board the yacht Privateer, which I char- 
tered from Ball Brothers, of Miami, for a cruise 
around the entire coast of Florida, during the 
season of 1808. The tarpon in the picture was 
killed at Cesar Creek, below Miami, and was 
one of the first fish of this species taken with rod 
and reel on the east coast of Florida. This fish 
and two others were taken on the same day, and 
were taken back to the hotel at Miami and there 
placed on exhibition, where they aroused a great 
deal of curiosity; as stated previously, the tarpon 
was comparatively unknown on the east coast up 
to that time. Last season, 1905, during the 
months of April and May, a party of three of us 
succeeded in landing sixty-three tarpon in this 
same locality, breaking the record for that coast. 
Epwarp vom HOFE. 
