FOREST AND STREAM. 

sa (tlt 
| et 
pounds. It also rises well to an artificial fly of 
large size, composed mostly of red and yellow 
feathers, though, in fact, to almost any gay-col- 
ored fly. A heavy black bass fly-rod is needed 
for this fish, as its first rush, when hooked, is 
somewhat demoralizing to a timid angler and 
very trying to his tackle. It is not a bad fish for 
the table, being better, I think, than either the 
channel bass or drum.” 
THe Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus).—This re- 
nowned fish is known also as tarpum, tarpun, 
grande écaille, grandacoy, silver fish, silver king, 
sabalo, sevanilla and jewfish. 
This is pre-eminently a predaceous species and 
very active in its movements. It preys upon 
smaller fishes, following them far up the river 
into fresh water. The young are said to enter 
fresh waters very freely. One of the most strik- 
ing traits of the tarpon is its leaping high into the 
air. On this account it is difficult to handle and 
plays havoc when surrounded by a seine by break- 
ing the net and sometimes maiming or even kill- 
ing the fishermen. A fish of heroic size and en- 
durance and of surpassing brilliance in its mail 
of burnished silver, it plays tantalizingly in the 
shallows, where it tempts the angler to come and 
match his skill and armor against its strength and 
energy. 
“The largest tarpons I have seen in Florida— 
and I have seen thousands—were at Indian River 
Inlet, in the Fort Pierce channel (where Mr. 
Jones killed his big fish), and were from six to 
eight feet long—a large school of them—rolling 
out on the surface like porpoises, and within a 
few feet of my boat. I have never fished for the 
largest tarpon with rod and reel (I once took 
one, on a shark line, weighing about 125 pounds), 
as I do not fancy, particularly, the sport. 
“The rod for large tarpon should be a heavy 
striped bass rod, about eight feet long, of nat- 
ural cane of split-bamboo, the first, for so large a 
fish, being preferable on account of lightness. 
Most tarpon fishers, however, use a very short, 
Good Shooting in Florida 
POWELL’S SHOOTING CAMP, Located at 
DRIFTON, FLORIDA, on the 
Seaboard Air Line Railway 
Good tents with board floors, King heaters, com- 
fortable beds and excellent cooks. 
guides and well-trained dogs. 
Competent 
Twenty to fifty coveys of quail flushed in a day. 
Turkeys in abundance. 
hunts features. 
‘Possum and« Coon 
Consult Seaboard Representative or write 
H. H. POWELL, 
| Drifton, Fla. 
stiff and heavy rod, from five to seven feet long, 
more like a billiard cue than a rod, it being used 
more for the purpose of casting the bait and hold- 
ing the reel than playing the fish. 
“The tackle consists of a large, perfectly-made, 
freely-running multiplying reel, capable of hold- 
ing 600 feet of 12 to 18-thread striped bass line, 
and knobbed 8-0 Sproat or O’Shaughnessy hooks, 
with braided linen snells, two or three feet long 
and one-eighth of an inch in diameter—the 
braided linen snell is better than wire or chain, 
which are often used. 
“The bait is cut from a mullet and fastened to 
the hook as the menhaden bait in striped bass 
fishing, and is cast in the same way, but suffered 
to lie on the bottom, as the fishing is done in com- 
paratively shallow bays and coves where there is 
no current. 
“The angler proceeds to such places in his boat, 
accompanied by his boatman. After casting his 
bait, preferably on a clear sandy bottom, but near 
to mossy bottom, he reels off a quantity of line, 
ten or fifteen yards, in the boat, so that the fish 
can take the bait, move off with it, and swallow 
it, without resistance; and when it swims away 
quietly and the slack is all taken up the angler 
hooks it in the throat or gullet, when it is only a 
question of time, if the angler is level-headed and 
the tackle holds, before the colossal fish exhausts 
itself in its grand and terrific leaps and vain ef- 
forts to dislodge the hook or smash the tackle, 
while towing the boat and its occupants. The 
angler holds the rod and gives and takes line 
when necessary, the grand fish, meanwhile, leap- 
ing out, sometimes to a height of six feet, and 
may be for a dozen or more times, until finally it 
lies on the surface utterly exhausted, when it is 
either gaffed or towed ashore. 
“The tarpon’s mouth opens vertically and its 
jaws close like a pair of shears, and are nearly 
as sharp, hence the necessity for using a chain, 
wire or braided snell. Its mouth is quite bony, 
with but little flesh or loose skin about it for 
CHARLES B. RYAN, G. P. A. 
Portsmouth, Va. 

holding the hook, so that it is a rare occurrence 
to safely play and land a large one so hooked, as 
the fish in its extraordinary and wonderful leaps 
and violent shaking of its head and jaws is pretty 
sure to free itself. 
“Tarpon of from 10 to 40 pounds run up the 
streams to brackish and fresh water, where I 
have had grand sport taking them with a large, 
gaudily-colored artificial fly and a heavy fly-rod. 
It does not matter about the color or the pattern 
of the fly if it is gay and attractive in appear- 
ance. Of course, but one fish in a dozen or more 
hooked, is landed, but it is fine sport all the same. 
On the St. Sebastian and St. Lucie rivers on the 
east coast, and the Caloosahatchie and Mayakka 
on the Gulf coast, and on Biscayne Bay, I have 
had such sport with tarpon of these weights that 
the hooking in the gullet of the giants of the bays 
pales before it as the morning stars before the 
rising sun. I say this in no captious spirit of 
comparison, for it is indeed a feat to be proud of, 
and to boast of, to hook, play and land a fish of 
150 pounds with rod and reel, but as I said be- 
one I do not particularly fancy that kind of ang- 
ing.” 
THE YELLOWTAIL (Ocyurus chrysurus).—The 
yellowtail is an elegant species inhabiting the 
West Indies, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean 
Sea and ranges southward to the coast of Brazil. 
It is found in moderate depths and is sufficiently 
voracious to take almost any fresh bait. 
The yellow tail is a bottom fish with a moder- 
ately large mouth and a good appetite. “It is 
common in the waters of southern Florida, and 
is taken about Key West with sea-crawfish bait 
along with the grunts, porgies, porkfish and other 
pan fish. The same tackle recommended for the 
red grouper, and the same baits will do for the 
yellowtail.” 
THe SEA Bass (Centropristis striatus) —This 
is the blackfish of Florida and the black will of 
South Carolina. On the east coast of Florida it 
is common. The sea bass is a voracious feeder 
