APRIL 21, 1906.] 


Kingfishing at Aransas Pass. 
Kansas City, Mo., April 7.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: In compliance with my promise of a 
short time ago, I write you to-day concerning 
a new fishing ground discovered last summer. 
Some seven or eight years ago I caught at 
Tarpon, Tex., a kingfish weighing fifteen or 
twenty pounds, and from time to time I have 
heard of occasional small catches of that fish 
being made there, but never to exceed three or 
four in a day, and not many times that number 
by the combined fishing fleet in an entire season. 
In consequence, I have often wondered whether 
the kingfish caught at Aransas Pass were strag- 
glers, or whether there is some place in that 
neighborhood where they are plentiful at any 
season of the year. As I had fished the inland 
waters pretty thoroughly, and had often gone 
for tarpon nearly to the outer buoy, which is 
about a mile beyond the end of the jetty, I had 
concluded that the few kingfish caught there 
were wanderers; but in this I find that I was 
mistaken. 
About the end of last June my eldest son, 
Everett, and I went to our old haunt at Tarpon 
for a short outing, my mental excuse therefor 
being some professional work on one of the 
Texas railroads that took me as far as San 
Antonio. 
We arrived some two weeks after the cessa- 
tion of the phenomenal tarpon fishing reported 
in your columns, the climax of which occurred 
when my old fishing companion, Mr. L. 
Murphy, of Converse, Ind., landed twenty-four 
tarpon in one day, quitting at 4 o’clock satisfied 
with having broken the world’s record. It was 
perhaps well that he stopped fishing when he 
did, as the strain came near breaking the old 
gentleman simultaneously with the said record, 
for I heard that he was hors de combat for some 
time afterward. 
though, for the vigor of a veteran of the Ameri- 
can Civil War. Some of your readers may re- 
member a letter of mine published in your col- 
umns some three of four years ago, describing 
how this same Mr. Murphy handled a six-foot 
two inch tarpon that jumped six times to a 
height of fully twelve feet, or twice its length, 
For nearly two weeks previous to our arrival 
the water in the Pass had been very muddy, and 
the Gulf had been too rough for skiffs or even 
for launches, consequently there had been no 
tarpon caught during that time. These con- 
ditions continued for several days aiter our 
arrival, and then improved slightly, but the 
sport was not good enough to suit me, although 
one forenoon I landed four. Telegraphic advice 
from Galveston showed that the fishing there 
was no better; otherwise I would have tried 
that place. There was nothing for us to do 
except either go home or wait for better.con- 
ditions, and fortunately we waited; for one 
afternoon two young fellows, whose names I 
have forgotten, ventured out on to the Gulf in 
a naphtha launch to try trolling for Spanish 
mackerel with a squid. They brought in ten 
mackerel and eleven kingfish, reporting that 
they had caught them out at sea beyond the 
outer buoy. 
You may rest assured that early the next 
morning my son and I were outside on that 
fishing ground, with tackle rigged for kingfish. 
The sea was comparatively calm, but to the 
southward were some ominously dark clouds, 
threatening both wind and rain. We both 
trolled all the way out, but did not get a strike 
till after we had passed the buoy, when we 
found the kingfish, but unfortunately there were 
so many small sharks with them that the sport 
was half spoiled. We managed to land three 
or four kingfish each, using mullet for bait, be- 
sides a number of the small sharks and one fair- 
Such a record speaks well, 
FOREST AND STREAM. 


SEA ANID RINVTER FISHING 

sized leaping shark. Although I am fond of 
catching the latter fish, I was disgusted that 
morning when I hung one, for it seemed that I 
would never be able to bring it to gaff and rid 
my hook of it, so as to get after the kingfish 
again. 
Meanwhile the fishing fleet had joined us, and 
a few kingfish were hooked; but the weather 
conditions were becoming more and more 
ominous, and presently there appeared to the 
southward a fully developed waterspout with 
two or three other incomplete ones near it. 
I signalled my boy to head for the jetty, as I 
noticed that the fleet was scurrying in that 
direction; but remained behind myself to try 
conclusions with a big kingfish that I had 
hung. Up to that time for over a week we had 
taken raincoats with us in the boats whenever 
we went on the water, in spite of the facts that 
the sky had been practically cloudless and that 
there had not been even a suspicion of rain; 
but that morning, unfortunately, we had left 
them behind. The result was a thorough 
drenching, which, by the way, did us no harm, 
nor did it even cause much discomfort, because 
the shower did not last long and the sun soon 
shone again and dried our clothes. The fishing, 
though, was spoiled for that day, because the 
south wind that came up was too strong to 
permit of one’s venturing beyond the shelter 
of the jetty. 
What became of the waterspouts I do not 
know, for when the squall reached us it was 
impossible to see for any distance through the 
rain, and when the latter was over, they had 
disappeared. 
Next day we went out again in the early 
morning, and had better luck, our two boats 
bringing in twenty-nine kingfish, the largest of 
which weighed 22% pounds, and measured ex- 
actly 4 feet in length. The sharks bothered us 
again, for we had to troll slowly in the skiffs. 
There were several launches out that day, each 
containing two sportsmen. ‘They trolled at the 
rate of six or seven miles per hour, thus escap- 
ing all trouble from sharks, which are too slow 
in their movements to take a bait at that speed. 
They all had good luck with the kingfish, al- 
though none of them did as well as we. 
The sport from the launch, however, is much 
more exciting than that from a skiff, because of 
the greater speed obtained and the necessity for 
a sudden stopping of the motion of the craft. 
As soon as one of the fishermen gets a strike 
he yells with the full strength of his lungs, 
“Stop her,’ which the engineer does instantly, 
the other fisherman taking in his line to get 
out of the way. The runs made by the kingfish 
are swift and long, and they will often take out 
200 feet or more of line, in spite of the drag 
(and we occasionally put on all three of them 
simultaneously). Several long runs and a few 
short ones are generally made before one brings 
the fish to gaff; and if the patent drag be not 
taken off before the fish comes near the boat, 
the rod is likely to be splintered by the fish’s 
sounding. 
The leaps of the kingfish for the bait trolled 
at high speed are really marvelous. Without 
exaggeration, I have seen them make rainbow 
jumps fully fifty feet long and twenty feet high; 
and once I saw two of them make such jumps 
at the same instant and exactly abreast. It was 
a magnificent sight. 
Although the fish when thus leaping, seldom 
if ever misses the bait; it is by no means always 
hooked, for in some unknown manner the squid 
is seized crossways, and often the hook itself 
is not taken into the fish’s mouth. 
I would have given a good, round sum to be 
able to secure a snapshot of that double rain- 
bow-jump by means of the gun camera that Dr. 
Howe manufactured according to my design 

and specification, and with which he has secured 
such good views of the leaping tarpon. 
It is curious that, notwithstanding its great 
leaping ability, the kingfish never leaves the 
water after it is hooked, the greater part of its 
fight for life being made close to the surface, 
although when hauled near to the boat, it is 
liable to sound. 
Our string of kingfish contained twenty-nine, but 
it does not represent our catch of that number. 
The fish ran generally from 10 to 20 pounds in 
weight, averaging about 15, but occasionally one 
was taken exceeding 20 pounds. The largest of 
last season’s catch that I know of was a fish 
of mine that weighed 27 pounds. I have no 
doubt that there are much larger ones in the 
Gulf near Aransas Pass, and I may have the 
luck to take some of them this season. 
It is impossible at present to say when the 
kingfishing at Tarpon begins and ends; but I 
think we shall find out this year, as the man- 
ager of the Tarpon Inn reports that a fleet of 
launches will be put on this season. They will 
be rented at the rates of $4 to $6 per day, ac- 
cording to size. This makes kingfishing no 
more expensive than tarpon fishing. 
As the kingfish makes nearly as good eating 
as the Spanish mackerel, one’s catch is of some 
value. I disposed of mine by making shipments 
on ice to friends in Texas, and by supplying the 
inn and the inhabitants of Tarpon, none of our 
catch being wasted. 
My boy and I went out only four times for 
kingfish; twice in skiffs and twice in a launch, 
remaining only half a day each time; and our 
total catch was seventy-one. 
It generally blows harder in the afternoon at 
Tarpon than in the forenoon, and as navigating 
a small launch on the open Gulf when there is a 
high sea with a stiff breeze is rather perilous 
work, kingfishing there is likely to be limited 
to half a day at a time, especially for novices 
who are subject to the mal de mer. 
Although I have heard from Tarpon twice 
this week, nothing was said by either of my 
correspondents about the kingfish being in, but 
one of them stated that only eighteen tarpon 
had been caught up to the 4th inst. 
Possibly a month or two later I shall have 
something more to tell your readers about 
kingfishing at Aransas Pass. 
J. A. L. WaAobDELL. 
The Pricked Trout. 
West Hartrorp, Conn., April 14.—Editor For- 
est and Stream: Instances of a trout, once thor- 
oughly pricked, again taking the hook on the next 
cast, are perhaps so few as to deserve a passing 
notice. ; 
While bait-fishing in a small stream last Friday 
I struck and hooked a fish, the force of the strike 
breaking the gut close to the hook. Rigging a 
new hook with bait I cast again into the same 
pool. A trout immediately struck again and I 
landed an eleven-inch half-pound fish with the 
last hook firmly fastened in his lower jaw. At 
least a dozen worms were in the fish’s mouth and 
as many more were found on dressing the fish. 
He was apparently taking everything in the worm 
line that came down stream. FRANK BUCKLAND. 

Massachusetts Trout Streams. 
Boston, Mass., April 14.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Several of our trout fishermen have re- 
ported the taking of a few fish since the first, of 
the month, among ‘them William Massey Smith, 
of Winchester, and Luther Little, of Boston, the 
latter taking seventeen one day on the Tihonet 
Club’s waters. James H. Young, of the State 
Association, left Boston for the Cape on Friday. 
H. H. KIMmpa ct. 
