A Ta 
: FORES 
Vol. XCV No. 3 

STREAM 
March - 1925 
It Is Not All of Fishing to Fish 
| A Story of the Unique and Remarkable Character of the Angling to Be 
Jaye yh OL) er 
fortunately situated that he can 
pull up stakes and escape the 
snows and rigor of winter, or the blus- 
tering winds of March, by journey- 
jing to the genial climate of Florida, 
is to be congratulated if not envied. 
‘At the jumping-off place of the south- 
ern extremity of the peninsula of 
Florida, where the Gulf Stream laves 
‘the coralline shores and the trade 
winds blow day and night, he can loaf 
and invite his soul in pure delight 
and with becoming dignity. From 
Miami to Key West there is such an 
abundance and affluence of piscatorial 
wealth in the way of game-fishes that 
the angler has but to choose the time 
and place and govern himself accord- 
ingly. Tarpon, barracuda, bonefish, 
and ten-pounder are common to the 
landlocked waters of Cards and 
Barnes sounds, while along the reefs 
and between the keys the kingfish, 
amber-jack, bonito and groupers seem 
ever alert for the angler’s lure. 
Many winters spent in that region 
have convinced me that it may with 
truth be termed the “angler’s para- 
dise,” a much hackneyed phrase, but 
in this instance one peculiarly fitting 
and justifiable; but how long it wiil 
be entitled to the proud distinction 
may be questioned. When I first vis- 
ited southern Florida, in 1878, it was 
an almost unknown region to northern 
sportsmen; but to-day Lake Worth and 
Miami have become popular and fash- 
ionable winter resorts with railroad, 
hotels, golf links and motor boats. 
y is Northern angler who is so 
FeeADY the flamingo, pink cur- 
lew, paraquet and snowy egret 
are but empty sounding names, hav- 
ing succumbed to the insatiable plume- 
hunter. It is not unlikely that the 
fishes, too, numerous as they have 
been, and plentiful as they still are, 
may show the effects of the disturb- 
Found in the Waters of Florida 

Dr. James Alexander Henshall, apostle 
of the black bass and dean of American 
anglers 
ing influence of man. Already the 
kingfish is becoming comparatively 
scarce. During my ffirst visits to 
Florida I saw numerous flocks of para- 
quets at the headwaters of St. Lucie 
and San Sabastian rivers, also many 
rookeries of the roseate  spoonbill, 
more commonly known as pink cur- 
lews; and in the bayous of Cards 
Sound, their breeding grounds, the 
flamingo was plentiful. The young 
were at first incapable of flight, and 
the wrecker or turtle fishermen would 
wade through these shallow ponds, 
throw their arms around the long 
necks of the unfledged birds, drag them 
Contents Copyrighted by Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 
JAMES ALEXANDER HENSHALL 
ashore, and take them to Key West to 
be raised to maturity for their bril- 
liant red feathers. What wonder that 
these beautiful birds have disappeared, 
while the water turkey, snake-bird, 
cormorant, fish crow and bittern re- 
main. 
N addition to the tarpon there are 
several other fishes that grow to a 
large size, and which of late years are 
the especial objects of pursuit by tour- 
ists to the winter resorts of Florida. 
Among these jumbos may be men- 
tioned the jewfish, the sailfish, the 
swordfish, the albacore and the amber- 
jack, to say nothing of the several spe- 
cies of sharks. These fishes are cap- 
tured by trolling from sailboats, but 
more frequently from motor boats. 
The baits used are mullets, sardines 
or anchovys, so called. Such artificial’ 
lures as squids of metal or bone, and 
spinners are also employed with suc- 
cess. 
While the pursuit of these finny 
Brobdingnagians can hardly be con- 
sidered angling, or even fishing, in its 
best sense, it is, nevertheless, rather 
an exciting “game,” in which the ho- 
tel guests vie with each other in their 
strenuous efforts to land the largest 
fish of its class. It goes without say- 
ing that the sport is both exciting and 
exhilarating and is quite the vogue 
with both ladies and gentlemen at 
Lake Worth and Miami. 
HE fortunate captor of the largest 
specimen is usually awarded a 
button, ribbon or other trophy. The 
popularity of the sport is much en- 
hanced by a generous spirit of rivalry 
that constitutes one of the pleasant 
and most commendable features of the 
game. Owing to the great diversity 
in size, habits and general. character- 
istics of the game-fishes to be encoun- 
tered in southern Florida, it follows 
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