The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-02
THE BEAUTIFUL TARPON.
A Fish With Scales Like Silver

| Fish with Scales Like Silver.
| In his article in the August Scribner on
'Tarpon Fishing in Florida" Robert Grant
says:
The tarpon is fish, known to natural
| lists as megdlOpS thTisSOideS, ranging from
| fifty to 200 pounds in weight and from 4 Il
to over 6 feet in length; not unlike cross
between huge herring, to which family it
| belongs, and huge blue-tish IN its general
| proportions, with large prOtuberant eyes
and an ugly mouth that opens on the fish's
| nose, SO to speak. covered on either side
with a hard bony semi-clrcular flap that
| gives the effect of jowl. Behind aud con
| tiguOus to the dorsal fin is sort of hony
bayonet called the feather some or 9
inches long, that protrudes into the air in
the direction of the tail forming an acute
angle with the line of the beck The body
is covered with brilliant argentine scales
which give the fish the effect of having
been laved in silver, and which have won
for it the title Of the "Silver kingn These
scales, which are circular aud slightly
scolloped on the part Of the edge that is
overlapped, vary from 1 inch to 81 inches
in diameter. The silvery epidermiS covers
only the exposed portion, which is about
one-fourth of the circumference. The re-
naming surface is n slightly yellowish-
pearl, though without its irde cence, tran
slucent but not transparent, and shiny on
the inner side. They are hard, thin and of
shell-like fiber After being removed
from the fish and dried, they curl up so as
to remind one of q Saratoga chip, but will,
if molstened and compressed, regain at least
for a short time their former shape The
extreme briliancy Of the silvery portion
becomes furnished by degrees, incining
- 70 al hut Iat
nent color is still beautiful and Astonishing.
The back of the fish is black, and the silvery
effect gradually begins at a line we'll above
the eve Some anglers have seen fit TO per
petuate their trinmphs by having speci-
mems of these monsters mounted
on panel. They form magnificent tro-
phies for the hall or dining room of large
house; and when gazing att hundred-pound
tarpon, which is certainly rather below
than above the average weight Of the iish,
one finds difficulty in believing that it has
been captured with rod ami reel.
Tarpon fishing is, in my opinion, the most
mag ificent fishing sport III the world.
understand that veterans at 1t now refuse
to take up the anchor after hooking FISH.
prc!erriug to part company rather than
not to bring him up to the boat by force OF
rod and reel only. As compared with
salmon fishing, the vast difference IN the
side of the Silver King. Anglers with but
slight experience have at least an even
chance of saving salmon. but what &C
complished fisherman expects to land more
than one tarpon in threes If a salmon
were equal to tarpon in weight, and still
retained proportionately its activity, it
might be a more formidable antagonist;
but forty-pound salmon are rare, whereas
120pounds is not much more than the aver
age weight of tarpon-which shows the
futIlity Of such an argument The manner
of fighting is practically the same as re-
CARDS running and leaping; the tarpon does
not sulk as the salmon Is so fond OF doing,
nor. so far as my experience goes, does he
double on the angler, which of course is an
interesting trait iii the salmon. Nor, in
deed, are the surroundings OF tarpon 6sl-
erman to be compared with the beautiful
scenery and picturesque life on Canadian
salmon river. Bait is a dirty substitute for
the trig fly, and the monotony oflistless
waiting pals ON one accustomed to re-
peated casting. But all the same, anyone
who has hooked and landed tarpon can
well afford TO smile at the enthusiasm of
any other fisherman in creation. Try 1t for
yourself and sac