The Portland daily press., 1898-04-14
FIGHT WITH A THRPON.
Fierce ruggle in the Darkness With a
Giant Tarpon in the Biscayne Bay, Fla.

One of the most hotly contested and
man armed with light rod and reel,
and tarpon in the fullest possession of
his powers that has ever come to my
knowledge occurred in Biscayne waters
last week, says q writer from Cocoanut
Grove, Fla, in Forest and Stream. The
date was March %; the man was Mr..
Fred H. Benton, of New Haven, Conn. !;
and the tarpon, which was 6 feet inches
long, 8 feet 2 inches around the body and
weighed 155 pounds, wae resident of
Caesars Creek, a deep, ~ow channel
lying between Mangrove Island, beloved
of all fishermen who know it, and form
ing the southern entrance to Biscayne
Bay. On returning from a cruise among
the Florida Keys the yacht Susie B. came
to anchor on Wednesday evening in Gaze
sar's Greek, and MIR. Benton and his broth
er Lewis went out to fish while supper
was preparing. Darkness was settling
over the scene, and they were about to re-
turn to the yacht without having caught
q thing, when Mr.. Fred Benton, who
had never before experienced tarpon,
suddenly became very much aware that
a member of that family was in possess
sion of his hook.
Right here it should be explained that
although tarpon have swarmed in Gaze
sar s Creek all winter they had positively
refused to take bait up to this time.
Moreover the present fish seems only to
have made a playful snap at Mr. Ben
toms lure in passing, for the hook barely
caught is his lower lip, where it may
still be seen in the mounted specimen.
Thus in the prolonged struggle that fol-
lowed the strain of pulling it did not
come on bis inwards as is the case when
the bait is gorged, but ON the powerful
lower Jaw, where it was hardly ielt.
This fact makes the fight in question
particularly interesting.
AS he felt the hook the great fish gave
three tremendous leaps high in the air,
shaking his head sagagely, and then
started out to sea, towing the dingey be-
hind him as though it were toy boat.
After awhile he changed his tactics, and
began series of short PUSHES and count
err rushes, lcapings, rapid Greetings of
the boat. and darting to and fro directly
beneath it. This was kept up for an
hour, during which time the night be
came intensely dark and furious souall
p@s'SN>
waters.
At the end of that first hour the tar
pom, still as vigorous as ever, decided to
travel, and started up the coast. Up the
whole length of Elliot's Key and past
Sands Key, distance Of more than six
miles, he ran, making break to fling
hlmself nigh out of the water every few
minutes as he went Each time he did
this, the patient angler standing in his
boat reeled in Il few yards of line, of
which 500 feet were out, only to lose all
that he had thus gained moment later,
when tn great fish again started. Off the
Ragged Rocks the tarpon again stood out
t. sea, crossing tire broad Hawk Channel,
directly in the yellow CLEAN of Fowry
Rock Light, and finally, beyond the
outer reef, he was brought to gaff at IL 80
O'Clock, or five and a half hours fro the
beginning of the fight.
As the monster lay alongide the little
dinpey. barely discernible through the
darkness of a second squall, which was at
that moment bowling down the reef, he
appeared completely exhausted. The mo-
ment he felt the gaff, however, he showed
a mighty reserve of strength b, lashing
the water into foam with tremendous
struggles, thrashing the boat with his
powerful tail until it seemed as though
th sides would surely be crushedsin, an
taxing the utmost efforts of two strong
men TO finally drag him from his native
element
BY this time both men were pretty well
used up their boat was half niled with
water, the tarpon itself was no light load,
and they were so many miles from their
yacht that it was 8. 80 o'clock the follow
ing morning before they regained her.
!, 1t is perhaps superfuous to remark
bat they were glad supper was ready,
aud a useless expenditure of ink to add
that Mr. Fred Benton seems inclined TO
night.