Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-04-21
THE GAME TARPON
HOOK NC A BIG FELLOW AN EXPERT
ENCE NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN.

Fish Is Willy and Nature Has Equipped
Him for a Struggle-His Mouth Paved
with Bone Plates.
Provided the aspiring tarpoon slayer
is prepared to eXpend anywhere from
$40 to $50 or more, he may supply
himself with an excellent outfit
through any respectable dealer. 1t
goes without saying that no really
conscientious disciple of Isaak Wal
ton will be content to order his out
fit ofrhand, leaving everything to the
dealer, thereby sacrificing the exquis-
lite satisfaction of making his own
selections. Yet such is the spirit of
the age that not few of our glided
youth are prone to order their fish
ing tackle as they do their trousers
by the dozen-and leave all details to
the tailor. Let such go their way;
they will probably catch no tarpon.
The approved rod for this sport is
seven to nine feet long, fitted with
large multiplying click reel that will
hold some two hundred yards of fifteen
to twenty-one thread linen line.
Tastes differ regarding the hooks, but
the best authorities favor something
not far from 100 in size, forged and
ringed. The Dublin bend Limerick is
favorite with some successful fish
erS.
The smell, the connecting link be-
tween the hook and the line. offers
the most difficult problem. The tar
pom jaws are 50 constructed that the
smell must be built to order to cir
cumvent them. These jaws, be it
known, have overlapping side plates
III. in, TO nftl
shears. They will cut anything not
made of metal that has body enough
to offer resistance. Naturally chain
was the first resort, but the minute
Sir Tarpon closed upon chain he
knew it, and elected it forthwith, bait
and all, for his mouth is conveniently
paved throughout with bone plates
upon which no hook has the least
hold.
At last the ingenious device was
hit upon of using smell made of
several strands of rather soft-laid cot
ton line. dyed some dark color 50 as to
he mconspicuous when wet. hen
the jaw shears close upon this it
spreads apart into separate strands
and becomes too thin to cut. Sir
TalpOn perceived nothing wrong, so
the portion Of mullct covering the hook
con tinucs its downward cours" tax
Inc UP the slack of the long smell rs it
goes thc smell should be twenty-four
to tWputy-pight inches lOngl and pur-
sues its way rejoicing until a sudden
wrench at an inward locality not pro
vidcd with armor plates tells him that
he is hooked, and then the fun begins.
His first act is to throw himself
bodily out of water, with his huge
jaws wide open, and jerk his head
violently from side to side. If the
bait is not completely gorgcd he Will
o4,en force it out. But if the hook
secures Il hold the effort is vain. and
the struggle of skill against energy
goes on.
Again and again, sometimes a score
of times, the fish leaps from the water
to shake himself free. Miles upon
miles he swims, doubling upon his
course. circling. sullling until he often
tires out his WOuld-be CaptOr. who is
glad to hand the rod over to his boat
man for rest. Such Il confession
of weakness is, however, so humil-
iating to a true fisherman that if he
has any sand in his composition
he will fight it out to Il victorious
finish or an honorable defeat.
Such an experience is not easily for
gotten, and the fastidious coquettish-
ness of the tarpon in the matter of
taking bait renders it nearly certain
that to the average fisherman killing
Il tarpon will not become tedious
through frequent rcpetltions. Far
more likely is it that his patience will
give out after few days under a
tropical sun upon a breathless sea,
and he will never experience the thrill
of the Silver Kings break for liberty.
| The tarpon seas | in Florida waters
| begins in March and improves through
| out the summer, the best of it coming
| long after most visitors have fled
northward to escape the heat with its
attendant pests.
AS table fish the tarpon is not a
great success, though with such sauces
as a French chef knows how to pre-
pare it is not altogether to be despiscd
when nothing better can he had. AS a
staple article of food. however, it has
its uses along the Florida beaches,
for there the native fisherman spears
the magnificent fellows. scrape off
their silver scales wi,h a hoe, cut their
persons up in long strips and dry them
in the sun for provision when Other
hog and ominy" fail.