, 1905-04-12

te%mptingly displayed viands in any
part of the south.
Last year 1852 Tarpons, weighing from
90 to 600 pounds each, were caught in
Sarasota Bay, and men have travelled
hundreds, ven thousands of miles to
fish in these waters.
Two New York City men at the De-
Sofa hotel, Messrs. Paine and Gould,
brought in 40 King fish yesterday,
ranging inweight from five to twenty
pounds each. There are Spanish
mackerel, Horse mackerel, Weak fish,
Pompana, Mullet, Sea trout, Red
snappers, Red fish, Founders, Jack
fish, G%roupers and many other kinds.
1t is a common sight to see in the bay
or gulf, fish jump out of the water, so
large that they send the spray seven to
ten feet high.
went to the Grouper Banks in the
Gulf and caught a five pound black
Grouper while trolling for King fish,
and he gave me some sport. We used
lines about $50 feet long and at least
four times as heavy as the largest line
| ever fished with in Jersey. The hook
was attached to a large glistening squid
which was fastened to the line with
piano wire. We unfortunately had a
very rough day for trolling. The sea
was choppy, wind puffy and ever with
two reefs in our main sail, the spray
would fly from stern to stern as we
butted into the seas. The ideal King
fish day is one with a good breeze with
comparatively smooth water so that
the fish will feed near the surface and
the more easily see the squid.
| think it safe to say that a King
fish will see the bait fifty yards away
and when he darts after it he will per-
haps jump from two to eight or nine
feet in the air and when he strikes the
squid there is something doing if he
gets the hook in his mouth. | had one
big fellow alongside the boat but fear
full lest he should break the wire |
dallied with him too long and he finally
unlocked himself and got away. A
number of times the big fellows struck
my squid with such force that | had to
haul it in and put it in fishing shape
again. A gentleman who accompanied
me had never been on the Gulf fishing
banks before, and he was partially
seasick, but nevertheless succeeded in
getting on board four King fish meas
uriDg from two and a half to three and
a half feet in length. The King fish
appears to be simply an w grown
Spanish Mackerel. Long, slim, strong,
fierce fighters they are, but make fine
eating when properly cooked.
We anchored in New Pass under the
protection of a key for sometime hoping
that the sea and wind would run down
so as to allow us to make a run six or
eight miles further out but we were
doomed to disappointment. | saw only
one fishing boat Oh the banks besides
the one we were in. A sponging
schooner passed us running up from
Key West. Wednesday night II of
these spongers was capsized in a squall
neal here and sank in As feet of water
but the crew got away safely in the
yawls.
Times readers have doubtless read of
Tarpon fishing. Tarpons are caught
in the bays where it is usually smooth
sailing during May, June and July.
Two were caught here last week, but
the real season for them is later. The
King fish is here about March Goth to
May and must be caught out in the
Gulf, and while easier to catch than
Tarpon, one must encounter rougher
seas if he is to have the pleasure of
landing a King fish. S. p. Foster.