New-York tribune., 1906-11-25
THE TARPoN'S FIRST FRIGHT
ENEO JUMP.
FISHING FOR T4RPON.
For Sport 1t Is Like Ldss0ing q
Small Torpedo.

With the approach Of the season when North-
ern visitors flock to Florida, the thoughts or
many fishermen revert to the lordly tarpon anu
Tie splendid fight he puts up against those VINO
i-tk to captare him.
r>ot al are Izaak Waltons Sitting in q boat
throughout an entire day, holding a slender iine'
he hot rays Cf the seni-tropic sun beating down
upon ones head the while is to the minds or
some men q worse than useless manner OF
spending q Gay. To others, fineing threaolke
line over the foam fecked surface of a pool in
the hope OF catching little speclkled fish which
has not the strength to move a pound bob has
no s2ecial charm. Perhaps, however, they would
enjoy t.rpcn fishing. That is different. 1t is
like conquericg a spirited horse The tarpon
sometimes attains a weight Of 200 pounds and
length of seven feet. 1t has sufficient power
to throw this weight twice its length into the
air. above the surface of the water. Landing
such n fish is the kind of sport that grips man,
for it means subduing a living thing that has
greater power than himself. 1t is the sort OF
sport that leads some foreigners to make Of
New York City simply transfer point on the
way from Europe to the tarpon waters south of
Florida.
The sport consists in subduing the fish and
in watching its acrobatic feats while being made
cetprive For dietary purposes the tarpOn would
take ra>-il with Esqunau any other kind of
dogs. therefore, there is nothing to be gained
by killing the fish and pulling it into the boat
One may have all the sport and even gain the
measurement of the captive, a basis for
future fish stories, without taking its life. When
exhausted. it may be drawn alongside the boat
the tape line applied, the hook Withdrawn and
the fish allowed to take up its life again. A
sore mouth viii be its only memento of the
battle royal, and this will last for only a short
time. The unsportsmanlike thing about tarpon
"sver king his liberty again after the clean
cut fight and the exhibition of lofty tumbng
with which it has entertained the fisherman
The skilful sportsman will use line no heav-
fcr than curtain cord and lightweight rod
and reel. 1t is such outfit as the fish could
destroy if it could get its head The skill lies in
keeping the line taut, allowing it to flow out
through the tip when there is a pun, and wind
ing it in a multiple reel with a speed that
makes the line smoke the instant it falls slack.
The fsherman's object is to keep the great fsh's
head pointed toward the boat. To allow it TO
turn away would be to give it such purchase
the line that it could take the bit in it's
teeth" and run away.
In the efforts TO eject the hook from his mouth
the tarpon performs a series of evoutions in the
air that are the poetry of motion. although many
of the photographs which, after patient and pro-
longed effort, one student of the beautiful fish
has been era bied To secure of it would indicate
the contrary. The shutter of the camera
catches Che image of the fish in perhaps one
fWcntE-fft of the time that is required by the
human eye to perceive it. The photographs