Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-04-26
LANDING A FISH.
Catching an Amber Jack Down In
Florida.

Catching an Amber Jack Down IN
Florida.
The boatman Is telling Of certain
catches he has seen when, like an
electric shock, comes the sharp stac-
cato of the click. There is no mis-
taking 1t; no tide rip here. And see!
look! the line stiffens, straightens out
like wire, trembles second, throw
Ing the water in crystal drops, and
then the game is given the butt and
the reel screams, high and low, as
the unknown jerks the line away IN
long and splendid bursts OF speed.
There Is alwa-c 4 . t'7~'-~At that 1t
may be = : ~, or so-,e not
desired vermin, but you have taken
the amber jack before and its sturdy
cousin of the California Island and
there is no mistake about it.
Springing to your feet with the butt
OF the rod firmly in the leather SOCK
ct around your waist, you see what
a game fish can do; what splendid
strength he brings into play as ne
races away, dragging the line from
beneath your thumb and the heavy
brake seemingly playing with 1t.
Fifty, 100, 200 feet of line slip away
before the fish is stopped, and then 1t
appears to strike heavy determined
blows at the rod, sweeping around In
splendid half circle, the line cutting
the water and the fish rising with
peculiar motion.
Amber jacks have been hooked here
that no man could stop, in the IAN
guage Of the boatman, they simply
walked away with the line," then
when the end came never stopped;
and there Is seemingly no limit to the
powers Of this fellow.
The angler has a start, the thumb
brake Of leather stops the run and the
big reel begins the pitiless work, and
while the jack races he is insensibly
coming in all the time. More than
once he realizes this and plunges
down, and IL the water is deep enough
sulks and bores like salmon and
with ten times its force. But the
water is comparatively shallow, and
the game can only break away and
dash off fifty feet, to be checked again
and again. But it never really sur
renders, never really discovers that
It Is in the tolls Like its cousin, the
California yellowtail, 1t fights until
It is in the boat, and even then
have seen a fish double and send It
self whirling out of barrel into the
freedom Of the sea.
The angler can now see the jack as
1t races around the boat, and the black
b6atman fingers his gaff ready to give
1t the quietus. Nearly thirty minutes
have slipped away, and the attempts
Of the oarsman to keep the angler
stern first to the fish and the powerful
rushes have carried the boat out from
shore where the fish has plenty OF
water. The man at the rod begins
to feel that he has earned his fish. In
boxing, fencing or broadsword play
there is ''let-up," time for rest, but
in this duel with the amber jack it is
all one round, and arms and fingers
are stiff and ache. Pressing the thumb
on a leather pad for half an hour,
holding a stiff rod in one position, 10
deadly and the amber jack appears to
have taken his second wind. Perhaps
there is third wind for amber jacks,
as suddenly, when coursing along at
the surface, he apparently sees the
boat and goes crazy, plunging down to
the mad acclaim of the reel, tearing
off the hardly won line and carrying
despair into the anglers soul.
But this is the beginning of the end,
and holding the rod and line firmly the
angler dips the point to the surface
and lifts, "mans the pumps lifts
for all he is worth. gains three feet
on the sulker, then, dropping the tip.
reels rapidly; and so. ever repeating
the trick-the only remedy when fishes
will sulk-he gains his lost line and
has the splendid fish in sight again.
There is fash of silver, yellow and
green, display of surface below the
resilient rod, then the reel works 1t
on the quarter, and as the patch OF
color surges kissing along, the negro
gaffer drops his weapon quietly under
the fish and lifts him just under the
| eills, holds him firniy for moment
while the spray and spume fly. then,
depressing the rail. he slides the gal