Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1908-04-09
TARPoN TACTICS.
Wonderful Feats. Flights and Leaps Of
the Silver kina.

the Silver King.
In the big pass tarpon can best be
caught from near the bottom Of the
channel and should be fished for with
fifty feet of line and a heavy sinker.
In shallow water the tarpOn leaps
high In air the instant he feels the
hook. but in the pass lie often fights
for minute or two before coming to
the surface More than once when I
had come to fear that my tarpon was
shark he has suddenly shot above
the surface like bullet from gun
and in the first wild shake of his head
| thrown hook and bait fifty feet in the
air, and one even sent four ounce
leaden sinker flying over my head from
nearly twice that distance. Other tar
pom when struck came straight up
from the bottom, one grazing our gum
vale as he rose and another leaping
over the stern of the canoe. AS soon
MS tarpon was tired enough to let us
pull the canoe beside him we removed
| the hook from his mouth and let him
swim home to his family. 1t happened
once that a tarpon was less tired than
we had assumed. On that occasion we
swan home, and he had good man
story to tell his friends.
| 1t had been counted poor year for
tarpon, yet in fifteen consecutive days
of fishing we were fast to forty -four
tarpon, each OF which had jumped for
us from one TO twelve times. This
high water mark Of twelve jumps was
1 made by tarpon which was stlmu-
lated to his later efforts by the pres
encc Of pursuing shark, and the
twelfth jump was double number.
There was commotion In the crimsoned
water. new vlgor at the other end Of
my line, and 1t was an hour later when
finally landed on sand bar q shark
with an aldermanic stomach A knife
drawn across this dlstended organ dis
closed the tarpon in sections. with the
hook still fast in his jaw, and enabled
the camera man to photograph to-
gethcr the subjects he had recently
photographed separately. Although
this shark was only onc-fifth the size
Of our big hammerhead, yet he made
but two bites Of his victim
Our work at Boca Grande ended with
the red letter day Of the season of all
seasons. ! was fishing In the pass with
fifty feet of line and the bait was di
rcctiy under the canoe when tarpon
struck fierccly. quickly carried away q
hundred moro, feet OF line and ther
swan SO swiftly toward us that fear
ed from the loosencd line that he had
escaped. Then. fifty feet from the ca
noe, there shot into the mir giant tar
pom, measuring. as we learned after
ward. an even seven feet Up, up, up
be rose until the camera seemed to bs
pointed ut the zenith, and before th,
ratified camera man could get his ain
the silver king had turned GRACEFUL!
IN the air and was plunglng downward
The captain swears that lie saw, swing
Ing clcnr OF tho water. the ribbon whicl
J marked twenty-five feet on the line n
Il hung plumb down from the tarpon.
Once gave my own estimate Of til
height Of the Jump to group Q
friends and after Il glance at thei
grievcd expressions appealed to the on
Of most experience OH the coast an
with the tarpon. After single me
n ment Of hesitation he remarked firmly
J. I'VE fishermen must stand together
10 ! believe the story."-A. w. DimOck 1
J, Appleton's.