The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-04

| good record and most pleasant time
You may have caught many fish, from
the gamey brook trout to the lusty black
bass and muscalunge, but If you have
never landed one of those 150-pound tar
pom on the west coast of Florida you
have really never experienced what it is
TO go a-fishing. At Sarasota the angler
can crowd more pleasure into a few days
outing than anywhere else | know of.
The season commences there for tarpon
the fiji It of April and lasts until the first
of August, but many fine catches of other
Ash can be had at all seasons of the
year In June the Tarpon are caught in
the morning hours of the day and the
smaller fish in the afternoon, though tar
pom are often caught on moonlight
nights.
The Hotel Halton, DR.. ]. H. Halton,
proprietor. is situated right on the inner
bay, and naptha launches, boats and
boatsmen. at reasonable cost, are there
for the convenience of the guests of the
hotel Everything will be done by that
genial gentleman and host to make your
stay pleasant and successful. The bay,
of which a beautiful view can be had
from the veranda of the hotel, abounds
in all sorts of gamey fish and sometimes
tarpon are caught in the passes, though
the best tarpon fishing is outside of the
passes In the gulf. 1t is only question
of the tides and weather as to the result
of the catch. both for tarpon and smaller
fish, but in that genial cline there are
but few days that one cannot go fish
ing and have the pleasure and SAUSAGE
ton of saying to his boatman, Lets
quit have had enough"
If you want to go for iarpon then you
must prepare yourself with tackle suit
able for such gamey fsh, for both
tackle and the strength of the angler
will be sorely tried when fish Is hooked.
The angler must provide himself with
short stubby rod, at least feet inches
long, of Lakewood or greenheart, well
wrapped. with an 1s-inch butt and 5-foot
tip. A suitable reel that will hold not
less than 250 yards of 81 thread line, but
the novice should try 80 thread line
until he gets on to the curves of the
fishing, for he will need a strong line
/ and much care If he would land his
! fish, though tarpon up to 80 pounds have
been landed there by Mr.. G. H. Black
burn. a skilled fisherman, on a 6-ounce
| tip and a thread line. Seeing is belleV-
| ing for I saw him do it. Tarpon club
| is being formed there under similar
| rules to that of the Arkansas Pass Iar-
/ pom club to encourage light tackle and
| skill In fishing He should also have put
| on his reel patent drag, which he can
| purchase from Mr.. Blackburn. and
which he will find indispensable in help
| ing him to land the big fellows, as this
drag prevents over-running of the line
| and aids in keeping a tight line at all
times on the fish With this equipment
| an extra line and a half dozen hooks
mounted on timed piano wire, the angler
| is ready for business. Tackle, however,
can be rented from Mr. Blackburn if the
| angler is not so provided
If the angler is lucky enough to secure
| the services of the genial boatman, Paul
| MOBILES, to take him for tarpon, the next
morning an early start must be made,
! as he believes in being on the fishing
grounds at the right time. In other
words Paul believes that the early bird
catches the fish. The start is made at 4
a. m, in the launch which lows the
number of boats with anglers and boat
men that will fish on the grounds. 1t is
run through the passes out into Il gulf
! until the tarpon are seen feeding, wnen 1t
is anchored and the anglers get into the
! smaller boats, each man with his boat
! man and gaffer, and the real fishing COM
mences. 1t is useless to expatiate on the
| feelings of the angler with rod in hand
Just at this moment when the fishing
| has really commenced. The sum- the her
aid of the day. is just peeping above the
horizon; the surrounding sea of a deep
sapphire blue with the different shadows
! of clouds playing upon its surface.
/ There is no sound but the ceaseless
murmur of the surf breaking on the dis
tant shore, or perhaps the swish or
! blowing of some monster of the deep
! The heave of the swell like the rise and
( fall of a troubled womans breast, sweeps
rolling in from the gulf. The clouds
: have that glorious violet tint that IS
given them by the first kiss of the rising
sun. Oh. the pleasure of this moment to
| the hard-worked mortal who has stolen
these hours from business cares. Few
, have the chance to enjoy this exquisite
! pleasure, to gaze upon such a scene
| such a sunrise as this.
| In the meantime the boatman has cut
from the belly of mullet long strip
| In the shape of a fish, which he puts on
his hook. You reel off 70 feet of line be-
hind the boat, taking care that the
small sharks do not take the bait from
the hook. The boatman starts to row
and the angler trolls, with his face to
the rear of the boat, the rod well down.
| Soon the boatman says There thew
are" and heads the boat for the great
school of tarpon which are swimming
and feeding to the windward. The fish
are Of every size and weight, rising to
the top of the water in great turning
SWoopS, the water churned to spray by
their gambols and leaps. Some leap
clear out of the water. There are really
| acres of them. The boatman heads his
| boat right through the school Now
! look out" he says. The angler tightens
! his hold upon the rod and presses with
firm pressure upon the thumb pad on
his reel Suddenly there is a tightening
| of his line, a kind of snagging feeling
comes to the nerves of the angler, the
reel commences to stretch and then he
realizes that he has hooked his fish, for
the line is going off the reel at tre-
| mendous rate. Notwithstanding the
heavy drag put upon It, until $50, 200 and
even 800 feet are gone, and 1t commences
| to look as though all the line will be
taken from the reel stop him, stop
him." cries the boatman, as he rows
with frantic effort to aid, by the pull Or
the boat the drag on the fish. At last
the strain put upon the fish by drag and
thumb stall stops him. and then up into
the air rises the grand and beautiful
creature in a great curving leap. He
| shakes his massive head from side to
side and curves his body in convulsive
springs in his efforts to throw the hook
from his mouth. The sight is a wonder
full and awe-inspirng one. The sun
shine glistens on his silvery scales and
the water, as 1t falls from him, looks
like so many Jewels broadcast. Then
down he goes. another rush and he i~ IN
in the air again, and this is repeated in
some cases, as often as eight tirnes
Then II you have your fish well hooked
the real fight commences. The strain on
your line and tackle is tremendous The
line sings like harp string atuned to a