Evening star., 1925-03-01

high. 1t reaches It's greatest abun-
dance in the northern part of IT'S
range. The kingfish belongs to the
croaker family, which embraces the
weakfishes and sea-drums.
Denizens of Southern Waters.
The different kinds of fishes that
many beautiful colors are not exag-
gerated by artists when drawing
them to illustrate articles in maga-
zines and books on fishing. Many
fishes of the warm sea are chameleon
like In their coloration and take on
the color and hue of their surround
ings for protection.
There is a thrill all its own In the
strike of a tarpon, sailfish or some
of the other big fish to be found IN
Southern waters. Many anglers go
South to fish for the tarpon. others,
equipped with light tackle, prefer the
gameness of the sailfsh. the wahoo
and the bonefish.
The tarpon is abundant In Florida
waters, where hundreds of sportsmen
seek 1t for the thrill and pride of
capture 1t provides. for when caught
with rod and reel, it leaps repeatedly
from the water. endeavoring to free
itself from the hook that is holding
1t. This best known of the larger
game fishes of the sea is blush on
the back, with ite under parts and
sides q wonderful slistening silver.
Little Is known of the breeding habits
of the tarpon, but very young fish
are found in brackish waters, where
they remain until large enough to
enter into the life struggle of the
deep.
The sailfsh Is not only good sport
ing fish, but is of considerable food
value. Caught with light tackle these
gamesters require considerable skill In
the landing. Like the tarpon, when
hooked the sailfish leaps repeatedly
out of the water many feet In the
air 20 free itself Not much ds known
of the use. of the large dorsal I'm,
but 1t is not unusual to see 1t "hoisted"
in the surface dashes after prey.
This remarkably swift fish Is of un-
usual shape. Its large sail-like dorsal
fin and its rapier like spear make
it curiosity much sought after by
the angler.
The marlin fish is a close relative
of the sailfsh and built very much
on the same lines, with its sharp pro-
truding snout, but its dorsal fin is
much smaller. 1t is an excellent food
fish The marlin is not so numerous
as the sailfsh and does not grow to
be as large, but is considered to be
more game and, like the sailfish, leaps
clear Of the water in its struggle for
fire edom.
The bonefish is known as one of the
most interchangeable fighters of the sea,
and anglers will travel hundreds of
miles for an opportunity to match
their skill with. this fish. Its bony
structure is similar to that of the
herring, and, like most fishes. it de-
rives it's name from it's most striking
feature, in this instance an internal
one.
The most feared fish found along the
Atlantic Coast, more SO than the
shark, is the barracuda, called the
tiger of the sea- 1t is very swift in
action and strikes without hesitation
and prey, no matter how large 1t may
be. 1t has been known to attack
bathers and bite off an arm or leg and
to sever with one stroke of its pow Ter :
full jaws almost unbelievably large
fish. Yet this ferocious creature, like
practically all fishes kept in captivity,
becomes docile when properly cared
for.
The groupers represent one of the
largest families of fishes in tropical
and subtropical waters. Some of the
species reach a length of eight to ten
feet and weigh as much as 500 pounds.
The black grouper, one of the
largest of this family, is extremely
cautious in its movement and one of
the most difficult of fishes to land.
When still fishing, this species will
encirc1e the bait for hours before de-
Gliding, to take it, but when it does
strike is vicious and the FISH makes
for the nearest hole in the coral reef.
If 1t reaches a hole it is next to Inn
possible to bring it to the surface
again Trolling is by far the best
way to take the black grouper
The Nassau grouper is another large
member Of the family. 1t inhabits
coral reefs, like other groupers.
During its breeding season 1t congre-
gates in large shoals. The Nassau
species changes color with great facil-
ity, but during the change a black
spot at the base of the tail retains
its deep color, no matter what other
tints may come and go all over its
body.
Then comes the red grouper, not as
large as its other relatives but a
very good food fish and beautiful in
appearance, with habits similar to the
other groupers.