The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-01-16
By EDWARD A. LOUIS

will they believe it," l SAID
to Captain of the Navy Yard 1t.
H. A. lehman, when we saw what
came out of the water with the
combined assistance of the night
Waterman, two yoemen and the
yard skiff at dusk on the eve of
Friday the 18th. They'll think
I'm trying for membership in the
Tall Story Club" I replied when
friend 1t. Tellman said, "Write it
up for The Citizen anyway-it
won't hurt Key West" So here
goes:
I hadn't fished the "yard" but
once since the old "Bagaduce" and
her genial crew left-it was too
lonesome. The fish missed the old
tug as much as we and had depart
ed from Pier B where good schools
of fish used to lie in wait for Cook
Norton's yell at meal times: "Come
and get itw knowing that they
would soon get the scraps.
Jam, 'Beebe" and / fished the
bridge at No Name Key yesterday
with Indifferent luck until about
sunset when i hooked a snapper
weighing about six pounds. was
reeling him in amid great excite
ment from all hands when, with
the fish about twenty feet out
from the bridge, gigantic jew
fish lazily came up and gulped my
fish--which was caught on a No.
40 O'Shaughnessy hook--directly
below US and the rail. The mon
ster jewfish-it measured all of
six feet or more long-carried on
under the bridge and very nautic-
ally, took a turn with the line
around the piling. The steel piano
wire leader broke at the hook loop,
the fish getting away.
"Why don't you try the Navy
Yard?" said jan, as we hurriedly
packed our gear to get in the ear
and away from the maddening
sand-flies. Looking at our lone
some and total catch of one yell
low-tail, caught by herself, JAM
unused, true to the place of her
birth, "I'll bet you get some good
fishing right in Key West in the
yard" "Good ideaw I answer
ed, "I'll keep these mullets and
sardines to bait up with. If any
fish are there, they will be good
and hungry"
Thursday afternoon found me at
Pier B, in the "yard", about an
hour and half before low water
slack, fishing diligently for two
hours without even nibble. Just
as the tide turned to run in, some
thing carried my line under the
dock from the channel, with slow
deliberation. / gave cit all l had"
with due regard to the four
ounce split bamboo rod and twelve
thread line-the rod creaked with
the strain. No use. Whatever
was on the other end, kept going,
still unhurriedIy and at the same
gait--it might have been a slow
moving freight train. / was un-
able to reel in an inch of line. ]
was caught on the spiles, rock or
something and my line was cut.
I rugged up again. this time with
a 90 hook-the other was DO
but put on no lead and remember
ed that / caught the two first
mackerel that way, about this time
last year, in Key West, at the Por-
ter Dock. / put on a generous
piece of cut mullet and "chum-
med" with the rest of the cut
fish. The tide was running in
nicely by then and carried my line
down the channel and alongside
the dock. was caugth again! No!
The line came from under the
dock but the bait was gone. / bait
ed up again--quite deep water
there; the bait sank slowly. "Why
the loop in the line in that strong
tide?" The baited end was going
against the tide! I reeled in the
slack and Lo! I was fast again
to something fishy that slowly
moved up tide and outside but
close to the dock. / struck and
at" nodded back and once more
reeled in a bare line, bare of
steel wire leader, swivels and
hook.
The sun was set to but an orange
glow on the horizon. Cant fish
much longer but what are these
mammoths of the deep, anyway"
l talked to myself. / rugged up
for the third time, putting on the
biggest hook from my tackle box,
Ia No. 100, hand forged and flat
tened oil tempered steel hook. but
put this tackle on my spare and
heavy rod that / had lifted fifty
and sixty pound tarpon and jew
fish out Of the water with, sever
al times recently. ] baited up with
a big hunk of cut mullet and plac-
81 a hfSr zarIsyan an 4ha xsxsrA ~