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BUSY FLORIDA ANGLERS Northern Seekers of Southern Big Game Fish Gathering for Sport. Acrobatic Tarpon Chiefly Sought Records of Big Fish Since 1012. BOCA GRANDE, Fin., January 27. Since the advent of the new year anglers from northern states have been arriving daily for the wonderful winter fishing that Florida alone can give. The principal fish is, of course, the. tarpon, also called the silver king. March 1 is the average date for taking the first tarpon. They arc, in fact, plentiful in this month, and even earlier, but it requires patience and skill to tempt them to strike while there is a chill on the water. Tarpon, acrobats of the -sea. are frequently taken in February, and fair catches are made in March, but April and May are the tarpon months. During the real season there is not a day that von cannot get tarpon fishing around XTseppa Island. There is deep fishing with cut bait in Boca Grande Pass, both deep fishing and trolling with spoons in Captiva Pass and still-fishing on the flats. 1seppa. lying about midway between the two passes, offers the option of fishing either. Northerly winds frequently make Boca Grande too rough for small boats, but at such times Captiva can still be reached and fished in comfort, while numerous sheltered flats permit still-fishing in any weather. It was in these waters that Edward von Hofe of New York took his worlds record tarpon on rod and reel,, a specimen of 210 pounds. Also Benjamin W. Crowninshield set a new record for tarpon in these waters, twenty-five in one day, from sunup to sundown. RECORDS OF BIG FISH SINCE 1912. Since the organization of the Izaak Walton Club in 1912, which offers a silver button to each member taking a tarpon and a gold button for a fish of not less than 100 pounds, some big tarpons have been taken on rod and reel and 18 thread line, which are the- only tackle requirements of the club to obtain buttons. The record shows the largest tarpon since the organization of the club to be as follows: 1913, Miss Nan C. Hunt, 1S7 pounds; 1914, Mrs. C. B. M. Hawlev, 154 pounds; 1915, F. B. Crowninshield, 182 pounds; 1910, Lewis Bremer, Jr.. 1S4 pounds; 1917, John Law Kerr, ICS pounds, and J1R ,Tor.u lclstrocin.,.17: pounds. Devilfish, sliarh.4, jvWfiuh. poi-poise anil shwfisil offer thrilling encounters for those who desire the thrills that go with big game fishes. Edward P. Hiltz holds the record for devilfish and shark, the devilfish weighing 1,300 pounds and the shark 585 pounds. Joseph W. Stray of Brooklyn, N. Y., took the largest jewfish, a specimen weighing 300 nounds. The record porpoise "was taken by J. A. Cornelius and weighed 2li7 pounds. The largest sawfish was caught by David Auld, a specimen i weighing 483 pounds. I The waters around Useppa are filled with a wonderful variety of small fish, which afford sport on light tackle from January on. Sea trout and Spanish mackerel are in abundance. They take cut bait, minnows or spoon, and in the warmer months strike the fly greedily. Grouper, snapper, channel bass and jacks running from two to thirty pounds are in the passes and will strike freely at all times. GOOD SPORT WITH LIGHT TACKLE. For pure sport on light tackle there is the dainty ladyfish and the voracious snook. They take both spoon and bait, and when struck jump clear of the water and fight as viciously as a tarpon of the same size. The ladyfish run from two to six pounds and is the quickest thing that swims. The snook runs up to twelve pounds, and while not iiuite so quick makes brilliant runs and jumps. The mackerel shark, running up to seventy-five pounds, is another wicked fighter that rivals the tarpon in high jumps and long runs. Perhaps no fisli is more spectacular than the gamy kiugfish. which will go to fifty pounds and always takes its prey on the run. When feeding on the surface this fish will jump five to twenty feet in the air with the bait in its mouth, hitting the water again with a rush that is hard to stop. B. V. Williamson holds the record of the Izaak Walton Club for the heaviest kingfish, his fish weighing forty-four pounds. One peculiarity of these waters is that one need never return from the passes empty-handed. Even when the tarpon do not strike you will take enough of the above-mentioned fish to round out a days sport on your tarpon tackle. Your equipment should contain a complete tarpon outfit a variety of light rods, flies, and by all means a harpoon for shark, porpoise, turtle, sawfish anil devilfish. The tackle used for tarpon fishing consists of a ten to fifteen ounce rod, 200 yards of No. IS to 27 c-uttyhunk line and a suitable reel, which should be equipped with, botli an automatic handle drag and a leather thumb brake. A No. 10 to 11 tarpon hook attached to a six foot piano wire leader by about four inches of bronze chain completes the outfit. The bait commonly used is a piece of mullet about six inches long and one and a half inches wide. No. 7 Sam and .Wilson spoons are used for trolling, while the common blue crab is a killing liait late in the season.
