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WONDERFUL FISHING IN FLORIDA Great Gams Fish to Bo Caught Off Miami in the Gulf Streams Edge. The sailfish. caught in Miami waters, is easily the king of game fish, for he is a fair top water fighter and strikes in all kinds of weatlier and in all seasons of the year and can always be found cruising up and down the edge of the Gulf Stream. He is shaped much like the marlin swordfish of Catalina fame and. like him. is full of fighting vigor, yet much more beautiful because of his long blue and gold and purple spotted dorsal fin, often four feet long by three feet wide. The proper method of angling for this beauty was discovered by Judge J. F. Dempsey, president of the Miami Anglers Club, who hails from Madison-ville, Ky., and who advocates the use of the nine-strand line and six-ounce tip rod. The sailfish has fooled anglers for years, as he never really strikes the bait hard the first time. He has a long bill, often over two feet in length, uid a small bony mouth. When he first sees the bait he swims carefully around it and seizes it gently from the side, giving it a squeeze to kill it, and then, when he thinks it is dead, he seizes it again and. if it is not moving, will swallow it. Immediately on feeling the first touch on his line the angler should release about fifty feet of line quickly, so that the bait will not be pulled along by the boat, and when he feels the next touch, if it is strong, strike quickly. He must not have much tension on his line, for the sailfish once hooked win make a long rush and then leap into the air, and if the tension is strong a broken line will be the result. The1 fish has been known to leap as many as thirty times into the air. It sometimes skids on its tail, often for fifty feet. When a sailfish is hooked the boat should be circled around slowly until the fish is tired, which is usually after a battle of an hour. Forty-five beautiful sailfish were mounted and sent north by members of the Miami Anglers Club the past season. NEW TIGER OF THE SEAS. The barracuda is losing his place as the tiger of the seas to the wahoo, a vicious fighter and somewhat peculiar, having a head like a kingfish and small teeth, those of the under jaw being sharp and pointed, while in the upper jaw they are like those of a dog. He has a long dorsal fin, but it is not broad like a sailfish, and his tail is like that of an amberjack. When he is in the water, broad brown stripes running entirely around his body can be seen, but within a minute after he is taken out they disappear, and he is clear blue. He lias no scales. When he strikes he makes a straight rush of about six hundred feet and then straight down sixty to one hundred feet. The angler must then pump hard "before he will come up. Then look out for another long rush. Every second is a fight, for he will not quit until completely exhausted and the angler is about tired out. Both the wahoo and sailfish are caught only in the Gulf Stream, which is only about four miles from Miami Beach. Next in order of the Gulf Stream beauties and fighters is the bluefin tuna, which, until the opening of the Panama Canal, was unknown in Miami waters, but plentiful around the Catalinas. They are usually found in pairs, and both strike simultaneously if two lines arc in the water. From month to month the anglers are catching larger and larger tunas, and are now looking forward to the time in "the near future when one-hundred-pounders will be brought to gaff. Former Governor Martin Glynn of New York, was crowned king of the tunas by the club last season, W. G. Duncan of .Greenville, Ky., took the honors for salfish and W. C. Buckelcw of Miami for wahoo. BEAUTY PRIZE TO THE DOLPHIN. The dolphin easily outshines the other game fish in point of beauty, for when he is in the water ho is a brilliant green, gold and blue. He is long and slim, with a peculiar, large, slim head and a small mouth. When hooked he rushes around in a large circle. The bonita is next and is a game little fellow, running about twelve pounds in weight. He is shaped like a tuna, but has smaller eyes and is not so brilliant in color. The bonita is broad across the head and tapers to almost pencil thickness at the tail. The amberjack, like the barracuda, kingfish and mackerel, is usually found cruising back and forth across the reefs and in from twenty-five to lifty feet of -water. He is broad of back, tapering at the tail and is gray brown in color. He is a powerful fighter and fights deep. A fair-sized amberjack will weigh sixty pounds. The barracuda, caught in plentiful numbers on the reefs, is an ugly customer, running from three to ten feet in length, gray in color, with black-spots on his side, and shaped like the northern "musky." He has a mouth full of dog-like fangs and will lean and rush madly when hooked. The angler should keep hands and feet clear of this fellow when lie is in the boat. The Gulf Stream at Miami is continually giving the anglers new mysteries to solve in the way of unknown species of fish and marine monsters, as, for illustration, an experience of S. M. Seymour of New York, vice-president of the club, which happened in March, 1319. AVhen out after sailfish he saw something agitating the water about fifty feet ahead of his boat. Getting his harpoon out, he ordered his captain to run up close and they saw a black body rolling on the waves. GREAT BLACKFISH OF 2,500 POUNDS. Soon a spout of water -was seen coming from the back of the fish, like a whale spouting. The harpoon soon whizzed through the air and the lilly iron buried itself deep in the monster; but expert though the angler was, he had met his master, for lie had harpooned a giant blackfish weighing about 2,500 pounds, and the harpoon line has yet to be made that will hold this fellow when he is mad, hence harpoon line, lilly iron and all were soon on their way to the Bahamas. Many of these huge fellows were seen by the anglers during the winter and next season they say they are going to land one, even if it tows them to Italy. 4 Loggerhead and hawkbill turtles are a commou sight, lazily drifting with the Gulf Stream. The sawfish is another curiosity, but is fjund usually in muddy bays and Inlets. He is dangerous, having a bill often more than five feet in length, lined on each side with sharp teeth from one to two inches long and about half an inch apart. When harpooned he rushes madly off with his long bony bill waving in the air, and the boat must be kept cut of his path or both boat and angler may have an untimely end. William Farnum, of Fox Film fame, and one of the clubs harpoon experts, fought one of these monsters to a .finish last winter and the thousand-pound sawfish was brought to Miami after a battle lasting four hours. Among the shark family the huge hammerhead is king and many of these big fellows have fallen to Continued ou fourth page. WONDERFUL FISHING IN FLORIDA Continued from second page. the skill of Capt. Charles II. Thompson, who is considered the worlds champion harpoon expert. The leopard shark is not so large, but is a vicious fighter and a faster swimmer. In appearance the "devilfish" caught in Miami waters is perhaps the most curious of the deep sea monsters, as well as the heaviest, often weighing over three thousand pounds. To the skill of Dr. Harry A. Lawton of Miami and Commodore Charles Ko teller of Detroit two of these monsters fell the past season. The octopus is often hooked but seldom landed, for the anglers have no desire to make the acquaintance of his long tentacles. Per pound the Anglers Club challenges the world to produce a fish that has equal ability with the bouefish. This fish is caught on the banks of the many keys in Biscayne Bay and usually on an outgoing tide. He feeds on hermit crabs, and the angler must use extra caution, for he is extremely wan. He will be seen coming with his tail iu the air and head down looking for the little crabs and other bottom feed. The angler must make a long, perfect cast ahead of him and then, perhaps, wait ten minutes, scarcely breathing, but when this little eight or ten-pounder strikes, "Oh boy!" Zing goes the line as he leaps, dives, rushes and plays every known stunt to shake loose. First, he will make a straight rush of about 500 feet, then Jump and turn, and all with lightuinglike rapidity, and be will not give up the fight until dead. R. O. Meeker of Baltimore and Miami won the laurels of the club for bonefish la the winter season, closely seconded by Huston Wyeth of St. Joseph, Mo. The silver king, or tarp"on, has many tricks up his sleeve and the novice should consult an experienced angler before tackling this big fellow, or he will have only broken tackle for his pains. In angling he must study the tides and the habits of the fish. Hundreds of them may be seen "milling" around near the surface of the water, and yet the angler may not get a strike, for the tarpoon is a bottom feeder and, until he sinks down, it is useless to try for him. The angler should come up to the school on the windward and let his bait sink down where lie sees bubbles coming up, for that indicates a fish is feeding on the bottom. He must be quick to strike, and strike hard, when he feels a tug on his Hue, and then look out for the leap in the air, which usually follows. Then he must not have too much tension on his reel, or the line will snap. Fight the fish until he tires out, give liim plenty of line when he rushes and quickly tighten up when he comes iu the air and shakes his head, or your bait will go one way and the fish the other. Do not be in a hurry to gaff him, for you never know just how much light there is left in a tarpon. The clubs tarpon champion is W. Ashby Jones of Ware Neck, Va., who landed many weighing up to 200 pounds. In May, 1919, several weighing around 125 pounds were caught, a 154-pounder being brought in to Miami by J. O. Harley, the bass expert of the club. Tweuty-one-strand lines and twelve-ounce tip rods are used by the members for the silver kings. During January, February and March fifty-two tarpon were brought to the club, caught principally in New River, twenty miles north of Miami, the first two of the winter season being caught by J. B. Farquhar of Chicago and Louis N. Hilsendegen of Detroit. Cbas. OConnor in American Field.
