Edward Vom Hofe, Tarpon Angler

Edward Vom Hofe is probably best known for his highly collectable fishing reels, but he was also a crack fisherman during his day. The following letter to the editor and photograph of Vom Hofe was submitted to the journal Forest & Stream in 1906. The letter reads:

Tarpon at Caesar Creek

NEW YORK, Jan. 26.--Editor Forest & Stream:

The photograph is one taken of myself on board the yacht Privateer, which I chartered from Ball Brothers, of Miami, for a cruise around the entire coast of Florida, during the season of 1898. The tarpon in the picture was killed at Caesar Creek, below Miami, and was one of the first fish of the species taken with rod and reel on the east coast of Florida. This fish and two others were taken on the same day, and were taken back to the hotel at Miami and there placed on exhibition, where they aroused a great deal of curiosity; as stated previously, the tarpon was comparatively unknown on the east coast up to that time. Last season, 1905, during the months of April and May, a party of three of us succeeded in landing sixty-three tarpon in this same locality, breaking the record for that coast.

EDWARD VOM HOFE



63 Tarpon? Incredible. I bet they were all taken on Vom Hofe reels too.

--Dr. Todd