The Miami Metropolitan Fishing Tournament

One of the legendary fishing events of the middle portion of the twentieth century was the Metropolitan Miami Fishing Tournament. Home to such famous anglers as Erl Roman (Miami outdoor writer and Miami University professor), Harold Lemaster (L&S Bait Co. owner), and Frank O'Brien (of Tycoon Tackle fame), the Metro was heavily advertised and very well attended. The Rod & Reel Club trophy was awarded to the heaviest sailfish. For many years, the legendary Joe Brooks was the director of the Miami Metropolitan Fishing Tournament, in addition to his duties as outdoor editor of the Miami Herald.

Here is a look at one way the Metro advertised their tournament. It's an envelope for the 1948 Metro sent on "Pisces Day" and featuring a lovely leaping billfish. Inside was the carded invitation to fish featuring a pin-up model and saltwater fishing rig.





It's a rather nice combo to find, and a neat piece of Florida and saltwater fishing history.

-- Dr. Todd

Saltwater Fishing ca. 1858

Saltwater Fishing ca. 1858

I found this awesome piece while doing research in an 1858 Harper's Magazine. It shows pre-Civil War saltwater fishing, which in itself is a fairly rare thing. It is also pretty funny (and pretty accurate) even by today's standards! Gudgeon, by the way, was a figure used by the magazine to illustrate a number of such scenes (Gudgeon Takes A Train West, etc. etc.).











-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Larry St. John, Part II

Woods and Waters
by Larry St. John

Catalina Record Fish, Part II
Mr. Spalding took two the same day, but came under the weights taken by his wife, his tunas weighing 108 3/4 and 92 3/4 pounds. Two 100 pound fish in one day is a feat that no other woman has accomplished, even in Catalina waters.

However, Mrs. Spalding was after larger game and a few days later landed the largest tuna brought to gaff on rod and reel by any angler in ten years. when officially weighed on the Tuna club's scales, it flipped them at 165 pounds. Proudly she slept on her record that night, as well she might. The whole little island city of Avalon talked about the remarkable catch.

The next morning Mrs. Spalding was told at breakfast that her record had already been broken. Capt. George Farensworth, near midnight, had brought in a 198 1/2 pound tuna and captured a twenty year record.

But Mrs. Spalding kept on fishing and her record includes four blue ribbon tuna. Mr. Spalding achieved the rare feat of winning in one season the Tuna club button for tuna, marlin, and broadbill.


Mrs. Keith Spalding showing off a record marlin in Feb. 1922 (sorry for poor quality--it is a scan of a terrible 20-year old photocopy)

Then, to set a fair example to the members of the Tuna club, the president of the club, J.A. Coxe, set out fishing one bright day. He brought in seven button winning tunas and a 372 pound marlin swordfish--a new world's record marlin.

Another notable catch made during the season was a twenty-five pound yellow tail, caught by a dainty Chicago bride, Mrs. Harold Pixley.

All button winning fishes caught at Catalina are weighed by officials of the club and are caught on regulation tackle. Yellow tail of twenty pounds, caught on regulation light takle--rods with six ounce tips and line testing not over 18 pounds--are awarded bronze buttons, while thirty and forty pounders get silver and gold buttons, respectively. The club also award buttons for tuna over 100 pounds.

The record blue-fin or leaping tuna is a 251 pound fish, caught more than twenty years ago. The second largest was a 216 pounder, also taken many years ago by an anglerette, but Mrs. Spalding's tuna is probably the second largest ever landed by a woman.

--Dr. Todd

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