Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-17
Spearing Sturgeon.
Its Pleasures and Dangers.

With the exception of the great Canadian rivers, San Francisco harbor can boast of Q larger variety of big fish than any other sheet
 of water on the continent. The sloughs in
 the vicinity of Newark and Alviso on one side
 of the bay, and San Mateo and Redwood City
 on the other, abound in sturgeon, but it is only this year that the fertile brain of the
 sportsman has devised new and interesting means of capturing them which has raised them to the level of game fish. It is the most exciting pastime that the amateur can indulge in staying the sturgeon as he should be slain,
 with keen spear and a tub of clear line be- hind it, and strong arm to send the barb
 well home. It has just enough of dagger in 1t to make the harpooner's pulses quicken when he poises himself for the throw, and his crew rest anxlously on their oars to await the result of his aim.
 The English sturgeon is mentioned in Brit ish books as royal fish, and, though he differs from his California brother, taking him with the spear may rightfully be entitled royal sport. Those who would try their
 skill with the sturgeon must provide first good spear. One of the improved harpoon model is best, where the spear works on 8 | joint, the foremost part swinging athwart the wound as soon as the fish is struck, and rare- 1 1y, if ever, dragged out. The Julian spear, | where the top becomes altogether detached I from the shaft, if strong enough, has been 1 found to answer nearly as well as the har- poon. But if neither of these can be obtain l ed the sportsman must content himself with having spear made, one with broad solid barbs, and on no account venture on hunt l with the pronged spear or grains, which are only good for small fish. Into this iron a | tough but not heavy ash shaft must be fitted planned so as to balance well. Now, having I his spear, if he has never cast one, a little practice to get the hang of the weapon will | be useful. When he becomes accustomed to l the balance and finds that he can make a pretty accurate cast at fifteen or twenty feet l he may look out for his line. A quarter inch l strong cotton, about one hundred and fifty feet in length, will be the thing, and this must l be stretched and restretched till not kink l remains and it is as smooth and flexible as 1 silk pocket handkerchief. An ordinary lance
 or two to give his fish the coup de grace may
 be added to the outfit A tub in which to 1 coil his line is indispensable, and this coil | must be as clear and as carefully laid down ! as a sailors Sunday Flemish" on the quar- l terdeck.
 ! good, heavy Whitehall boat with two 1 oarsmen, the tub with the line placed nearly 1 amidships, the line led through @ well greas- l ed becket in the nose of the boat, the spear | man standing with his weapon in the bow, a | cleat to make the line fast to where the fish l gives any slack, and the sturgeon fisher is ! ready for his prey. From now until August ! or the middle or September is the season for I sturgeon. They can be found at about half ! 1 and estuaries of the bay in shallow water. At 1 the mouth of Alviso slough they lie in great | abundance, the back fin out of water, and the 1 difficulty in this locality is for the spearman 1 to cast his iron without getting into one. 1 When on the ground the spearman must di-
 rect his rowers to pull along gently-no l splashing or talking. When within ten or
 twelve feet he launches his weapon, and the | sturgeon, with one preliminary swallow, 1 darts away, while the line, fake after fake, spins out of the tub. When the bow oar
 takes turn with the line the party can give
 any steamboat on the bay big odds and dis
 tance it. Sometimes the fish, if badly hurt, 1 eases up after mile or so, and then if the fight is all out of him the lance will put an
 end to his troubles. A light axe to cut the
 line if the sturgeon shows an inclination to take the party out of Golden Gate is neces-
 sary part of the spearman's tackle, but amile
 or less will nearly always give him enough of | it. Sturgeon from one hundred to three
 hundred pounds and the stingaree, fat-fsh,
 which also runs very large, may be killed in
 this manner. Last week party tried their
 luck down the bay, and in short time speared
 and secured three sturgeon, the largest weigh
 imp upward of three hundred pounds, and 1 two stingarees, one of the latter measuring
 over three feet across the fippers. One
 monster sturgeon, about sixteen feet in length,
 was missed by the spearsman. Another party tried the Alviso slough and had mag
 nifcent sport, killing eight fish, one of which | ran with them over two miles.