Morning journal and courier., 1888-07-13
THE TIGER OF CAME FISH.
The Barracuda a Bigger and Bette
 Fighter than the Salmon.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.l
 'sLook outl Shove her up in the wind or it will haul me over" This from red-faced fisherman bending over the stern of the flying boat and clinging to the taut line with des- peration.
 Up shot the yacht in the wind, and amid the thunder of the beating sail a big fish, the gamy barracuda, was coaxed aboard. A salmon in the Restigouche never made bet ter fight, and our red-faced friends face grew redder. Now the fish was high in the | air, shooting several feet like an arrow, glis- | tening and gleaming like molten silver. \ while the crystal drops flew away, veritable gems in their iridescence. Now he was un- der, dashing toward the boat now away, | bringing the line up with 8 sounding thud, diving deep into the blue sea, ugly, vicious, desperate, cunning, and maddened, all at once. But the hook is good and the line strong, and finally the long, 1.-the, animated arrow is lifted quickly and dances it's last ftheel and toe'' upon the deck-a beauty over four feet long, heavier add stouter than many.
 ''I've tackled barracuda" said the fsher- man, who was lawyer when at home, Sin about every water where they live, but that chap gave me the best fight ever had. It wouldn't have taken much more to have pulled me over"
 Barracuda fishing is to Southern California what blue fishing is to the East, and as. has been suggested, good big, stocky fish is capable of producing sport, and in it's breaks, dives, and struggles reminds one of the sal- mon
 The season for barracuda is fairly in, and thousands of the beautiful creatures, with their sharp fangs and brilliant eyes, are taken to market and sold in all the towns in Los Angeles county.
 The barracuda is to those who never see it except on the bill of fare a fish somewhat resembling pike or pickerel, ranging from four to six feet in length, with pointed snout, wide, hideous mouth, armed with fang-like teeth, long, tapering body, blue black, with iridescent tints, grading off into gleaming silver below The fish, known to science as the Sphyr@na barracuda, is arrow- shaped, powerful, agile and savage, the tiger of it's kind, and delicious when well cooked, which means broiled over hot coals. It has wide geographical range, but is met with in the greatest numbers on the edge of and in the tropics. The writer first fshed for it in the Gulf of Mexico, north of Yucatan and along the Florida reef near Havana, where it is much larger than here. The southern California fish averages three or four feet in length and is slender, while that of the Gulf of Mexico ranges up to five and six feet and over, and is very heavy.
 The boat has fallen away again and three lines are out. The trade wind has freshened, and gunwale under we are taking everything
 
 baits, with their fringe-like tentacles, ever and anon leap out of the water, so that it would be 8 very prosaie barracuda who could resist it.
 "Last year," said another of the party, 'sas I was just off the point of the island wonder, I had a most curious experience with fish. I had just taken one in and baited, and was about to throw over, in fact was swinging my bait, when saw something flash, and then I received knock on the side of my head that about laid me out. In fact did drop into the bottom of the boat, and | with me went a big five-foot barracuda. He had either seen my bait accidentally jumped from the water and taken me fairly on the side of the head"
 "That's nothing," began the man at the l helm, but here vicious. jerk came on line, and second later gleaming, slvery arrow sDrang into the air, shook itself violently and fell back to rush this way and that | The fish was in sight, it's sides gleaming, when suddenly the line slacked. ''He's gone by the eternal" shouted the fisherman, ! hauling in the line. "No, he isn't yet" and | here he held up his hook, and upon 1t was ! the head and about six inches of the late | barracuda. Its eyes were still gleaming, and it had hardly realized that it's body had dis. appeared. ''What does this mean?' asked l the fisherman. "Sharks," replied the skip. per; 'I'ye had school follow me for !
 whole day and take about half the fish | caught. Sometimes one barracuda will take l hold of another, but that's rare." The barracuda is to our mind the best edi' ble fish in these waters, but. like the quail | it is often ruined in the cooking.
 It should be broiled over hot coals, anc | can be served in many ways with native 1 white wine or condiments to the taste. In many waters the barracuda is not fit tS eat Around Havana, in the immediate vi | cinity of the city, it is often poisonous tt many. Old fishermen considered this due tt | copper in the water, the flesh turning greer when cooked, but the reason is to be found elsewhere. On American shores it is always one of the finest game and food fishes.