Evening star., 1893-12-04
FISHING FOR OCTOPUS.
How They Are Caught with Flies Out
On PUGET Sound.

How They Are Caught With Flies On,
On Puget Sound.
Fly fishing for the octopus is a pleasing
novelty in the gentle art of angling.as prac
ticed in Puget sound. Although this hor.
rid cuttlefish in such high latitudes does moi
| attain the monstrous size 1t reaches in trop
lcal or even semi-tropical waters, the aver
age weight Of those along the shores OF
Washington state is great enough to make
the sport both exciting and dangerous.
Well named the "devilfsh," this hideous
| marine animal, when hauled upon the deck
| or the fishing sloop, presented, even when
| OF relatively Insignificant proportions-say
| twenty pounds appearance the reverse
or confidence inspiring. 1t is easy enough
to catch them. and after you get the hang
or the thing, safe enough to handle them
with tackle. The boat, with only sail
enough to keep steerage way, is guided
over spots where the octopus lies in wait
under shelving rocks for his prey. AS with
the sponge fisherman in southern waters,
headless barrel, half submerged in an up
right position, is lashed to the bottom of
the boat, and a boatman, thrusting his
head into this barrel, scans the bottom
closely with practiced eye, undistracted by
the reflected glare from the surface of the
surrounding water. With this simple de-
vice. says the New York Recorder, 1T is
possible to see distinctly objects at a con-
siderable depth
At a signal from the man on the lookout
the boat is brought up into the wind and
held stationary while preparations are
speedily made to hook his octopusship,
which has been sighted lying on the bot
tom, hideous and still, save for a reaching,
swaylng movement of one or more of it's
arms or feelers. A long sounding line is
run through pulley at the end of a boom
swinging over the side. a piece of stout
white canvas is made fast at the end for a
lure, and the fun begins.
Directed by the man in the barrel. the
canvas fly" is lowered to within a few
feet of the lurking devilfish, and kept con-
stantly in motion by a series of sharp
jerks, care being taken not to let 1t come
within reach of the fish while he retains
his position on the bottom, else 1t would be
impossible to tear 1t loose from it's anchor
age, such Is the immense strength exerted
by the suction disks with which it's eight
arms or legs are plentifully supplied.
The men at the rope are warned by the
watcher of the signs of increasing interest
manifested by the octopus, and when at
last 1t makes spring for the tantalizing
lure and closes it's beaklike Jaws upon the
piece of rag, strong arms heave in the line
and the squirming organism, looking all
arms and tentacles. is hoisted to the end
of the outraged boom.
1t is an operation requiring tact, prompt
ness and skill. for the creature must not
come in contact with the hull of the boat,
to which it would attach itself like an un-
wieldly barnacle until such time as it suit
cd ifS r,ln lat,r
indefinite for the comfort OF either skipper
or crew.
Once dangling at the boom end, however
II Is virtually secured, tor surrender its hold
on the drag IL will not. The octopus holds
fast to all 1t gets with a pertinacity which
shames even the trusts and monopolies.
which have been likened to it. Now, how
ever, the animals own tenacity is turned
against it, and this very quality made to
assist in landing its possessor at the final
stage. Boat hooks and poles are thrust to-
ward it, and when il has fastened its unre-
laXing grip upon these IL is swung inboard,
hurled upon the deck, and dispatched with
an AK.
No description can give an idea of the hid
eousness OF this creature. To grasp 1t in
its fullest detail one must watch it at such
tine as this, as IL sprawls about the deck
before receiving the coup de grace, its eight,
sometimes ten, arms sprouting about its
head, each equipped on the under side with
rows of cup-like suctorial disks, which by
HuSCuIdT d vacuum, SlNlflR
the fish its wonderful adhesive power,
writhing hither and thither like coil of
serpents. Then its eyes! Ugh! The awful
ness of those eyes; great, rolling, saucer
like protuberances that fix you with a fierce
stare that sends the cold shivers down your
back, especially when you notice the cruel
mouth, with curved, beak-like claws, for
all the world like parrots many times
magnif1ed. When the AK sinks into the
grisly body and the twining arms become
still you feel as the blue water sailor feels
when he dispatches shark-that you have
done good action.
They are we'll named devilfiSh, this species
of the cutie famiIy.to appreciate which it
is only necessary to have seen one of the
monsters of the southern seas. There are
well-authenticated instances of specimens
weighing $40 pounds and measuring fifteen
feet from head to tail and fifty feet in
spread of tentacles. While such gigantic
specimens are never seen outside of the
tropics. this fish grows to no mean dimen-
sions along the western and southern
coasts of Florida, and many stories of
strange adventures with the octopus are
told by the fishermen and sponge hunters
of that region. That even the smaller ones
are ugly customers to fool with this Incl
dent Will show.
A shell gatherer, while at work on the
west coast, came upon a young octopus
crawling among the rocks. 1t was quite
small measuring not more than three feet
from tip TO tip of its extended tentacles
while its body was not larger than a mans
fist. 1t looked like very big spider as il
wobbled along on its arms, trying to reach
the surf from the part where il had been
left by the receding tide, and the shell hun
ter thought he would try to capture It.
Running up he planted his foot firmly on
the end of one of the creatures 'feelers,"
but with apparent ease the octopus pulled
1t free and continued it's march toward the
sea. The man repeated the experiment sew
eral times with no better success, then TAX
ing advantage of moment when the crea-
ture could offer comparatively little resist
ance, it being in the act of reaching out TO
lay hold of rock the other side of an
intermining fssure, he seized one of the
tentacles, and, giving a powerful jerk, tore
the fish loose from the rock
Up to this time the efforts of the octopus
had all been directed to escaping Now,
however. ii changed its tactics. Turning
upon its pursuer IL laid hold Of him by the
arm. wrapping its tentacles about his body
as well, and tried to fasten it's beak-like
jaws in his face.
Here was a predicament. The hunter
hunted with a vengeance. Try as he would
the man could not shake off the creature,
which clung to him with a clammy, wise
like grip, but by a liberal use of a store
club he saved himself from being bitten.
until his cries for assistance brought friends,
to the scene who killed the fish with a
knife.