The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-11

made up a gamy fish. one that would ap-
peal TO the skilled followers of tarpon,
salmon, trout or black bass.
Such was the game for which our
hooks were baited with silvery smet,
and with poles carefully laid lengthwise
with the boat and hanging over the stern,
with seven y-tve or more feet of line out.
we pulled away for Pebble Beach. The
water was an intense Labradorite blue.
and fish could be seen far down in its
depths. Here flashes of yellow told of
the yellowtal, and as l looked astern
three monsters, certainly thirty Founders,
were following in the wake now ten feet
away.
Soon we crossed a school of several
hundred 0ut still no biUes-a tautalizing
proceeding. Down the island we went,
past majestic cliffs, by the beach of peb-
bles. and just as we entered the light
green water of Seal Rock Beach there
came a nickelplated scream from the
throat of the big multiplying reel. II
was a high staccato, and before the
rever beration had ended the fish had
taken 200 feet Of line and was now work
ing hard for the other hundred.
Joe stopped rowing, and the owner of
the ROD seized it, and the fight began
Now the screech of the reel rose on the
air; then The soft click of the brake as
the fisherman took 1t in, ten feet gained,
to be lost in rush and hiss of line. Now
the fish would make a dive for the bot
tom, then rise so fast that it was almost
impossible to take in the slack on the
multiplier, and then, just as it was in,
the fish would dive again, making the
reel sing once more. Now he is making
magnificent side rushes, putting the en-
tire weight of his body on the line,
heavy strain that bends the rod almost
double.
No wonder the old fishermen call him
the white salmon, as no salmon ever had
more resources or tricks. But the long
line and repeated runs finally tanned the
gamy nsh, and after a last desperate rush
he was given the butt in good shape and
brought to the surface a cleaning, scin-
tillaJing mass of yellow and silver-a
magnificent creature still full of fight,
but now to be jerked into the boat by the
cruel gaf. One such catch that has
taken over half an hour well repays the
fisherman, but there are more, and in the
turns up aud down the surf-beaten rocks
several yeliowtail, weighing from Is to 30
pounds, come in.
The gamy qualities of the fish are at
tested by the woful stories of anglers
Not a fisherman but what has come to
grief in some way. Some have lost many
hooks; others line, hook and rod In one
instance a Slight foul resulted in a total
wreck, the rod going to pieces. Another
are scores of yellowtails swimming about
dragging long streamers of line. The
range of the yellowtail, amber fish or
white salmon, seems TO be from Cape St.
Lucas to about Santa Barbara, though
there are exceptions; but its chief habitat
appears to be OF Santa Catalina, where it
circles the island, occasionally charging
into the bays, creating no end of ex cite
ment
One morning the writer was aroused by
| a series of shouts, and locking out, all the
| inhabitants of Avalon seemed to be run
| ming to the beach, while the shout of
"Iellowtail. ~ was heard above the din.
A glance at the bay soon explained the
cause of all the excitement. 1t was a
foaming mas of fish that were dashing in
every direction, chasing small fry inshore.
In less than ten minutes twenty or
thirty boats and at least 100 persons were
after them and the sport began. The fish
| were large, ranging from twenty to forty
| pounds They bit as fast as lines could
| be thrown in and as the crowd and boats
! increased so the excitement grew The
/ little wharf was thronged with people,
| who cheered and shouted as the fish were
| brought in, and in less than an hour the
amateur fishermen had caught nearly 800
fish, while the professionals italian fish
| ermen) took over three tons, making the
most remarkable days fishing ever seen
| on the island.