River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-03-21
LASSOlNG A BIG SUNFiSH.
The LarIat Fell Over an Exposed Fin, and
Then There Was Fun.

The Lariat Fell Over an Exposed Fin, and
Then There Was Fun.
An enormous sunfish was captured
recently by means of rope lariat off
Santa Catalina island, on the southern
California coast Just how it was ac-
complished is told by a veracious fish
erman in those parts, who sends the
following account:
II was out with old Manuel, the alb
alone hunter, who lives up toward Lit
tie Harbor, and saw him round up
sunfish with n lariat as well as you
would steer. ] wouldn't have be-
lieved it if ! hadn't seen 1t. l had
taken the old man with me to look at
the wild goats. We were on our way
down the mountain just above Cat
alma harbor, when the old man sud
denly stopped and pointed to the en-
trance of the harbor. Looking down
saw what I took to be the fins of sew
eral sharks lazily moving up and
down.
Eve went down narrow trail or
short cut to his shanty, where from an
ancient trunk he pulled an old lariat.
He gave it fling and landed il over a
post some distance off, just to show
that he had not lost the trick, then
picking up his oars, led the way down
to the boat.
THE harbor sets in half mile there,
and supposed by the time we got out
the sunfish would be gone; but not so.
As soon as we rounded the sand bar
saw them. their fins standing out of
the water like stakes.
The Mexican now gave the SOULS
to me and took his place in the bow
with the rope. and with one eye over
nv shoulder l rowed slowly along.
The nearer we came to the fish the big
ger the fms looked. one especially
standing high out of the water and
shining in the sunlight with peculiar
iridiscence. The old man gave me d.
rections how to pull, and after few
moments turned the boat little and
stopped Manuel had the rope in hand.
and in second it went whistling into
the air, whizzing along like snake,
the moose dropping down exactly over
the big fin just as he had sent it over
the post.
But there was this difference; the
moment the fish felt the rope, which
the old man jerked fast, il made a
rush, first along the surface of the wa
ter, nearly hauling the old fellow over
board, then down like an arrow, and
scarcely before knew what had hap
pened Manuel was lying back in the
boat holding on to the lariat with all
his strength, Wise the boat rushed
through the water as though il were
being towed BY tug. / jerked in the
oars and laid hold OF the rope with the
Mexican, and for a while it was all we
could do to hold our own.
THE fish headed directly out of the
little harbor and made for the open
water, and don't know how long it
would have lowed us If we had not
taken it in. This was no easy matter.
We took it in, hand ever hand, and
would gain ten feet when the fish
would make rush and down it would
go, taking the rope Kissing through
our hands. One of these excursions
gave me the scars on my hands.
After nearly half an hour of this
work we had the fish in sight. but 1t
didn't like our looks and, making a
terrific plunge, took the rope over the
side. and the first knew we were kr ee
deep in water pouring over the side
like a waterfall. To right the boat we
had to let go and then had all the work
over again, but finally we had the fish
alongside, and a whopper he was
"The moment we got him on c short
rope he seemed to give up, and looked
for all the world like big wheel with
all the spokes gone. How such fish
could get up such a pace was a mystery,
as il was almost circular. and the tail
looked as though it had been chopped
off. We dashed it alongside and towed
it ashore. and when it was set up
found that il was almost ten feet high
as curious looking a creature as you
ever saw-N. Y. World.