The herald., 1895-09-22
Sportsmen Have Practice
ally Discarded the
Old Hand-Line
TAKING A 35O-POUNDER WITH
A Rod Is Now the Sport-..Some Other
Kinds Of Big Sporty Fish That
Are Now Landed
With the Rod
By Charles Frederick Holder


Ten or twelve years ago some one who
had been observing the famous tarpon on
the gulf coast of Florida, offered to de-
fray all the expenses of any one who
would 90 to Florida and take tarpon
on rod. This offer not only attracted
the attention of fishermen all over the
country, but a number started for the
sunny south with especially devised tack.
le. and soon came the description of the
capture If this magnificent creature.
For years some of the finest game fish in
the world have been caught on the hand
line in Southern California, but now more
sportsman-like methods prevail and the
fishing is done aim ost entirely on light
rods that are used for striped bass in the
east. The islands of the coast afford the
finest sport, especially Santa Catalina and
San Clemente, which may be considered
the rendezvous of the game fishes of
Southern California. where. in the long
season from April to November, may be
found the sea bass that run from twenty
to eighty pounds, the yellowtail, running
up to sixty pounds; later comes tIe bar
racuda. ten to twelve POUNDS. while all
the year round are caught the gamey
white fish, from six to fifteen Lpounds;
the sheepshead. up to twenty, and the
gigantic biaok sea bass, the king OF !he
Pacific island fishes, that Ioftena tips the
scales at $50 pounds or more. All these
are strictly game fishes; in other words
they make a brave fight for their lives and
afford excellent sport on the rod. The
sea bass resem bles the eastern weakfish; ;
has a small head, tapering body. and
Is withal 3 finely proportioned fish. es-
pecially in the large specimens. In color
they are magnificent. In some the scales
over the nose or on the. forehead are a
golden bronze that glistens like the Great of
. humming bird wnen the fish is brought
to the GAIT; while others are blue and rich
in iridescent tints, making it one of
the ost beautiful of all ocean fisses
when the sun bursts Cpon it and flashes
from scale to scale.
The yellowtail (seriola dorsalis), AM
Dor fish or white salmon is perhaps it's
superior in agility and fighting qualities.
1t averages sixteen pounds, and attans
. maximum weight of sixty pounds. 1t
ressm bIes the salmon to some extent. but
on the upper surface is q rich iridescent
blue, with silver below; the tail and fms
are a deep yellow. making it a most
snowy creature. The yellowtail is found
in small or large schools in early spring.
and in summer travels in small bands OF
twos or fours.
The barracuda universally travels fin
schools. often coloring the water deep
green with its vast numbers. 1t is small
er than the specimens from the Mexican
urylf hat ID AT fiSh
With such u field TO select from, and
this in by no means all. it is not surpris-
ing that fishermen from all over the coun-
try are found at Santa Catalina with their
rods and tackle, prepared to test conclu-
sions with the gamey fish, nor that many
agree that the fish mentioned are quite
the equal of the tarpon or salmon. Fish
ing at Santa Catalina is ideal and reminds
one. so far as the surroundings are con-
cerned. OF the Thousand Isles, if We can
imagine one of the islands of this charm
ing region to contain 90, 600 acres and
mountains nearly 5000 feet high. True,
there are no large trees there. but the
wonderful cliffs. the contrast of verdure
and water, call to mind the islands of the
st. Lawrence, in and about which the
wielder of the rcd lives to wander in
search of the gamey black bass and mus
callonge.
For days fishing at Santa Catalina
you start early in the morning, your oars
man rowing near the shore over the deep
blue sea as smooth as glass. You have
two rods out, one ifteen-ounce bass
rod with 500 or 600 feet of fifteen strand
line stored away. The other a smaller or
larger rod as the fancy strikes you.
Down the beautiful shore you go, the
high rock cliffs rising directly from the
water and the deep canyons winding away
upward like rivers of verdure.
You are going to take beautiful black
sea bass on the rod and are trolling on
the way. You soon have strike, the reel