The Portland daily press., 1897-01-14
A MILLION EYES,
Vast Schools of Barracuda-The CaIifor-
mia and Florida Barracuda Contrasted-
watching Fish Through a Glass Window

Correspondence New YORK Evening
POST
eff see one / see million eyes"
said q fresh water angler on his first day
at Santa Catalina.
We had bean slowly rowing along the
lofty cliffs of this Isle of Summer, TROLL
ing for sea-bass, and had brougn1
Thirty and forty FOUNDER to the gun al
ter a hard struggle, and were taking II
easy when a curious change became ap-
parent. The island is famous for the
deep blue of It's water, that rivals the
sapphire in it's beauty, but suddenly,
without apparent reason, it changed to
a peculiar dark green. The oarsman
looked over the side and uttered the
magic word, "BarIacuda!''-and glanc-
ing over there were certainly a million
eyes; the deep channel became in sec
ond argus-eyed. Where moment be-
fore richly hued jelly fishes foated in
space and the gem-like sapphirina
CLEANED and sparkled, now nothing but
black staring eyes appeared, and long
pointed noses, all headed in one direc-
tion.
The water is remarkably clear here.
and the bottom can be seen distinctly
fifty or sixty feet, but oil the space from
ten feet below the surface, as far down
as the eye could ench was seemingly,
packed with these staring eyes. The fish
were in compact layers, INNING SO
closely that they almost touched one an
other and had changed the tint of the
ocean from vivid blue to green. They
were coming in, in untold numbers,
from the deep sea to feed along the shores
of the island, and moved slowly UP the
coast in their regular northern migra
ton.
The barracuda Is not included among
the game fishes Of the coast. The fish is
usually take by trolling, and all the
Avalon yachts and launches are provided
with gigs and bone squids and stout troll
ling lines. A barrel is placed in the
stern sheets, and with four or Ave lines
out the launch deshes into the barracuda
schools and the fish are hauled in almost
as fast. as the fishermen can work. From
ten to fifty will sometimes be brought
into Avalon as the catch of one party.
At other times they are caught with
hand lines, still-fshinR, and become SO
excited by q dexterous use of the bait
that they come in like mackerel.
We had some eight or ten-ounce split
bamboos aboard, and as the fish evil
IDENTIFY ranged from seven to fftsen
pounds these were soon equipped with
twenty-four strand lines, baited with
sm ell. and towing behind. For some
time not one of all the countless throng
would even notice the bait, but suddenly
there came long peculiar strike, some
thing pulling back on the line, then
vicious rush, and the voice of the reel
rang out loud and clear as yard after
yard of the slender line seemed to leap
away. There was no stopping such
rash, and over one hundred feet Of line
was taken before the Erske was tried.
and then tho sport began. The first was
a sea lawyer, full of tricks and wilea.
Now he dashed down into the deep water
with desperate intention OF fouling the
long leayed kelp, then up to the surface
like an arrow, taking a new direction;
all this time making the steel click
scream it's shrillest notes, and testing
the strength Of the split bamboo in many
O bend and whirl. Finally it WAS pos
sible to reel in; slowly at first, now
meeting grand rush with twenty CT
thirty feet OF line; now gaining ten, I'M
Til the wrist of the angler was weary and
drops stood on his face. In the language
of the boatman the barracuda was ''put-
ting up splendid fight" and for a
while it was doubtful whether gut
leader and an eight-ounce rod could mas
ter tho fish; but science told in the long
run; gradually the rushes became less
pronounced, and aoon, deep in the water,
swirline about in a great circle, came
long slender fish cleaning like shaft
of silver, while two big staring eyes, one
pair out of million, eyed the boat in
whose shadow it was coming up. Re-
peatedly it rushed away into deep water,
slowly coming back; and once 1t had
narrow escape, as mighty sea bass, see
ing the fish, darted up from below and
snapped viciously at il. But the barra-
cudn was beaten, and nearing the surface
slowly circled about the boat, OCCASION
ally shaking its head violently, until the
cruel gaff slipped beneath it and brought
its long slender body into the boat. to
the admiration of the angler, who, if 1T
must be confessed, was weary Of the
twenty minutes hand-tO-hand encounter.
The fish weighed sixteen pounds and re-
sem bled very sharp-nosed pickerel or
muscallonge.
The barracuda appears off the island
In early spring, and the fishermen who
have been on the lookout for it pour out
of the narbors of San Pedro, Redondo
and Long Beach. Soon feet of forty
or fifty boats axe cruising up and down
after the school, filling their boxes and
barrels from the hand lines astern. A
strong line il used, and for bait an ivory
Jig resembling the handle of tooth
brush, which is very killing. The big
schools seek the island Of Coatalina,
where deep water reaches to the shore,
aud they can lie along the kelp-llned
rocks where there is a plentiful food sup
ply. Here they linger until July, when
they move up the coast at various times,
the neigh boring towns and cities obtain
ing a vast supply during the migration,
tho fish heino nna of tho most nonular