Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1899-06-08
Big Stories Of Big Fish
The Tuna Man Put to Flight by the
Black Sea BASE Man

was uVe years ago, IlS 4lSnIh6 40 VA,
too. That year the yellow tail were
as scarce as hens teeth, and the rea-
son was the warm current was off shore
and just touched the islands of south
ern California. This year we're right
in it. People have been bathing all win
ter at Avalon, which shows that tie
water is warm; that's the reason the
yellow tail have struck in so soon. Joe
saw school going north yesterday
that covered 20 acres and was an hour
passing. He reckoned that there were
millions in the school,"
"How can he reckon?" asked a
chronic kicker. "He can't read. or
write"
"WeI, he can savoy, can't he?" re-
torted the Tuna clubman.
This seemed unanswerable, but the
kicker presently came to the front
again. "You say Joe saw million fish,
Ell? and they was an hour passing.
Dye know how that was? Why, he
saw a school of 400 or 500 yellow tails,
that's what he saw, and, like they al
ways do at the first run, they was swim \
ming in q circle, and Mexican Joe was
drifting on the circumference of the
circle, and the same fish went under
him about a million times. He's got
double multiplying sight, anyway, like
reel, like all them Ananias club boat
men; what they don't see when they're.
out of bait is caution. Why, look what
they talk up now; trying to make out
that black sea bass is equal to tuna"
"Well, SO he Is" responded the feshy
man.
"Whatl" said the other. Compare
that great overgrown hunk of fish to
tuna?"
"Well, hold the record for the big
gest fish on top of the earth with the
smallest line for game fish, and that
fish was 327-pound black sea bass, re-
piled the clubman.
"Here comes the colonel" said some
one; she holds the belt for the biggest
fish story"
"And claims everything in sight" re-
torted the black sea bass champion.
"What do you consider the gamest
fish in these waters, colonel" asked the
kicker, as the other man came up.
"Why, everyone knows that the leap
ing tuna is in class by itself. Why,
rolling his eyes around, 1--WE would feed
our tuna on full grown tarpon, if we
could get them. 1t can't be" added the
colonel, turning to the black sea bass
champion, that you are still clinging
to that silly delusion that your fish beat
mine. I'll tell you what I'll do" talk
ing so fast that the black sea bass man
could not get in q word. ''I'll tell these
gentlemen the story of my catch, then
you tell yours, and let them settleit.
"Well," continued the colonel, clear
ing away the hooks and wire on the
MeXican's stand and sitting down. II
hooked my fish one morning about six
o'clock-two of US were fishing. We
had 12-ounce rods, seven feet long and
2I-thread lines, and plenty of it-S00
feet or more. The first we knew there
was rush and two big fish came boil
ing along astern; then you should have
heard those reels! You may talk about
high C; they simply hummed, and the
lire was jerked off SO quick that before
could think 500 feet was gone, while
the fish my friend had hooked had
taken everything and was off. There
was a sort of shrek from the steel
throat of tina :eel, and 900 feet of good
Iine went. kept my fish well in hand,
l confess by a species of luck, and
stopped him in less than 500 feet, and
when felt that the brake was telling
and that he was towing the boat and
not taking line 1 thought 1 had q
chance; but just then began some OF
the strangest maneuvers ever saw in
q fish. Suddenly thought he was gone.
You who have caught tunas perhaps
know this popularity of the fish in get
ting off when there is no strain on the
line; another tuna sometimes cuts 1t
with its back. Well, thought this had
happened, but q second later l saw q
gteam on the water, and it was my fish;
he wss coming for me like shot and on
the surface, his blue back and yellow
fms blazing in the sunlight. ] reeled
for my life, there was no doubt about
that. 1 had big multiplier that ate
up line like a windmill, but no reehng
on top of the earth could have met that
rush, and I saw my line slack and made
up my mind that the game was up. The
fish stopped 20 feet from the boat, or as
soon as he saw me, whirled about, and
fairI,[ dazzled me as the sun struck
him, and was OFF again with 200 feet be-
, fore I could stop him. Then he began
) to plunge to the bottom and drag the
line Hike a steam engine, hauling the
boat round; then he came to the top
again and rushed in on me as before,
Finally, after nearly three hours OF
this the fish started down the coast and
towed us five miles, sometimes stop
ping to rush away, occasionally turning
and towing the boat against a heavy
sea that had picked up, but invariably
turning south again, and in four hours
from the start was gated after hard
struggle. He broke the first gaf in
pieces and tore it from the hands Of the
boatman. The fish was fought hard
from the start to the finish and weighed
1888 pounds"
= 4. 80