The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
THE ANGLERS NOBLE. FOE.
FISHING FOR YBBLOWTAILs ON THE
PACIFIC COAST
They Are Among tho Finest Game Fishes
That Ever Broks Rod and Are Also
Plentiful-Their Fighting Qualities Tested
Now Only with Light Rods and Tackle


AVALON. Cal. Nov. 2o.-Thc fall fishing
Is going on in southern California. and for the
past six weeks while the Eastern fisherman
has been packing away his rod the angler in
southern California Ii harvesting ono OF the finest
game fishes that ever broke rod. The yellow
tail may be called an all-thc- year round fish
among the southern California islands. as they
have been taking them in every month mine
year; but this IL the exception. They generally
go out into deep water In December. and begin
to return in February, March and April. In
May they como with rush from the mysterious
somewhere, IN which fishes go during their migra
tons, and during the summer months they hug
the shores Of the islands, presenting marvellous
spectacle as they parade the grim and rock bound
shores There are two periods during the year
when the fishing Ii better than at others. One
is in the last two weeks in May and the nrst two
In June. which the fishermen call the spring run.
and the other Is in the last week In September
and sometimes all Of November depending upon
the season: this is the fall run. II thcacason In
cold and rainy the 1sh leave but II warm days
hold, they frequently do,,he yeowtail is raven
GUS and rushes into the little bays and makes
merry with the sardincs and smelt which are
huggng the shores for shelter.
The yellowtail is all that the fancy may pie
turc Il after contemplation Of it's name It's tail
Is yellow. also its fms and II has gallant yellow.
or old gold strip along it's side, like Spanish
Admiral Its upper surface in the water is Of
delicate green: the lower silver but the moment
the ycllowtal is gated II becomes one Of the most
| beautiful Of all fishes, the green turning TO an
iridcsccn, bronze blue Its eye is splendid organ
large clear. fiery and blue, giving the ish an
| individuality no, found, as a rule. in fishes The
writer has never sGen n ycllowtail weighing less
| than us,iInhs M only nnp nf that wciph t
| Nearly all the Ash caught range from seventeen
| To thirty pounds and hundreds are taken 81 the
| latter weight The record rod catch ri the Tuna
| Club Is forty zone pounds and is held by r. V
| Rider formerly Of New York. The writer has seen
n sixty two and half FOUNDER landed from the
| wharf at Avalon with n hand line; and fish was
| caught al the Isthnus IN 1893, which weighed
| eighty pounds dressed. without its head: which
means that ycllowtais attain a weigh, 81 pcrhn ps
| one hundred pounds.
The ycllOwtail IL essentially game fish, a
! splendid fighter. and IN now hshed for. throug h
the example act by the Tuna Club. with rod alone
and thu very lightest Tickle The fish is very
much alone in the Of relatives II IL distant
ally Of the mackercl bu, docs not look like them:
its only relative the writer recalls IL the little pilot
fish found about the head Of sharks II IL called
thu white salmon. and resembles a salmon in
shape more than any Other fish Its scientific
name. Scrola dorsalis refers TO iis characteristic,
a long dorsal I'm reaching to the tail
The hsh combines the game qualities Of trout.
salmon and black bass, and there IL but one fault
to ind with IL II Is u decp.watcr ish, and often
when hooked Will plunge down with such force
that the fisherman ~ often worn out IN rceling
IL in. In shallow water, tho water in which the
salmon is taken, II would show qualities which
would place II far ahead 81 the salmon hut In
deep ur shallow water the yrluwtail ~ the Joy
al the California angler who enjoys = hard fight
and many sportsmcn travel across the continent
every year IL spend the summer testing conclu
slunS with them The schools Of th"sc fish are
oivnst dimensions The water for acres Is often
tinted with them and ~ they swim upon the sur
face. their d"rSas cutting the water. they form a
marine field 81 the cloth al gold. NJ times they
rush int" the bays maxim The water fairly boil.
hs they chase the sdrdncs high and dry upon
the beach and often they leap upon the beach
themselves in their excitement, biting snyagcly
Again they patrol the beach and wharf, defying
the most expert fShctmau To catch them ross
over a handful a. sardinrs among them one
conGca!'ng hook they. will sir all but the
Snrlinc with the hook time and time again
, certain ycvwtalls are peculiar. In the fall
Of 1898 yrllo~tnil Weighing at least forty nv,
pounds took VI its abode by the long wharf Al
. Avalon ami became the tOrmentor of all the ang
lcrs 81 the town The, fish swan continually
rom the beach to the end Of tn wharf then mad,
a sweep outward and came back all the tim,
being not three feet below the surface The wrt
cr hrsi 'rGd Ia catch II with rod Its first rush
Was directly out into the bay for 200 feet then
ir'hng III" brake, II turned and came n fas;--
than the line could b. re- led and dashed beneath
. the wharf, winning the line about the piles and
breaking u. thirty minutes later tn" fish wa,
I again on it, promenade trailing a fragment %
ia" an" Hs d"c"rhuph Next boy hookcc
the fish with a hand Inc. and had II within tw,
feet ui the TOP 81 III" wharf when rs weight ht Il,
the VII" lc"d'T m hour later the yell"w'ai
took M IT, 81 n99'Rrr boy and broke !, also
HAD seven h""HS III ats Jaw ana was apparently
! proud a., III" ,nllcculn
ice catches oi H'lluwIas are remark a hl,
when their size Is cuuSl tered Two salmon
even one. IS deemed great sport for one day hu
last summer Franklin SchcnCk ui BROOKLYN
y. y, honAcd and brought To- gail twenty nv,
IdluWtallS ranging from eighteen o. thirty hy,
pounds tclwcrn and "'clock Thus was har,
work u light rod and q twenty one thread lin
beng uSsNi f"dr Tuis took siNiy Tour fish II
one day, the exhibit oi this catch makia. a tc
, markablc showing. The iacklr used Tor th
| yellow tail ~ spit bamboo or gfccnhcart rod 1,
or nine trcI long, with a multiplying reel hnldin,
. 600 Ic"t al iwvaiy one thread line. The write
uses fifteen lac for them merely from a dcsir
To- give the fish the Vantage. -Four ur five n i,
II incy weigh twenty Ave or thirty pounds each
Is me days sport. indeed slslr fish otc
gives Tor twenty minutes all the hard work Ia
4 , angler cares Tor.
: / he hsh are taken III various ways Tn
prevailing method * Ia troll with eighty fee, ,
1 Inc out and u SaTuinc for bait Al other tim,
r they bite with the boat anrhoted, the boatma
y The sport is fast nnd furious thu Dish rushim
h cat with force that ~ very mislccding m
/ beginner is continually impressed with the III,
n that u shark or some other very large fish ha
= Tho line. and l. not convinced unul the sily,
9 CLINT 81 the yrll"~lail Is seen lar below. Hem
A
. fishing in 1898 with split bambtD Wrixhn
, eight ounces. n Trout rod shortened down 10 nil,
II feet On the reel was No Is linen line M
- same which kills many n five pound baC
+, hnts IN the East Soon there came n s,fik
! and the slender rod went into hts, az tnmc ~
a said. trying u hook the fish, but the strike va
:, successful The fish made splcnuid rush
100 iru directly out The brake was th,
put on and nfty feet more Was lost. but Il
= hsh was finally stopped and began towing Il
- boat Il light affair The fish was endeavurn
a ~ gct into deep water ami To stop IT, Trcling ",
h.Et IhsN FalI "a 81 mn l.
A pointing now under the boat. again out 10 ~,
N and acting IN as ctfauc manner as n dl
4 lining rod ~ supposed Ia do when water is ncl
For half ma nour the yclluwtNil fought. ruslir
down., Clrcling the boat, reaching out 4
=. a possible kclp bed. but all the time coming
y slowly and with doggcd determination Ia ig
10 the last
II towcd the boat To the entrance Of the ba
n six or seven hundred feet despite oppusilio
Il Then reaching blue water, II sulkcd and sulkr
a There WAS no dropping pebbles on its back aft
,c the fashion Of certain old salmon fishermen,
break up the sulklng fit, as II VAS 800 feet awe
v. from the angler, and dropping ring ov
n the line. another Scotch scheme would mere
a have driven II deeper So II was caIuled
n the reel, pumped with much expenditure oi muse
Il and fought for another half hour before a =
very spot in the blue depths told NJ It's undoin
| II WAS coming nm but " M mrana discpura o.,