The Washington weekly post., 1899-07-18
Greatest Game Fishing on the Coast oil
California.

ssSunkpn Gardens u ANalOT' DVts ~
name sound romantic and poetlcai! DO
visions OF Avail. bathing ever her
white feet ia the tideless summer sea.
return TO haunt the reader? They snouid'
even IL they do not, for the Sunken Gar
ders of Avalon are the pleasure ground
of Neptune and the mermaids ana the
most beautiful life TO which the sea mas
even given birth.
Only a few miles distant from Los An
geles. Southern California. is the island
OF Santa Cataline. IL is a world in it.
self. with mountains, hills, and valleys,
rivers and creeks, inlets and bays. and
one of these is the Bay OF Avalon. Sur
rounded on three sides by towering noun
tains. deep gorges, and stupendOus rocks.
Avalon nestles down with her face TO
the setting sun There is never any win
ter there. and In summer the trade winds
blow all day and all night, so that it Is
never hot IL is this same tropiC spot
that takes the mind back 10 Awalh and
the blue Mediterranean.
For the waters here are as blue as sap
phire. Not the dirty blue that one asso-
ciates with the Atlantic Ocean, but the
deep. crystalline. and vivid blue of the
Pacific. which lends a new color to every
thing of nature. And in this blue water
lie the Sunken Gardens of Avalon. so
beautiful that to describe them seems al
most as futile as to paint the beauty Of
blush upon the m2ideH's cheek.
Deep down below the surface of the
wave there is forest of tangled seaweed
variegated like a bird of paradise, bril-
liant in color as the rainbow, swayfng
with the life and motion OF the sea Long
streams of red. blue, green, and yellow
float up from the bottom Of the sea floor
and stretch away through the waters for
$50 feet TO mingle with other streamers
OF different shades and lines. The color
scheme is green, OF a rich and deep
beauty, and upon this is embroidered the
viviG coloring of the rainbow.
The effect is to give a perfect forest
or broad, green leaves, rising upward and
presenting sharp contrast to the blue
water in which they grow. Graceful In
appearance, they turn DIT every whim of
the tide; now floating directly upward.
their leaves high above water and caught
by the breeze. again reaching away in
long streamers. They are among the
| most striking and beautiful objects of the
submarine world. When inshore the
huge plants assume a vertical position
ana become floating gardens in reality.
In the Bay of Avalon they present so
many attractions that boats have been
constructed especially to float over them
ana AFFORD the occupants an opportunity
| 10 observe the wonders of the ocean
world. These boats are provided will
| large plate glass windows set into thC
| bottom, so that the observer can sit in
| the boat and gaze down through the win
| dow and see intensified small animals
1 SOnR M l.
| oars. Others are double catamarans
| winch bear sort of house and hold
/ about twenty people. and are propelled
over the hoating gardens by an engine
| The glass, as suggested, magniies oh
| jects, and in floating along one can al
| most imagine himself under the water
| ana roaming at will in these gardens el
| the sea-. With the face bent down ovel
| the window series of marine wonders
| meet the eye.
| Darling through the tangled branche!
are fishes of the rarest sort, radiant IL
| color and graceful in movement 1t /.
| the home Of the gold perch, which plays
| together in glittering schools: Of the EN-
erald fish. which yles with the jewel fl
| perfection or cOloring; of the long-spineC
| Echinous. so curious to look upon; o
| gianV star fishes, as large as the top o
! a barrel. Of sea cucumDers, that do no
| belle their name in looks; of the sluggish
| abalOncS and Of the MISUNDERSTANDING
| more terrible eye. Mingling with thes
| are the jelly fishes OF all sizes, shapes
| and colors; fairy ships that captivate III
eye at day or night, for wnen darkness
! comes they light up the water with thei
| phOsphoreScence and become the lantern
| by which the big fish chase the little fel
| lows. Nowhere else in the world is sucl
a sight as this to he seen.
| If, however, the traveller Is In search O
| sport he will find in the Bay OF AValol
the finest fishing IN many a long day. Tw,
| things are especially sought after in IN
| Bay of Avalon. One OF The giant blacl
bass and the other is the flying tuna
Think of capturing with rod and line
black bass weighing %. pounds and takin
fifty-fiVe minutes 10 laLdi Surely il is
recOrd-breaker Of no mean size. yet in
| figures show that 1t has been apDroximat
ed. Here are some of the famous rod an
real black seabass catches al Avalon:
| r. V. Rider, Pasadena, Cal. ~ pounds
DIR. H. II. Pease, Tucson, Ariz., go; DR.. II
X MacombeT, Pasadena. Cal, 10; Ma.
| Charles Niele. L. $. A, lB.
| Charles Fr.ierick Holder. the well
| known authority on such makers. says j
| describing ths capture cF a 327-DOund fish
| Ten feet gained and :. hiZ zee, as man
more are lost In il come once NOR,
| fighting hard, the holder of the rod bend
ing this way and that. trying 10 presery
| d balance and that tension that woul
| prevent a sudden break. Now the iis
darts to one SIDE, tearing the water int
| foam, leaving a sheet Of silyery bubble
| and swinging the boat around on pivs
| Now il l. Al the surface, Meeting VislOI
| followed by a rush that carries the guT
vale under water. This, followed by
= sudden Stacking Of the line. sends despa
|, TO the heart He Is gone; the iine float
| No. whiZZ, and he Is away again, All tt
tricks of the sturdy black bass this giaI
| Of the tribe indulges in, except the mit
air leaps which gladden. the heart Of tf
= angler Quick turns downward Tughe
, poWeFful blows, mighty runs this game
i creature makes hghtlng inch by incI
leaving an impression upon the mind
the fisherman that il not sOsn forgotten
i There are moments that no angler 10
= gets: 70 not II he live to thouzar
/ years. barring a day. But II the Sngl'
wants sport let hlfa try the tuna, whiC
| Is the hardest fighting FISH on the coas
I There il at Ayelon a gold medal orers
5 | by the Tuna Club, and may De compete
4 | for py any angler, and the winner OF q
| medal becomes the clubs President for
| year. ard may be said 20 hold the world
: | record for the hardest lighting game o.
. on rod and reel. one tuna being the equ
| az two or three taFpons In point
a | strength Some Of the rod and reel lea
! ing tuna r.cords are:
Charles +. Holder, Pasadena Che re
ord) iss pound ~ 6: Arno,. .,,E Eim'fs. g.
p Ind. lI5; q. q. Fraser. san Francisco. u
: w. +. Loud, Pomona, Cal, 10: Clinor.
| Scudder. 81. Louis, 80; Fitch Dewey. u
? | trolt. Igs; = l. Doran, Avalon, CaL, u
: w. j. I.anders. san Francisco. l5s.
!. Boats are toWed from cne 10 TWEEN
Y miles before the nsn is brought 10 ga
| and from thirty minutes 70 seyen h0u
have been consumed by anglers before u
: tsh is landed The FISH are taken within
| few hundred feet Of the shore IN smOO
= waters. making the sport novel and q
The rushes of this asa In gks SUNNI
. ! and the dight o. the rylng nEhes IN y
y ing 10 escape are features Of the locaiit
! The fish strikes on the rush, bounding ia
> the air sometimes ten 81 fiftcrn feet
| magnificent spectacle. Then II makes
! rush that often takes Vs feet OF line b
q fore the brake stops H. The boat
v dragged through the water as though
;. aug were towing a.. the hsh sometirp
e fighting for hours before IL viii sure
der.
+ When scnooi OF tunas T. chasing Il
. lving nsh many NAV - seen in the \
r z; the same ti.le. rising like silver a
foWS and turning gracefully. cafchii
l. their prey on the wing and sending Othe
r WhlTilng into fhe air 10 greater gan
awaits the siCilifui Wieider Of the ROD tEs
r this acrobat u the sea.