The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
BIG STORIES OF BIG FISH.
THE TUNA MAN put TO FTTGHr NJ
THE BLACK SEABASS NAV

Angling in tho Kurosiwo, Where Fish A.,
as Towboats, Sharks Form n CLIMAX. 49,,
You Have to Row Your Boat IN NV
Your Fish IL You Arc After "A R.co.
PASADENA. Cal. March 1s.-"Ever,thir,
upside down on this side" said a rotund NAV
Der OF the Tuna Club. Santa Catalina. who ws,
watching Mexican Joe. his boatinan. rio Nv,
tuna bait. Or the Atlantic we have the Gu',
Stream flowing north. Hero we'rs on ~.
Kurosiwo. the Japanese current that eow.
south and gives us this fishing; hu, ,hs
trouble with the old thing Is that II u,h'
bles. Sometimes it's of shore, somctiro.
clean in; sometimes IL runs IN i,..
the Arctic, sometimes cutting across be,ow.
and that's what affects our fishing and Climate
according to my mind. When the Kuroslw,
Ia Off shore. as II was Ave years acc. N,
fishing is off. too. That year the yoloy,
tail we're as scarce as hens teeth. and tho ro,.
son was the warm current was of shore and
just touched the islands OF southern California
This year we're right In it. People have tsa,
bathing all winter at Avalon. which shows thu,
the water Is warm that's the reason thc val.
low tail have struck In so soon. Joe saw
school going north yesterday that covered
twenty acres and was an hour passing. Fl.
reckoned that there were millions in tina
school"
"How can he reckon 7" asked a chron,o
kicker. He cant read or write"
well. he can savoy. can't he p retor,ed thu
Tuna clubman.
This seemed unanswerable. but the lickar
presently came to the front again. "You saw
Joe saw a million fish. eh2 and they was an
hour passing. Dye know how that was,
| Why. he saw q school OF four or five hundred
yellow tails. that's what he saw. and. like thew
always do at the first run. they was swimmirR
in a circle. and Mexican Joe was drifting on
the circumference OF the circle and tho same
fish went under him about a million times.
He's got double multiplying sight. anyway,
like a reel. like all them Ananihs Cab boat.
men; what they don't see when they're out ~,
bait is a caution. Why. look what they talk M
now: trying to make out that black seabass i,
equal to a tuna"
We'll. so he u.s." responded the Geshy man.
What" said the other. Compare that
great overgrown hunk Of n fish to a tuna
We'll. I hold the record for the biggest Ash
on top OF the earth with the smallest line for A
game fish. and that fish was a 327- pound black
seabass." replied the clubman.
Here comes the Colonel" said some one,
"he holds the belt for the biggest fish story"
And claims everything in sight" rctorted
the black seabass champion.
What do you consider the gamest ash in
these waters. Colonel 2" asked the kicker as
the other man came UP.
why. every one knows that the leaning
tuna Is in a class by itself. Why" rolling his
ewes around. I'VE would feed our tuna or full
grown tarpon, II wa could get them. 1t can't
be- added the Colonel. turning to the black
seabass champion. that you are still ~clinginc
to that silly deluston that your fish beat mine.
I'll tell you what I'll do" talking So fast that
tho black seahass man could not get in a word.
IN tell these gentlemen the story Of my
Catrl than Won TOLL vo,ro ap5 Iot thon, oo,,I,I.
We'll" continued the Colonel. clearing away
the hooks and wire on the Mexican's stand and
sitting down. Il hooked my fish one morning
about 9 o'clock-two Of us were fishing. Wa
had twelve-ounce rods. seven feet long and
twenty lines. and plenty OF it-sO0
feet or more. The first we knew there was
rush and two big fish came boiling along
%astern; then You should have heard those
reels! You may talk about high c.: they
simply hummed. and the line was jerked of so
quick that before I could think 800 feet was
gone. while the fish my friend had hooked
had taken everything and was of. There
was a sort of a shrek from the steel
throat OF that reel. and 900 feet n
good line went. I kept my Ash well
in hand. I confess by a species OF luck. and
stopped him in less than 800 feet. and when I
felt that the brake was telling and that he was
towing the boat and not taking line thoushs
l had n chance but Just then began some Of
the strangest I ever saw in a fish.
Suddenly I thought he was gone. You who
have caught tunas perhaps know this rocu-
~liarity 81 the fish in getting of when there il
cuts it With his back WerI. / Thought i%Mn ht his lad
hapnoned' but a second later | saw a CLEAN on
fi6nfe M ms lIlt ana a It sS Eas n mG f an the he S W1s C%mifTs
t 95Se s enSf and ye rs"Ied lI t5r blazing ar in
multip!ler that ate upline like a windmill. hue
no reell1G on top of the earth could have met
up my mind That the game nn i" was SUI uE. "I III" "fi sS
stopped twenty feet from the boat or as soon
me as the sun struck him. and was on again
with 200 feet, before ] could stop hun. Thea
line e lite 20 "a e steam t en ths oof hsHIin aG' t draf h '@S
round and round; then he came to The top again
aesrl Tu threa N on me n; a., IS b ,ho finatly after
the coast and towed us five miles. sometimes
ssfnodPfti ling to to rus rush hay away. oecasiEnaIIy turin:
again; and in four hours from tho start was
OF the boatman. The fish was fought lard
from the start to the finish and weighed 1873
Its a good fsh story. no doubt" sail,hs
eiuded'; ITS a game ash. but IT," its ST n@t in IL
same class with the black seahass and never
PIE; then a still heavier one. and finally after q
hard struggle got the fish up and to my arIa2"-
ment | saw 1t was Il black seahass. \ rock;
bass hid taken the sardine, a w~hit"nsh had
taken the rockbass. q yellowtail had grabbed
the whitefsh and the seahass had taken tho
down. four miles UP the coast ant
headed for. San Nicolas. seventy mil"S
away: then ! said to Jim. J reckon We re- out
classed' The bass was as long as the boat,
as near as we, could Judge. and | won'i
have, given, a thousand dollars to So" him
Weighed. He would have tipped the scales 20
800 pounds. sure. But it was not our dav. Ia
suddenly gave a lunEe and got away for u hans
dred feet. While | was Keeling him in we saw
a pig hurry and a l5-foot man eater rams
right out OF the water with that bass IN hII
mouth mo Z and bit the fsh square in two, leaving
My 327- pound fish. which has accorded no
me champi9nships Of tho world, | landed tairy
fishing on the bottom with 12-ounce rods and
si.strand lines. All at once my line began 20
run out. / gave the nsh about ten feet and
struck; Well, gentlemen, and the narrator
LOOK on his hat and wiped his brow at ths
mere recollection. I'm give you my word, I
thought that flsh would take tho boatman