The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-29
BIG FISHES ON THE HOOK.
A Californians Story of Remarkab


 A Californian's Story of Remarkable
 Captures in the Pacific.
 ''The fishing season having opened, said w. S. Johnson of San Diego, Cal
 ''it will be In order for the joke writer and the comic Illustrator to refurbisf the good old standby about the amateur fisherman, the small boy with the pir hook, the camera and the confidng wife.
 When a Washingtonian goes up the | Potomac and afterWard tells about that big black bass weighing 6 1-2 pounds I caught above Great Falls his friends smile pleasantly at his weakness and say, Oh you're a fisherman, which is polite way of saying he is a pre- varicator by force of habit.
 But with rod and reel, and line but little heavier than the Potomac an gler uses, fishermen catch off San Diego black sea bass weighing 200 pounds and over. A sea bass of this weight is as long as man of average height is tall, and it is veritable monster to take by hook and line. The world record for rod and reel fishing is held by T. s. Manning of Sierra Madre, Cal, who landed at Santa Catalina Island, off the California coast, sea bass weigh ing 330 pounds A fish called the leap ing tuna which resembles in appear ance somewhat the little mackerel of Eastern waters and is considered the most active of the game fish and which reaches gigantic size, is also caught by rod and reel. Col. C. F. Morehouse of Pasadena holding the worlds record having landed a monster weighing 251 pounds. I have known of three men to catch 450 pounds of black sea bass and yellowtail with hook and line in one day. The yelowtail is a gamy fish weighing from 15 to 80 pounds. These fish in the Pacific are caught with 21- thread line, which, as all fishermen know, is comparatively small.
 "The fishing IS done from rowboat or small yacht usually. It takes the angler from a half to three hours to reel up his prey to the boats side, where 1t may be hooked by the gaff and brought in the boat. The fisherman is often so completely exhausted by huge bass or tuna, so terrifically does it fight for liberty, and it requires the greatest skill and patience on the part of his captor to land him with his slender rol With quick turns, downward rushes and mighty runs, the fish struggles for free dom. Sometimes the line breaks and he secures it.
 "The leaping tunas are said to be equal to two or three tarpon in point of strength. I have known of small beats being lowed as far as twenty miles, and upward of six hours spent in exhausting the tuna so that he could be gaffed. From 200 to 600 feet of line will be realed of in q single rush of these fierce fighters, The boat will tear through the water like an eight-oared she'll The fish, in making sudden turn, will twist it around as on a pivot. The surface of the water during the fishing season is usually calm, as the Pacific is true to its name in summer
 How these gamy fighters of the sea of such enormous size may be caught With a thread-like line and slender rod at the tip no larger than very small slate pencil, is a mystery to the untiat- ed, but it is done and proves the skill of the angler. I have seen a man with an ounce rod and 21-thread line bring to the boats side a sea bass weighing over 200 pounds, and the catches I have cited, which are authentic even though told by a Californian of the land of the big trees, were probably made with rods but little, if any, heavier. From the Washington Evening Star