The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-04-17
A BIC FISH,,
The Joy and the Labor Of Catch
ing an Amber Jack.
PLUCK OF A FlMNY FIGHTER.
In tho Duel Between tho Angler and
Battling Beauty There Is No LuIl In
the Fierce Conflict Till One or the
Cthor Is Victorious.

Battling Beauty There Is No Lull In
the Fierce Conflict Till One or the
othor Is Victorious.
The boatman is telling us of certain
catches he has seen when, like an elec.
tric shock. comes the sharp staccato Of
the click There is no mlstaking It:
no tide rip here. And see! Look! The
line stlnens. stralghtens out like
wire. trcmbles second, throwing the
water In crystal drops. and then the
gave II given the butt. and the reel
screams. high and low. as the unknown
jerks the line away In long and splen.
did bursts OF speed.
There IL always the thought that 1t
may bc a shark or n ray or some not
desired vermln. but you have taken the
amber Jack before and its sturdy
cousin of the California island, and
there Is no mistake about 1t.
Sprlnglng TO your feet. with the butt
Of the rod firmly in the leather socket
around your waist you see what
game fish can do, what splendid
strength he brings into play rs Nc
races away. dragging the line from
beneath your thumb and the heavy
brake, seemingly playing with IT,
Fifty. 100. 20O feet Of line slip away
before the fish Is stopped. and then It
appears to strike heavy. determined
blows at the rod. sweeping around Ia
splendid half circle. the line cutting
the water and the fish rising with n
peculiar motion.
Amber jacks have been hooked here
that no man could stop. In the Ian.
guagc of the boatman, they simply
walked away with the line" then
when the end came never stopped. and
there Is seemingly no limit TO the pow
ers of this fellow.
The angler las n start, the thumb
brake Of leather stops the run. and the
big reel begins the pitiless work. ana
while the Jack races he Is inscnsihly
coming In all the time. More than oucc
he realizes this and plunges down and
II the water is deep enough sulks and
bores like a salmon and with ten times
It's force. But the water Is compara-
lively shallow, and the game can only
break away and dash of fifty feet, 60
be checked agnin and again. But II
never really surrcnders, never really
discovers that II Is in the tolls. Like It's
cousin, the California ycllowtal, II
fights until It is in the boat. and even
then have seen fish double and send
Itself whirlng out of n barrel Into the
| freedom of the sea.
The angler can now see the jack as
| it races around the boat. and the black
boatman fingers his gaff ready to give
It the quletus. Nearly thirty minutes
have slipped away. and the attempts
OF the oarsman to keep the angler
stern first 70 the fish and the powerful
rushes have carried the boat out from
shore where the fish has plenty Of wa.
ter. The man Mt the rod begins to feel
that he has earned his fish. In boxing
| fencing or broadsword play there Is n
"let up" time for rest, but In this duel
with the amber Jack II Il all one round
and arms and fingers are stiff and
ache. Pressing the thumb on Il leather
pad for half an hour, holding stlfT
rod In one position il deadly. and the
amber Jack appears to have taken his
second wind. Perhaps there is third
wind for amber Jack. rs, suddenly,
when cCursing along mt the surface,
he apparently sees the boat and goes
crazy, plungng down to the mad ac-
claim OF the reel tearing off the hardly
won line and carrying despair into the
anglers soul.
But this IL the beginning of the end,
and, holding the rod and line firmly
the angler dips the point to the surface
and lifts, 'mans the pumps" lifts for
all he Is worth, gains three feet on the
sulker then. dropping the tip, reels
rapidly, and so, ever repeating the
trick-thc only remedy when fishes will
| sulk-hc regalns hs lost line and has
the splendid fish In sight again. There
Is dash OF silver, yellow and green,
display of surface below the resilient
| rod, then the reel works II on the quar-
ter, and as the patch OF color surgcs
Kissing along the negro gafTer drops his
weapon quietly. skillfully under the
| fish and lifts him just under the gills.
holds him firmly for moment while
the spray and spume fly. Then. de
pressing the rail. he slides the gallant
| fighter I'm, where he hammers the bot.
tom as the angler perchance swings his
hat TO some distant and less fortunate
friend still at anchor. These are the
moments OF JOY in the life OF the an
gler and surely life Is not failure
along the gulf stream and Is worth llv-
| lng.-Forest and Stream.