Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-14
TELLS CHAMPION FISH
STORY OF THE SEASON

Sergeant Harry White of the central
police detail is mourning the loss of S76
feet of nine strand cuttyhunk line and
incidentally lost opportunity to win
diamond studded button from the Avalon
Light Tackle club, but as he was yester-
day presented<with the 1907 undisputed
championship medal of the Ananias divi-
sion of the Southern California Rod and
Reel club he is somewhat consoled for
the loss of his S10.511a worth of fishing
line.
Mr.. White. who is one of the most mod
est and veraciouS men in Los Angeles
and one who is always working overtime
to escape from anything like undue no
toriety, was reluctant last night to give
the details of his wonderful adventure,
but finally he consented to relate the
story. This is how it happened:
A few days ago Mr.. White DOTTED his
blue uniform and crawled into a KHAKI
suit and near Panama hat and went TO
Catalina on a fishing trip. For several
weeks he had been preparing for the trip
and the men in his squad do say-th1s is
not vouched for however-that each
night, between the hours of 3:15 a. M ana
4 o'clock, he has been practicing casting
in the assembly room with a shadow rod
and line and giving exhibitions of Keeling
in big fish, gaffing them and finally haul
ing them over the side of his boat. lie
had special rod built for the occasion.
IF you want to be sure and land big
fish with no possible chance of them get
ting away" said Harry, you don't want
one of these split bamboo affairs. What
you want to get is a real, imported nick
DRY rod from Posey county. Indiana, such
as you used when you were barefoot
boy back on the farm
Procures Favorte Tackle
He got one of that kind. 1t was
beauty. and by the time he got through
working 1t down with sandpaper and
broken glass and shelac it was just
about the incest thing in the way OF
rod that has ever come out of the Posey
county swamps.
With this rod he went to Avalon. Then
ne got gasoline launch and went out
sixty miles. where the big fish roam and
where the ordinary herd of fshermen
dare not go. On the way out he reeled
on this SIG feet of nicely oiled cuttyhunk
fitted on the reel. got on his swivel hooks
and conner leader and was ready for the
biggest thing that swims
When he dropped his line overheard 1t
was quite a little while before he got a
strike, and then 1T came, big, strong
swift and sure. Oh, it was a DANDY
strike, all right. Right here, though, IL
is best to let him tell the STORY III HIS
own way.
81 got this strike" he said land 1T
was strong one, all right. l worked him
good and plenty and pretty soon had MIN
all tired out, and then in seventeen min
utes and nine seconds-you see. had my
boatman holding a stop watch on me, so
l know the exact time-I got that fish up
to the side of the boat.
at was a fifty-six pound albicore.
grabbed the gaff and called to the boat
man to stop the watch just as soon as
got the fish over the gunwale, and then
what do you think happened? A htteen
hundred pound shark rose right up along
side and swallowed alblcore, leader and
all. Well, saw my work cut out for me-
and yelled to the boatman to keep the
watch going and if possible to focus my
camera with the other hand. l was busy
attending to that shark or would nave
got the camera ready myself Well,
played that shark for four hours and
nineteen minutes and eleven seconds, and
then what do you think happened? lie
and kept going down until he
had out my S76 feet of line, and I'll be
darned," he continued, mournfully, If
hadn't forgotten to tie the line to my
reel, and it wound off into the ocean and
away went line, shark and albicore."