Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-16
YELLOWTAIL BUSY;
TACKLE SUFFERING
Three-Six Experts Having Bad
Week and BaCksliding at
Santa Catalina
MECHANICS BLAMING TOOLS
Surf Fishing Along Shore Show
ing Little Sport --Seining
Law is Being Violated
MECHANICS BLAMING TOOLS
RY EDWIN L. HEDDERLY


deniable activity have been dis
II turbing the piscatorial peace of
Catalina greatly throughout the past
week. Although the fish are averaging
no bigger than they do in the usual
midsummer runs, they seem to be a
particularly lively lot if one can judge
by some of the reports that have come
ashore Certain it is, the demand for
six-thread line shows a strong bull
market, and they do say unkind things
about the entire Three-SiX idea in Ava
lon: while casual mention of anything
lighter is apt to stage a mob scene
upon the spot. All of which is of
present interest in view of the at
tempts being made to popularize the
newer form of flimsy tackle.
Tom Manning, who needs no other
introduction to fishermen, estimated a
few days ago that the present run of
school yellowtail had harvested no
less than 400 hooks from the Three
Six exponents, all of which caused a
great agitation on South Alvarado
street, where big Tom Potter, the dad
dy of Three-Six, lives. The announce
ment that Potter is going over this
week to see what is the matter, is su-
perfluous. 1t is plain from this dis
tance that a lot of bad fishing has
been done, else those fifteen and twen-
ty-pound yelowtail would not be chas-
ing the experts up the back trail to
the old nine-nine days we think less of
now than when it really was con-
sidered a feat of skill to whip yell
lowtail with a nine-ounce rod
Even Commodore Conn took to the
woods which was a surprise, for only
last week he was a warm advocate of
the Three-Six for yellowtail. 1t will
be interesting to learn upon what food
these finny Caesars have fed that they
are grown so great in destruction. Last
summer, the anglers who were rea-
sonably expert, came in with yellow
tail weighing all the way up to thirty
five pounds, and thought they were to
blame when anything broke. OF course
the tackle specifications have been en-
forced against over-strong lines this
year, and the six-ounce rods have been
improved, averaging sitter in back
bone" than the first turned out; but
these things are not disadvantages to
the really skilled and cool-headed ang-
Ter; nor do they account for this whole
sale junk business that the finny scrap
pers seem to have inaugurated. If a
guess is not actionable, 1t looks from
this distance as if there were too gem
eral a hurry among the sardine snag-
gers More haste, less speed" and
not More sport, less fish," ought to
be the motto of the Three-Six club,
apparently. In other words, the
Metropole cafe is open until 10 o'clock,
and there is no need for hurry when
fish is on. The cool, methodical fell
low who goes to work over his fish
slowly, and tries to see how little
strain he can use and still bring fish
and gaff together, has more nearly the
idea than the chap who fishes with a
stop watch on the seat.
Most of the fist lost go during the
first rush. There is no good coming Of
an attempt to snub even a small yell
lowtail on a six-three line; the "snub-
bee" is apt not to like it. One has over
sixth of a mile Of line to exhaust
before the situation becomes serious,
and a boatman who does not rise to
the occasion befort a fish has waded
into one for more than 400 feet is dis
grace to his craft. Once the first run
is held, there is no reason for losing
any average yellowtail; for patience
and a steady strain, with everything
ready to release line any time it is de-
manded, are a deadly combination to
all big fish. But that relic of clothes
line days, the idea that he who lands
his fish quickest is the most expert
like many another fishing fallacy, dies
hard. The Three-Four- Five brethren
put their finger upon the real issue
when they graded anglers upon a per-
centage of fish landed to strikes Sc
cured, and made time a secondary
consideration.
Three-Six is fully equal to handling
yellowtail of bigger than average size,
and those who have laid it aside have
done so temporarily. 1t will not be
long before they come back. Mean
while some Of us who had begun to
fear that Three-Six was becoming so
easy that it would no longer supply the
element Of difficulty needed to retain
angling interest experience real sense
of relief.
White sea bass are still plentiful
about Catalina, but are not taking hold
much. Two fine ones were caught at
RedOndo last week. They used to be
caught there by handllners so freely
that the slain were piled UP on the
wharves like cOrdwood, half a dozen
yellowtail and sea bass being an ordin-
airy catch for a handliner. In those
days the sardine schools congregated
about RedondO, and undoubtedly fur
nished the attraction, AS they seem
to be increasing somewhat, perhaps the
sport will return to something of it's
time glory. Protection of the sar-
dimes in their swapping ground, Avalon
bay, is no doubt a leading reason for
IDlS increase IN tIle Ddll supply.
The present run of yellowtail about
Catalina does not seem to be confined
to any particular locality. All along
the lee of the island and as far around
as Silver canyon the boats are finding
them, few bigger than twenty pounds.
In short, the yellowtail season has
come on at least two weeks ahead of
schedule time. and perhaps a month
would be a fairer estimate. Decora-
tion day draws a number of anglers
to Catalina and is, as a rule, produc-
tive of good sport. A large party will
cross the channel SATURDAY. and Sun
day two weeks hence, and those in
tending to go had better correspond
with their favorite boatman long in
advance. as boats will be hard to get
at the eleventh hour.
The launches Of AL Carraher and
Phil O'Mara which carried away their
noorings in an offshore blow at Ava
Ion last week, drifted far out into the
gulf of Catalina and Captain Conn,
who cruised after them in the Nevada,
failed to sight them. A coastwise
freight steamer picked up both boats,
however, some twenty-five miles south
east of Clemente island and brought
them into san Pedro, together, no
doubt, with a bill for salvage. Quite
an interest in car wheels and cement
moorings has sprung up In Avalon.
Acting on advices received from the
manufacturers of linen fishing lines,