Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-04
CATCHING CORBINA;
FISHING IMPROVES
High Time for Surf Anglers Soon
to Come-Sunday's Catches
at the Many Beaches
BY EDWIN L. HEDDERLY

Surf fishing showed some improve
ment Sunday, due no doubt to the un-
seasonable hot weather. and those an
glers who find their favorite recrea-
tion shying sinkers into the breakers
once or twice each week may live in
hopes of coming into their own from
this time on. Although as a rule lit
tie dependence is to be placed upon
corbina before the middle or latter
part of May, the present season has
been so forward in all other respects
that devotees of the rod and reel had
better go over their gear at the first
opportunity of vacant evening, and
repair the damages of disuse. The last
trip of last season never was intended
to be the last; the line was not as
dry as it should have been, and the
German silver of the reel spool has
rusted sufficiently to burn several
turns of the line adjacent to it on
each side of the barrel. Maybe not
enough to condemn the line, but it
should be tried before being trusted,
for the early fish often are the big
fish: generally so in fact with corbina.
One usually digs out a few Old frayed
gut leaders; unless in very good state
of repair all such should be scrapped,
and a clean start made with new gear.
The sharks, sand-wash, and raspy
mouths of surf fish will soon make it
old enough, A little attention to hook
points with a fine file or stone, pays
we'll; as they come from the factories,
very few are above reproach. One
veteran angler, Robert Campbell, who
misses his Sunday fish a little oftener
on average than once in each decade,
and then only because of the death of
lifelong friends, makes up all his end
gear. 1t is perfection itself, and
pleasure in the making as well as in
the using. Mr.. Campbell is now rs
years old. but his eyes are equal to
the neatest of work in whipping down
gut-ends to hook shanks. and his
marked success in catching the most
and the biggest corbina is in some
measure attributable to the excellence
of his leaders, sharp hooks and care
fully tested gut and fastenings. He
believes in fine tackle, and treats cor
bina as shy fish. Wherein lies a
lesson for those of inexperience, who
lombard the breakers with leads and
coarse gobs of bait. driving the fish
beyond reach. and declare there is
nothing but luck in fishing. Camp
bell will catch more fish per clam than
anybody; the usual rate is inverse;
number of clans per fish.
Bay City. and in fact all the resorts,
were better patronized yesterday than
at any time yet this season. Some
runs of small fish were the attraction
at the western beaches. The warm
weather ought to start the mackerel
schooling, and occasional flurries of
sport with the pompano are in pros
pect.
Fishing outside has been so poor for
the last few years that not many have
any disposition to try it, but barracuda
and bass are to be had by those who
know how and where to look for them;
while out in the channel are occasional
chances for good sport of rather
ponderous character with albicore. If
the bait reappears around Portuguese
bend this year, that once famous re-
sort may return to it's own as yellow
tail ground. Time was when pair of
skilled rod and reel fishermen could
take a dozen apiece in a day with an
early start, and not go a mile beyond
the opening in the kelp in front of the
blight 1t is still quite a favored spot
of bass Ed Winfield and John Dillon,
who own the little launch Unome.
visit it frequently and often make good
catches
Surf fishermen have occasion for
this week, the superior
court having upheld the validity of the
anti-seining law affecting corbina, yell
loWfins and croakers, Sportsmen now
adays are so used to seeing valuable
protective measures sacrificed on the
altar of commercial greed that the
present instances comes as a welcome
relief.
The Southern California Rod and
Reel club, organized several years ago
to secure collectively the passage of
this law which sea anglers as individ-
uals had failed to impress upon the
code. has labored from the first toward
that end, and, in fact, had no other
excuse for being The law was passed
only after hard battle before two
in each of which the mar