Semi-weekly herald., 1912-12-30


in its capture. The club record for
this fish is sixty pounds, but, in the
gulf of California, white sea bass
have been taken weighing 80 pounds.
A peculiar fish that appeals to many
sportsmen is the ocean sGnfish which
is found in temperate waters all oyerA
the world 1t does not take bait well
and generally is speared, but some
times is hooked from ne side of a
gasoline launch by e.lf and towed
into shore. To do t...s is great
feat. This fish is takeA off the mid
die Atlantic as well as OF the Florida
coasts and in southern California wa
ters it has been known tO weigh 2,200
pounds. A man who captured one
weighing half a ton had an exciting
time towing it into shore where it
measured ten feet in height This
fish is most extraordinary in appear
ance 1t has no apprec.able tail, but
seems all head, with two large fins
pointing up and down. Its skin lis
used as sandpaper and its muscles
as substitute for rubber in the cen.
ter of golf balls.
The taking of giant squid is
sufficiently exciting sport to satisfy
the most venturesome man. These
monsters sometimes measure fifty
feet in length. The body is barrel
shaped with an arrow shaped tail. 1t
weighs ton or more. Around its
head are ten arms provided with suck
er like devices which enable it to
seize its prey easily. 1t has par
rot like beak and is provided with a
good sized bag filed with an inky
fluid which it discharges at its enc
mics, thereby clouding the water and
making good its escape. The Notre
Dame bay, off the coast of New
foundland, is famous for its giant
squids, which sometimes attack fish
ermen. Squid hunting is not a pom
ular sport as there are few men in
trepid enough to enjoy trying to cap
| ture monster posses ssing ten arms,
each of which is strong enough to
take man from a boat and drown
him. One of these features has been
known to throw its arms about a
boat and overturn it. Small squid
are found in most parts of the world
| and they are excellent bait for a few
| kinds of fish.
Almost as formidable as the squid
| in appearance, but much less danger
Gus, is the California octopus, with
its eight radiating arms and its great
flabby body which sometimes meas
ures twenty feet across. These crea-
lures have the chemeleon like power
| of changing their color, which usually
is reddish. They are not likely to at
tack anyone except in self-defense,
| and then are comparatively harmless
excepting to frighten the unwary by
their terrifying appearance. The
larger varieties of these fish supply
the cutie bone which is placed in -
cage for canary birds.
1t is only those who can go into the
larger waters who now enjoy the sport
of capturing these giants, however.
Their number is comparatively small
compared with the thousands of men
and women who derive great pleasure
as well as profit from the capture OF,
smaller fish under less exciting con-
ditions. There are many women who
are enthusiastic anglers and one of the
first prizes awarded this year in
country wide fishing contest was given
to woman physician who is in the
habit of devoting her vacation to fish
ing. Her prize catch was great
northern pike caught in Lake Mary,
Minnesota. 1t was forty-one inches in
length and weighed sixteen and half
pounds. She also caught twelve and
fourteen-pounded during the same
| season. Her husband, who accom-
panied her, landed over forty-iive
pounds of fall-eyed pike from the
same boat in one morning.
One naturally thinks of brook trout
as small fish so the man who secured
the highest prize in the same contest
for the largest of this species may be
regarded as having captured some
fish" when he landed brook trout in
northern Maine which tipped the
scales at six pounds, although several
were reported in the contest which
approximately this weight. This is
an advance over last year when the
highest prize was awarded for a fish
weighing only two pounds and nine
ounces.
The real trout season begins in June
and in this sunny month the speckled
beauty seems in a more receptive
mood after his long freedom from the
activity of the fishermen's fly. The
wise trout fisher matches as nearly
as possible the particular insect which
seems most prevalent over the sur
face of the water at the time he is
fishing. This may change from one
day to another or even from one hour
to another in the same day. Some
times it is the white miller which