FISHING THE PACIFIC 



mediately. Tuker claims, and rightly so, that a swordfish will 

 almost never strike a bait on the surface. On the rare occasion 

 when he does, the slash will usually be hard enough to strip 

 the two hooks out of the bait no matter how well you've tied 

 them in. 



It is a grave mistake to reel in a bait for even lo feet though 

 you may think by so doing you can get in front of the fish 

 if he's going across the wake between the bait and the boat. 

 I do not believe that crossing a wake puts a finning fish down, 

 although a good swordfish guide endeavors to prevent it if 

 possible just as he tries to keep the sun at his back. The fish 

 may strike thirty seconds after he's gone down or, as I have 

 found, he may take as long as twelve or fifteen minutes. Of 

 course if the guide tells you to reel in, do so because he has a 

 better view, if the boat has uptop controls, than you can 

 possibly have sitting in the chair. 



When the strike comes and the line starts running out, the 

 boat, as I have already said, should be stopped. Then when 

 everything is working smoothly, or perhaps I should say if 

 the fish is doing what you wish him to, the line will go out 

 very, very slowly for about loo feet. Tuker says that this 

 first run is only the preliminary hit and does not always mean 

 that the bait has been taken. He assures the angler there is no 

 cause to feel disappointed if nothing happens right away, for 

 the fish will almost invariably take his time either because he 

 isn't very hungry or because he fancies he has killed the bait. 

 A pause of eight or ten minutes may ensue before a pull on 

 the line gives the angler the signal his quarry has returned and 

 taken the bait in his mouth. However, it usually lasts only a 

 minute or two. And if everything is still going smoothly an- 



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