FISHING THE PACIFIC 



breaching fish. If a fish starts to breach near the boat he is 

 usually a wild one. In water temperatures of 60° or less 

 swordfish will breach a great deal in attempting to rid him- 

 self of sucker fish or other parasites. In water temperatures 

 below that they carry very few parasites and seldom if ever 

 breach. 



In Nova Scotia waters, for instance, a breaching fish is an 

 oddity and the only time one is ever seen is during September 

 when the migration is about to start and the fish are leaving 

 the ground. The commercials up there will tell you that 

 when the fish are seen acting in this way they will not be 

 in the neighborhood the next day. 



On only two occasions have I had a strike from a breaching 

 fish, though I have often had them jump five or six times all 

 around the boat as if trying to get a good look at her. Some 

 of the fish I've baited have breached within thirty feet of the 

 boat, as if they'd come up to thumb their noses at me. One 

 of the toughest jobs I know is to bait fish sighted under water 

 that have not been finning. They very seldom strike. 



As soon as the boat has left the dock— or at least as soon 

 as the bait has been caught or purchased from a commercial 

 fisherman— the tackle should be prepared and the baits rigged. 

 To my mind there are only two ways of rigging a swordfish 

 bait. If a whole fish is being used there are two systems, either 

 of which may be followed in fitting this bait to the hook. 

 One is the Lerner system, the other the Tuker system, or 

 South American way. If these gentlemen have a whole fish 

 into which they can get two hooks from i i/o to 14/0, they 

 will use it whole. The only time they don't employ twin 

 hooks is when the bait is the tiny squid such as we have off 



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