FISHING THE PACIFIC 



in use on fishing boats today. You can pay as much as five 

 hundred dollars for one. For big fish I want only a single 

 fighting chair and that must be placed in the center. If you are 

 going for small fish there should be two chairs. The back, of 

 course, should always come out and the foot bracing should 

 be adjustable to meet the physical requirements of different 

 anglers. I have never considered that the holders for drinks 

 and other such luxurious appointments with which some of 

 the Atlantic coast boat chairs are provided are necessary. 

 The chair should always be raised as high as possible and 

 many of the fine elevated chairs have the iron pipe arrange- 

 ment for foot bracing which is very comfortable and effec- 

 tive. The Wedgeport chair is my favorite. I want a tough one. 

 The radiotelephone is a fine thing to have aboard a fish 

 boat, but I have never regarded it as an essential adjunct. It 

 is an excellent safety feature as well as a real help in locating 

 fish that have been found by other boats miles away. Also, it 

 is pleasant to be able to report to shore when you are kept 

 out late at night fighting a fish, so that it will not be necessary 

 for other fishermen or fish guides to put out and hunt for 

 you. I can most emphatically state that I have never fished 

 anywhere where fishermen and guides are not always ready 

 and willing to disrupt their plans and stay out all night, if 

 need be, to look for an overdue angler. The only trouble 

 with the radiotelephone is that it can be a source of annoy- 

 ance many times during the day. For instance, you pick it up 

 to send an important message only to find other fishing cap- 

 tains monopolizing the air waves with interminable con- 

 versation which could be ended after a minute or two, and 

 you will hear others who are merely using the telephone 



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