FISHING THE PACIFIC 



fish in quick time, provided they know how to handle the 

 tackle. There is no doubt in my mind that experience and 

 understanding of the tactics of the fish and knowledge of 

 how to get the most out of the rod and the line are basically 

 helpful. Whether the fish is boated speedily depends upon 

 the physical condition of the fish and where the hook is 

 lodged. 



I get a great thrill out of boating a large tuna, broadbill, or 

 marhn in short order, for I have many more recollections of 

 spending hours on the rod with one fish, only to lose him. 

 All big game anglers, in fact, have lost many more fish than 

 they have ever caught, and not a man or woman among us 

 can tell in advance what is likely to happen. When the hook 

 is set into a big fish no amount of experience can determine 

 how long it will take to boat him. 



I think it only proper that all anglers announce the true 

 time for boating every game fish, whether it be a few minutes 

 or many hours. How unsportsmanlike it would be if, after a 

 large fish had been hooked in the gills or stomach or failed to 

 put up a good fight, the angler were to release his drag when 

 the fish was near or practically in the boat, and then to tell 

 the fishing world that he had had a long drawn-out struggle, 

 while actually his quarry might have been boated in three 

 minutes! 



Many of our world-record fish have been taken in less than 

 fifteen minutes to boat. However, as I stated, experience is 

 the great asset. With the proper knowledge of what to do at 

 the right time, an experienced angler has it all over the aver- 

 age tyro. There are only a few anglers who have boated any 

 considerable number of broadbill, giant tuna, and blue, silver, 



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