80 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



The club was named after the tuna, because it was 

 a good and euphonious name, and its organization 

 followed my catch of the first very large tuna. There 

 are three kinds of members: First, the active members 

 who have landed a tuna of one hundred pounds or 

 over according to club rules. These are voting mem- 

 bers and have full charge of the club. Second, asso- 

 ciate members, selected from anglers at large. Third, 

 honorary members who have aided in the principles 

 the club stands for. 



The evolution of this club, how it educated the 

 sport-loving public from the big hand-line period of 

 1885 up to to-day, when the same fishes are taken 

 with light resilient rods and thread-like lines, reads 

 like romance. To accomplish the reform I suggested 

 a tournament, in which, and during which, the club 

 should offer valuable prizes to boatmen and anglers, 

 which could be attained only by fishing according to 

 the club rules, which, in brief, were the first stages 

 of the light-tackle movement of to-day. I carried on 

 a series of experiments here in 1886-87 with light lines 

 and rods, trying a variety of weights and sizes, even 

 to taking large yellowtails on eight-ounce, ten-foot 

 split bamboo trout rods and the equivalent of a number 

 three line. This demonstrated that rod-fishing could 

 be successfully introduced. 



The club suggested the convention of anglers held 

 at the Museum of Natural History, New York, in 

 1904, under the chairmanship of Dr. Henry Van Dyke, 

 who gave the name of "Honest Anglers" to the per- 

 manent organization. At this convention papers were 

 read explaining the work of the club, showing the 

 work of the "fish-game hog" all over the country, 



