126 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



fish; but his Calif ornian cousin runs in schools, some 

 of which have been seen miles in extent. A red 

 rag, or anything, is a lure for them when they are 

 hungry. 



I have referred several times to the bonito as a 

 comrade of the long-finned tuna; but there are two 

 bonitos. One is the skip-jack, a fat, compact, active, 

 radiantly beautiful little fish, which one might call 

 the humming-bird of the sea, so gorgeous are its tints, 

 which are comparable only to the interior of the aba- 

 lone (Haliotis) shell, pink, blue, green— all the colors 

 of the rainbow, while its back is a vivid blue. These 

 little fishes (and I have seen individuals which weighed 

 twenty pounds) are brilliant fighters, and on the sur- 

 face much like an Eastern bluefish; they never give 

 up "until in the pan." If a ten-pound trout could 

 fight as well in proportion it would never be caught 

 on trout tackle. You may take this bonito or skip- 

 jack, as you generally do, troUing. Your line should 

 be number three or six, and your rod as light as 

 possible; for the little game deserves your best con- 

 sideration as a gallant fighter. You locate him by 

 chumming, and "still-fish" if you can. 



The skip-jack is taken all summer, but the oceanic 

 bonito comes in early spring and remains but a few 

 weeks. In the Santa Barbara Channel he is taken 

 all summer, and is a splendid fighter. To catch any 

 of the fishes mentioned in this chapter with a heavy 

 rod is a mortal sin, the fish is outclassed a thousand to 

 one, and sport is impossible. High standards of sport 

 mean a low weight in rods. I count among the small 

 fishes the dolphin, which is taken up to twenty pounds. 

 You will find him with yellowtails beneath kelp patches 



