204 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
The yellowtail of the Pacific coast is not the yellowtail of Florida, but is 
closely related to the amberfish, or amber jack, of the latter region. It is the 
common fish of southern California, where it attains weight of 100 pounds. ‘The 
rod record is 60 pounds. It is a beautiful fish, blue, silver, with yellow median 
line fins and finlets, and all in all the hardest fighting fish known. It is taken 
by hand lines for the market in deep water near shore or at the surface. In 
the early season it runs in schools, but breaks up and solitary fish are often 
seen. If the winter in southern California is warm and dry, the yellowtail is 
taken every month in the year, but if cold the fish goes to offshore banks or 
down into very deep water, where its food supply also doubtless winters. It is 
taken from rowboats (fig. 8, pl. rv) or launches, with rods 6 or 9 ounce split bam- 
boo, 6 feet or over in length; medium-sized reel, 9-thread line, with 6-foot leader 
of wire, 7/o hook, and large flying-fish or small sardine bait (large fish take the 
former). It can be taken by still fishing or trolling, is a wharf fish as well, 
and is also taken under kelp patches miles out to sea. It is the fish of the 
people in California, worth thousands to the state as a game fish (fig. 11, pl. vr), 
and equally valuable as a food supply to the masses. It spawns in the summer. 
The barracuda, found in schools in California in summer, is taken in gill 
nets, also on light tackle rods. It is a good food but poor game fish. In 
August the schools break up and individual fish are seen. The barracuda takes 
sardine or smelt bait. 
The ocean sunfish (fig. 9, pl. v) taken for sport, attains a weight of 2,200 
pounds in California, and is found all over the world in temperate waters. It 
takes bait but rarely. The author hooked one August 26, 1908, and landed it by 
rushing at it in a launch, gaffing it quickly, and holding on to it, despite its 
rushes. It weighed half a ton doubtless, and was ro feet high. This fish is 
very common in southern California waters. On pleasant days it can be seen 
jumping, and the pursuit of it constitutes sport for those who like lusty pas- 
times at sea. It is generally taken with a spear, but to hook it and rush the 
launch in and gaff it before it goes down is a game that has no little excitement. 
I have taken large specimens off the Atlantic coast in this way and once off the 
Florida coast. No more extraordinary creature can be imagined than this 
colossus with no appreciable tail, a fish all head with its two huge fins pointing 
up and down, dotted with waving parasites, splashed and spotted with mem- 
branifera, sailing along in the deep blue sea. The small ones go in schools. 
The skin is used as sandpaper, the muscle as rubber for balls. 
The California flying fish is taken as food in seven ways: One by setting a 
gill net at the surface; the fish is so stupid that the moment it touches the net 
it stops and turns over and is easily caught. The sportsmanlike way to take 
it is to shoot it with a shotgun. This I have accomplished by seating myself 
