Sea Fishing 327 



perienced angler, and you are never certain of him 

 till he strikes his own death knell upon the bottom 

 of the boat. He may be hooked with jig, spoon, 

 dead or live bait, and is to be found in the spring, 

 summer, and autumn, between Point Conception 

 and San Diego. My brothers and I have caught 

 them at Port Harford and Pismo in August, Sep- 

 tember, October, and November. 



These fish, like all mackerel, run in schools, and 

 may be corralled, so to speak, by the abundant use of 

 chum. I commend casting for them from the stern 

 of a boat, and a small mackerel spinner is a deadly 

 lure ; if this fails, a sardine or anchovy may succeed. 



I must emphasise, even ad nauseam, the necessity 

 of employing light tackle when fishing for bonito. 

 At Catalina, yellow-tail rods and lines are generally 

 used, even by sportsmen. The fish are mercilessly 

 reeled in, knocked on the head, and ultimately 

 thrown away as refuse. Stout cutty-hunk line is 

 about as well adapted to play an eight-pound fish, 

 as an elephant gun would be to kill a quail on 

 the wing. Bonito, moreover, should be salted and 

 smoked; their bellies, delicately broiled, make a 

 breakfast-dish fit to set before Lucullus. 



To the halibut I am under obligations for many 

 hours of excellent entertainment. He is not an 

 aristocrat either in appearance or by birth, but he 

 is a fighter, strong and speedy, and a heavy-weight 

 withal. At Port Harford, during the late summer 

 and fall, he may be taken with spoon, or dead bait. 

 A heavy sinker must be used, as this fellow feeds 

 on or near the bottom, and your boatman must be 

 instructed to row slowly and hug the shore. The 



