THE ALBACORE 



(Germo alalunga) 



The albacore is another genus of the same family, and 

 reaches a weight of 40 to 80 pounds; averaging 25 

 pounds. It is seldom seen as far north as San Fran- 

 cisco, but is abundant from Santa Barbara south to 

 Central America. Like all of the family it is a gamy 

 fish, and affords good sport to the angler. In general 

 shape and appearance it resembles the tuna, but will 

 always be distinguished by its long, sword-like pectoral 

 fins that start from near the gills, and a trifle lower 

 than the eye, and reach beyond the second dorsal fin. 



Tackle and Lure The albacore will take almost, any 

 lure from a sardine to a white rag. The speed of the 

 boat can also be varied very much. I have known them 

 to be caught on a hand line trolled behind a coast 

 steamer. About three miles an hour, however, will give 

 the best results. The following light tackle specifica- 

 tions of the Tuna Club will be found quite satisfactory 

 for the average albacore: 



Rod to be of wood, consisting of a butt and tip, 

 and to be not shorter than 6 feet over all. Butt to 

 be not over 14 inches in length. Tip not less than 

 5 feet in length, and to weigh not more than 6 

 ounces. Line not to exceed standard 9-thread. 



THE YELLOW-FIN ALBACORE 



(Germo microptera) 



Another of the Scrombridae family, and very closely 

 allied to the albacore, is the yellow-fin albacore. This 

 fish has erroneously been called "yellow-fin tuna." It 

 does not belong to the genus Thunnus any more than 

 does the albacore or the bonito. It is only a visitor to 

 the California waters, and often does not make its ap- 

 pearance for one or two seasons at a time. They are 

 common to the coasts of Japan and the Hawaiian Is- 

 lands, and are supposed to migrate with the Japanese 

 current. This species fights altogether on the surface, 

 but lacks the sterling gamy qualities of the tuna. 



In shape it is built very much on the lines of the 

 albacore, but with its pectoral fins only extending back 

 to about half way between the anal and ventral, the 

 other fins are placed the same as the albacore, and all 

 except the pectoral strongly tinged with bright lemon; 

 pectoral fin is more of a bright brown; eye, large and 

 prominent. 



A few have been taken weighing as much as 40 

 156 



