28 FISHES OF THE PACIFIC COAST 



of the sea. It appeared in large schools coming up 

 from the south and took sardine bait vigorously, and 

 afforded anglers much sport. The peculiarity of the 

 sport was that this tuna played and fought on the 

 surface, and towed boats about for hours. It appeared 

 in company with long-finned tunas and bonitos, and 

 was very tame. I had my boatman toss over bait and 

 a swarm of fishes would rise out of the depths to seize 

 it, and among them this beautiful tuna from Japan, 

 as clever as a trout ; the others would seize the baited 

 hook at once, but not the yellow-fin; he swam about 

 picking up the bits of sardine, but always avoiding 

 the one which concealed the hook. The year before 

 these fishes bit with avidity and afforded splendid 

 sport to the rod and reel fishermen. 



THE YELLOW-FIN AS A GAME FISH 



The sudden appearance of the yellow-fin tuna in 

 Catalina waters created a sensation, and it at once 

 assumed a position as one of the finest of game fishes, 

 and, so far as actual sport is concerned, may be com- 

 pared to its gigantic cousin, the leaping tuna. 



The yellow-fin is common in the waters of Japan 

 and the Hawaiian Islands ; in fact, Japanese waters are 

 supposed to be its home, and a Japanese specific name 

 has been given it by Jordan; so that its appearance 

 on American shores may be considered more or less 

 accidental, the schools doubtless following the Black 

 Current of Japan. 



To see a yellow-fin tuna in the water, swimming 

 about, is worth a pilgrimage to California alone, as it 

 is a beautiful fish. It combines a cleverness of its 



