30 FISHES OF THE PACIFIC COAST 



numbers, but not biting. In point of fact, the entire 

 tuna tribe, if we except the albacore, is whimsical 

 " uncertain, coy and hard to please." 



THE OCEANIC BONITO 



(Gymnosarda pelamys) 



In the spring, and often in summer, a mackerel-like 

 fish about two feet in length, richly striped with dark 

 longitudinal waving lines, comes in to the Southern 

 California coast and affords excellent sport. I have 

 never seen one over twelve pounds, but this oceanic 

 bonito has the fighting power of a fish of twice the size, 

 and, as it often plays on the surface, it gives the 

 angler a fine test of skill and endurance. The bait and 

 tackle is the same as in the case of the long-fin, a nine- 

 ounce rod, though I have often taken them with the 

 six-ounce rod, known as the 3-6, which is really the 

 tackle best adapted to it. 



This bonito is found at sea and is a wide rover. Its 

 eggs are deposited at sea and little is known of its 

 habits, owing to its wandering nature. It doubtless 

 goes south in winter, ranging north in summer. 



OCEANIC BONITO AS A GAME FISH 



The bonito, with its silver body and decided black 

 stripes, is a splendid catch, as it can always be counted 

 on for a hard, strenuous, stubborn fight. The method 

 of taking it is by trolling alongshore a little farther out 

 than for a yellowtail, or on the grounds of the albacore, 

 with sardine or smelt bait or a Wilson spoon. The 



