THE OCEAN FISHING ROD 325 



months, and is at its best from the middle of July to the end of 

 September, provided the weather is suitable ; but in warmer 

 latitudes there is plenty of fishing all through the winter. The 

 Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are full offish from October to June. 



It is so unlikely that anybody would charter a vessel for the 

 express purpose of carrying on this branch of sea fishing, that it 

 seems hardly necessary to mention any particular fishing grounds. 

 The sport is rather one of the incidental amusements of a 

 voyage. Fish are found anywhere. Between Gibraltar and India 

 or China, in the Pacific, off the western coast of North and 

 South America, from San Francisco to Chili ; and near La Plata 

 Isle, off Jamaica, the fishing is particularly good. Sport has 

 also been obtained on the east coast of Africa, and very large 

 tunny are caught near the Cape de Verde Islands. In fact, 

 in nearly all the warmer portions of the watery world, between 

 25 N. and 25 S., great surface-feeding fish are to be found. 



Records of sport enjoyed by ocean sea-fishers are very 

 interesting, and a few may be quoted to give a more or less 

 accurate idea of the success attending the use of the methods 

 described. One of the best baskets of fish ever made in this 

 way consisted of fourteen dolphins weighing 186 Ibs., which 

 were caught north of Socotra by Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant- 

 Colonel Smith. The same gentleman, when in a vessel four 

 days off Colombo, was hauling in a fish which appeared to be 

 seven feet long, when the hook broke. " Lieutenant Harston 

 Eagles, whom I have already mentioned, hooked nineteen fish 

 on a voyage from England to Bombay without bringing one 

 on board ; but on the homeward journey caught tunny, 

 barracuda, and other fish, weighing 54 Ibs., 33 Ibs., 23 Ibs., 

 iSlbs., 13 Ibs., 1 1 Ibs., and lolbs. respectively, giving an 

 average of 2 3 Ibs. On another voyage he did far better than 

 this, catching sixty-six fish, which weighed 2,084 Ibs., or an 

 average of 3 1*5 Ibs., the largest being a tunny of 150 Ibs. 



