The Haunts of the Black Sea-Bass 



" How much he weigh ? You want 

 catch with that ? " said Joe, pointing to 

 the rod with scorn. " Why, man, he 

 weigh five hundred pounds. Yes, black 

 sea-bass run from seventy-five to five hun- 

 dred, seven hundred pounds." 



I ran over in my mind the various heavy- 

 weight tackles, the tarpon, striped-bass, 

 salmon rods, and came to the conclusion 

 that a flag-staff with a donkey-engine reel 

 attachment might do ; yet decided, then 

 and there, to take a black sea-bass, if it 

 was among the possibilities. I announced 

 my determination interrogatively to my 

 guide and oarsman. 



" Of course you catch one if you know 

 how. I show you where he live. It take 

 patience sometimes," was the reply. 



I was well supplied with this necessary, 

 and a few days later found myself gliding 

 away in the deep shadows of the rocks, 

 headed for one of the haunts of the deep- 

 sea bass. The water here was so clear 

 objects forty feet below could be distinctly 

 seen, glances into the depths showing 

 an almost tropical condition of things. 

 Bright-hued fishes, yellow and orange, 

 darted by, disappearing in patches of wiry 

 seaweed that gleamed with blue and iri- 

 descent tints. In the watery space fairy- 



167 



