204 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



The yellowtail of the Pacific coast is not the yellowtail of Florida, but is 

 closely related to the amberfish, or amber jack, of the latter region. It is the 

 common fish of southern California, where it attains weight of loo pounds. The 

 rod record is 60 pounds. It is a beautiful fish, blue, silver, with yellow median 

 line fins and finlets, and all in all the hardest fighting fish known. It is taken 

 by hand lines for the market in deep water near shore or at the surface. In 

 the early season it runs in schools, but breaks up and solitary fish are often 

 seen. If the winter in southern California is warm and dry, the yellowtail is 

 taken every month in the year, but if cold the fish goes to ofi"shore banks or 

 down into very deep water, where its food supply also doubtless winters. It is 

 taken from rowboats (fig. 8, pi. iv) or launches, with rods 6 or 9 ounce split bam- 

 boo, 6 feet or over in length; medium-sized reel, 9 -thread line, with 6-foot leader 

 of wire, 7/0 hook, and large flying-fish or small sardine bait (large fish take the 

 former). It can be taken by still fishing or trolling, is a wharf fish as well, 

 and is also taken under kelp patches miles out to sea. It is the fish of the 

 people in California, worth thousands to the state as a game fish (fig, 11, pi. vi), 

 and equally valuable as a food supply to the masses. It spawns in the summer. 



The barracuda, found in schools in California in summer, is taken in gill 

 nets, also on light tackle rods. It is a good food but poor game fish. In 

 August the schools break up and individual fish are seen. The barracuda takes 

 sardine or smelt bait. 



The ocean sunfish (fig. 9, pi, v) taken for sport, attains a weight of 2,200 

 pounds in California, and is found all over the world in temperate waters. It 

 takes bait but rarely. The author hooked one August 26, 1908," and landed it by 

 rushing at it in a launch, gaffing it quickly, and holding on to it, despite its 

 rushes. It weighed half a ton doubtless, and was 10 feet high. This fish is 

 very common in southern California waters. On pleasant days it can be seen 

 jumping, and the pursuit of it constitutes sport for those who like lusty pas- 

 times at sea. It is generally taken with a spear, but to hook it and rush the 

 launch in and gaff it before it goes down is a game that has no little excitement. 

 I have taken large specimens off the Atlantic coast in this way and once off the 

 Florida coast. No more extraordinary creature can be imagined than this 

 colossus with no appreciable tail, a fish all head with its two huge fins pointing 

 up and down, dotted with waving parasites, splashed and spotted with mem- 

 branifera, sailing along in the deep blue sea. The small ones go in schools. 

 The skin is used as sandpaper, the muscle as rubber for balls. 



The California flying fish is taken as food in seven ways: One by setting a 

 gill net at the surface; the fish is so stupid that the moment it touches the net 

 it stops and turns over and is easily caught. The sportsmanlike way to take 

 it is to shoot it with a shotgun. This I have accomplished by seating myself 



