Fish and Fishing 



and then cast off. If the fish is to be kept, it is got 

 into position, and the gaff placed under the head 

 and jerked heavily upward between the gills and 

 the tip of the jaw, and the fish's head held partly 

 out of the water against the boat while it strug- 

 gles. The boatman steps on the rail forcing it to 

 the water's edge and slides the fish in upon the 

 canvas at the bottom of the boat; if the tarpon still 

 struggles it can be thrown over it. Some anglers 

 kill the game with a revolver or a club. If the 

 fish is firmly hooked, the boatman now cuts the 

 line or unfastens it and baits a new hook, and 

 the game is repeated as before. 



BLACK SEA-BASS 



This huge salt-water giant is another ocean 

 wonder taken on rod and line within the last few 

 years; its fighting qualities mainly consist in bull- 

 like resistance, savage tugs, and towing the boat 

 and anglers, sometimes for hours till tired. Then 

 it is gaffed and rolled into the boat. It does not, like 

 the tuna or tarpon, make long rushes, or 

 leap above the surface, but generally goes 

 deep down and along. It is common both on the 

 Atlantic and Pacific coasts, where it has been 

 caught weighing up to 500 pounds. In its gen- 

 eral structure it closely resembles the fresh-water 

 bass, and is often miscalled the black grouper, 

 and Florida jewfish, but the two latter are dis- 

 tinct species. 



Along the California coast, especially around 

 42 



