206 WILD LIFE AND THE CAMERA 



an acre or more in extent, the water churned up as 

 though a volcano were in eruption beneath. Gulls, 

 attracted by the turmoil and the chance of picking 

 up scraps of small fish torn by the voracious yellow 

 tail, arrive in numbers and add to the general con- 

 fusion. Then suddenly it all ends, peace is restored, 

 thousands of small fry have been devoured, and 

 once more the limpid surface reflects the gorgeous 

 blue of the sky. Near floating masses of kelp is 

 usually a sure place for yellow tail fishing, but a 

 great deal of sport is to be found in the bays quite 

 close to the rocks. In fact some people prefer to 

 fish directly from the shore, and when the water is 

 fairly shallow this gives splendid sport, as then the 

 fish is unable to ground and sulk. 



The outfit necessary and advisable for yellow tail 

 comprises a fairly stiff rod, not over eight feet long 

 and weighing from 24 to 30 ounces (anything over 

 26 ounces is really only good for beginners) ; a 

 good, stout and long line is necessary, about 

 300 feet of 15-strand cuttybunk is usually recom- 

 mended ; needless to say, a reliable reel is an 

 important part of the outfit, for if the reel goes 

 wrong it means loss of fish, line and all. The hook 

 most highly recommended by Mr. Charles P. Holder 

 is the O'Shaughnessy attached to a stiff copper 

 wire, which in turn is fastened by means of a swivel 

 to the line. For bait sardine or herring are usually 

 used, sometimes in connection with a large spoon. 

 When stillfishing is resorted to it is often neces- 

 sary to coax the fish and start them feeding by 

 throwing in bait. Once they begin to eat, your 

 fun begins, but there are times when apparently 



