36 Life in the Open 



hard to explain. The mainland shore is swept by the 

 constantly prevailing west wind, and by ten or eleven 

 o'clock, earlier or later as the case may be, it works up a 

 sea that makes angling not always a pleasure ; but to 

 the south-west of Santa Catalina or San Clemente there 

 is a lee, which extends many miles, in which the small 

 launches can ply nearly every day in very smooth water, 

 much like that of Lake Placid, the St. Lawrence, or 

 some mountain stream ; then if the wind springs up and 

 comes down the channel, they can run inshore, where it 

 is always calm, and still find good fishing. There is 

 hardly a day that some one does not make a novel 

 catch. It may be a giant sunfish, or a dolphin, the same 

 beautiful fellow of many colours found on the Atlantic 

 Coast, or it may be some rare fish from Hawaii, that 

 has made its way around in the great current of Japan ; 

 sword-fishes, the king of the herring, or opah, and many 

 more make up the season's bag, with rod or spear. 



The play of the albacore is much like that of the 

 bonito, only harder, and is a revelation to the rod fisher- 

 man who has never taken large game, and I have 

 known a fish weighing not over sixty-three pounds 

 to tow a heavy boat and fight for two hours. 



