1 68 Recreations of a Sportsman 



stration of the powers of the nine-ounce rod and 

 the No. 9 line, as the contests were hard and the 

 oarsman unskilled in the art of gaffing, merely 

 pulling against the shark with all his strength, 

 putting the line to an additional test. The 

 waters about the great island of San Clemente 

 teemed with fish of many kinds. Among 

 the large sharks taken here, following the 

 schools of albacore or yellow-fin tuna, was a 

 trim, attractive, clipper-built fish called the 

 bonito shark. I frequently had small ones come 

 up to the boat when fishing for albacore, coming 

 so close that the boatman would attempt to gaff 

 them; but the shark always just evaded the point, 

 and swam about with freedom and lack of fear. 

 I have seen a six-foot bonito shark sailing among 

 a fleet of launches, eying the bait tossed over, 

 refusing the hooks, but picking up the chum 

 with a discrimination worthy a better cause. 



The bonito shark, when it attains a length of 

 eight or more feet, specimens of which have been 

 taken off San Clemente and other islands of the 

 group, is formidable game. It is built for 

 speed, which it must have to catch the fleet 

 bonito or any member of its tribe. The head is 

 pointed, the body keeled near the tail, after the 

 fashion of an albacore or bonito hence the 

 name. The mouth carries eight or ten rows of 

 fierce awl-like teeth, more like fangs than typical 

 sharks' teeth, all heading backward an ominous 



