The Salmon of Monterey 195 



the road and landed me at the wharf at Capi- 

 tola by six o'clock, in time to join the anglers 

 who were embarking in boats and launches. 

 While I was waiting for my boatman, who had 

 gone for anchovies and sardines for bait, I 

 amused myself by watching the Italians bring 

 in " sea trout " or white sea-bass, which they 

 netted alongshore at night. The boats pulled 

 up to the dock and the splendid fish, ranging 

 from ten to fifty pounds, would be tossed into 

 a big net and hoisted up to the pier, which was 

 often fairly covered with white sea-bass one 

 of the finest game fishes of the coast, which I 

 found interfered with the salmon fishing by get- 

 ting on the line when they were not wanted. 

 The reader will wonder, Why not fish for them? 

 but I was after salmon. 



In time Bill, my boatman, came alongside with 

 his double-ender. I went aboard and was rowed 

 out with half a dozen others launches, row- 

 boats, and craft of various kinds. Away on the 

 horizon, I could see the fleet from Del Monte 

 and Monterey, and over to the west boats 

 were coming down from Santa Cruz all head- 

 ing for a mysterious place about five miles off- 

 shore where the salmon were supposed to be. 

 One could locate them by the boats which 

 followed the school as the bay was like glass, 

 only a slight undulating sea coming in from the 

 west, the air cool and delicious. Bill, like many 



