218 Recreations of a Sportsman 



scribed. When it is remembered that even the 

 nine-thread line is a mere thread, easily broken 

 at the slightest jerk, and that the six-thread is 

 smaller than any trout line in use, some reason 

 for the general breaking up of tackle at the first 

 encounter may be seen. In a word, these an- 

 glers are fair fishermen ; they are approaching 

 the game with the lightest possible tackle, while 

 one, the Baron, is using an ordinary trout rod 

 cut down to six feet, on the reel of which his 

 six-thread line of eight hundred or twelve hun- 

 dred feet is strung. It would be interesting to 

 lovers of economics to detail the amount of 

 tackle taken by these anglers, and to give the 

 exact data as to how many lines, hooks, and 

 leaders each lost in his attempts to establish a 

 high standard of sport in the waters of San 

 Clemente, but space will not permit, and it only 

 remains to say that all fish not actually needed 

 were released. Rarely did an angler take one 

 out of seven or eight hooked, and it required 

 from thirty to fifty minutes, sometimes longer, 

 and in one instance five hours, to catch or lose 

 the game. 



The prospective game of these anglers was 

 yellowtail or amber-fish, which ranges up to 

 eighty pounds, averaging thirty; the white sea- 

 bass, one hundred pounds, the black sea-bass, 

 four or five hundred pounds, swordfish, one hun- 

 dred and fifty pounds, rock bass, barracuda, and 



