5 8 Big Game Fishes 



this sport, thus refers to this period of proba- 

 tion : 



" The following excerpt, from an article writ- 

 ten by my friend Charles F. Holder, is worth 

 quoting : 



" ' The activity of the tuna is only comparable 

 to that of the tarpon. I have seen them leap ten 

 or more feet into the air, while they have been 

 known to jump over the boats in pursuit of them. 

 Sportsmen from the East have devoted weeks to 

 this fish, hoping to win fame and honor by taking 

 one on a rod ; but so far the tuna has harvested 

 the rods, reels, and lines, and is still master of the 

 situation.' " 



At this time no large reels were obtainable. 

 The rods were jointed and inadequate, and I 

 recall one angler who devoted the entire season 

 to an effort to take the elusive tuna. Finally a 

 tuna was caught by Colonel C. P. Morehous, who 

 used a reel made for the purpose, and imme- 

 diately the pastime took its place, with that 

 of tarpon fishing, among the most exciting of 

 American sports. The advantage California has 

 over other localities is that the tuna, being an 

 oceanic fish, rarely if ever comes inshore nearer 

 than seventeen or eighteen miles. It is very 



