64 Big Game Fishes 



project through the abdomen near the vent, 

 while others again use two hooks, one with a 

 long shank a method which has nothing to 

 commend itself. Another hook, suggested and 

 used by Colonel Morehous, has a shank six 

 inches in length and is double; that is, two 

 hooks are welded together, back to back, one 

 a little lower than the other [see Fig.]. In bait- 

 ing this hook the long shank is laid along the 

 belly and sewed to the fish, one hook penetrating 

 the body near the vent, the other projecting. 

 The mouth of the fish is sewed up and fastened 

 to the shank. This is a very killing arrange- 

 ment, and in view of the fact that the novice 

 misses about eight strikes to one catch, it is 

 admissible ; but I am an advocate for the plain- 

 est and simplest tackle on the ground of fair 

 play to the game. The use of two separate 

 hooks, one in the head and one in the tail of the 

 bait, often used, is an unpardonable sin, as nearly 

 all the fish come in foul hooked, one in the 

 mouth, and one in the belly or side, a result 

 which can but totally destroy the pleasure of 

 a capture after a four or five hour struggle with 

 the noble fish. In a word, the tuna should be 

 approached with all the advantages on its side. 



