The Black Sea-bass 117 



has been caught when trolling for yellowtail with 

 sardine bait, but this is exceptional, though I 

 believe by trolling with a pipe sinker that would 

 keep the large whitefish bait twenty feet under 

 water, the bass could be taken in this most attrac- 

 tive way. There seems to be no choice in the 

 position of the bait. If half of a barracuda is 

 employed, or four or five pounds of albacore, a 

 veritable shark bait, it is taken either on the 

 bottom or a few feet above it. That the great 

 fish has many of the attributes of the typical bass 

 is shown by its habit of chasing whitefish to the 

 surface ; many times when reeling in a gamy 

 whitefish, I have seen the gigantic form of a 

 black sea-bass dash upward, snapping at it, caus- 

 ing the water to boil like a miniature maelstrom. 

 Often the bass seizes the fish and makes away with 

 it, line and all. The bass does not make the long 

 rushes of the tuna. Four hundred feet of line is 

 sufficient. A novice should never attempt the 

 sport unaided. It is a sport for two men in a 

 staunch boat, as large fish may tow a frail boat to 

 sea or capsize it; yet expert anglers who delight 

 in strenuous conflicts with these huge fishes have 

 played them, brought them to gaff, and hauled 

 them into the boat single-handed and alone. 



