i94 Big Game Fishes 



powerful organ. The color of the fish is pro- 

 nounced bronze above, silver and grayish below; 

 over all a reddish iridescence, caught when the 

 fish is seen at an angle, making it a resplendent 

 creature immediately after the catch. At the 

 base of the tail is a single black spot, about as 

 large as the eye. On some fishes there were 

 several of them, and I noticed that some of the 

 negroes called the fish " two eye " for this reason. 

 In the South the St. Johns is one of the best 

 localities for channel-bass, though I have had 

 excellent sport at Fernandina near Fort Marion. 

 It is found in the deeper portions of the channel, 

 and I took large specimens later from the beach 

 on the Pilottown side, where the water is deep 

 near shore. This locality was equally famous for 

 large sharks, strikes from this game being about 

 two to one of channel-bass. One hooked with a 

 heavy shark line, which I had made fast to a 

 heavy log, carried the latter down the beach and 

 nearly dragged me into deep water, a lucky chance 

 changing the programme. In a word, sharks 

 are to be expected here. On the St. Johns the 

 channel-bass appears with some regularity in 

 June, and in this month, and in July, the angler 

 may expect large specimens running up to fifty 



