416 Big Game Fishes 



The flying-fish is an excellent bait for yellow- 

 tail or white sea-bass, as well as tuna. Along the 

 California mainland, wharf fishermen fish for 

 small fry, using clams and the various crustaceans 

 found along the beaches, the natural food for 

 "surf fishes." Squid, if it could be obtained, 

 would be excellent bait for tuna, as in July I have 

 found the stomachs of tunas filled with squid ; and 

 as they stop biting very suddenly, it is due possi- 

 bly to the fact that they change their diet. 



The various fishing-grounds for the great 

 oceanic fishes of this country are so well known 

 that it is hardly necessary to refer to them, but 

 for the convenience of the angler they may in 

 a very broad sense be divided into three 

 classes: the region from Maine to Georgia, 

 including the striped bass, bluefish, blackfish, 

 sheepshead, drum, etc.; the Gulf region, includ- 

 ing the snappers, barracuda, jewfish, groupers, 

 kingfish, channel-bass, hogfish, black grouper, 

 etc.; and the California region, including the 

 yellowtail, white sea-bass, black sea-bass, alba- 

 core, tuna, California sheepshead, and California 

 barracuda. Fishing-grounds for the first men- 

 tioned are found on various parts of the New 

 England coast. The islands south of the Cape 



