Off the Sierra Santa Cruz 



We had struck a school of " sea trout," and an- 

 other fish came in on the hand-line, making the welkin 

 ring, tossing spume into the air as it came to the 

 net. Then the rod came in action again, hooked 

 another trout, to be followed by a salmon on the 

 hand-line, that made a fine fight for liberty and life. 

 Luck was against me. 



I hooked and landed another salmon on the big 

 line, but large sea trout only fell to my rod, nor 

 during my stay here did I succeed, though I tried 

 various schemes to obviate the use of the big sinker. 

 But the fish were down to the twenty fathom mark, 

 for reasons best known to themselves. On days when 

 I was not out, they were at the surface, and I saw 

 a man who took a number with his rod. At Mon- 

 terey and Carmel many anglers take them in this way. 

 I believe my jovial boatman spent part of his time 

 ashore hunting up gentlemen who had killed large 

 salmon with the rod, as every time I visited the beach 

 from the ranch up the country I was introduced to 

 a Mr. Blank, who that morning had taken a forty- 

 pounder with the rod, or a Mr. Someone else regaled 

 me with a tale to the effect that he had found the 

 salmon on the surface and trolled for them as he 

 would bluefish or yellowtail, and took two monsters. 

 Indeed I saw them do it; yet when I fish it is " twenty 

 fathom, Bill." Some day I shall go to these happy 

 hunting-grounds and camp on the trail of the salmon 

 all summer and land my game with rod and reel. 



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