Big Game at Sea 



of fish sounding much over eight hundred feet 

 are rare. 



'' The delicacy of pressure required when these fish 

 sound to a depth must be experienced to be appre- 

 ciated ; it is such as to preclude the use of a leather reel 

 apron ; only a knitted thumb stall is permissible. 



' The general experience with the larger fish is a 

 strike, then down he goes until your line has almost 

 faded away; then a slight tremor comes up from 

 below you can now reel up and start anew ; the tuna 

 is off, also your tackle, which parts generally near the 

 swivel. 



' Those fish which do not immediately sound are 

 off like a flash, the launch at full speed follows ; some- 

 times the course will continue straight for a mile, often 

 more, then they commence to swing in huge circles 

 around the boat until the slowly closing circle causes 

 them to sound. 



" I have had this movement repeated twenty times 

 in quick succession, on which occasion my boatman 

 remarked, * You will never get that fish to sound.' 

 Happily he was wrong. The capture brought me my 

 gold button. Here is an interesting point, namely, 

 unless you can outrun the tuna, until circling ensues 

 and he takes a notion to sound, your case is almost 

 hopeless, as during a running battle the strain which 

 it is possible to bring in action and not break a nine- 

 thread line will not serve as a check for an instant, 

 much less kill the fish ; in fact, it is but a leading string. 



350 



