The White Sea-bass 25 
bamboo, greenheart, or any good wood, is em- 
ployed. I have used light rods for these fishes, 
which compare with the striped bass of the East ; 
in fact, the white sea-bass takes the place of the 
latter as a sport in Southern California, but I 
have fished with a much lighter rod for my fifty- 
pounders than is used for a striped-bass of this 
weight at Cuttyhunk and elsewhere. As a matter 
of fair play, the rod should be seven or eight feet 
long; and if the water was always shallow, longer 
ones could be used. At the islands where these 
fishes most do congregate, the water is often ex- 
tremely deep and blue a stone’s toss from the 
beach, and a sulking fish two or three hundred 
feet down must often be considered after a rush; 
hence the rod must be sufficiently stiff to enable 
the angler to bring it to the surface. The major- 
ity of the catches are made in the bays, in fairly 
shallow water, and as the well-equipped angler 
will have several rods he can adapt himself to 
circumstances. The line should be a number 
fifteen, or smaller, despite the size of the fish, 
if the latter is to have the advantage, which 
of course is essential; and the hook, a 9/o Lim- 
erick, or an O’Shaughnessy, or any good hook 
of this size, with a piano-wire leader a foot in 
