The Black Sea-bass 11t 
sources. On the day in question the strike came 
in half an hour. Some idea of the strength of 
this fish can be conveyed by giving the details of 
a catch made by me in 1894. My companion had 
never seen the fish caught, and insisted upon tak- 
ing the place of boatman for the exercise. Ina 
weak moment I consented. The skiff, as I ascer- 
tained later, weighed one hundred and twenty-five 
pounds, our combined weight was three hundred 
and fifty pounds. After an hour’s fishing we had 
by great good luck caught enough sheepshead, so 
we threw over the large hand-line for black sea- 
bass. The anchor was hauled up and the boat 
made fast to the kelp ready to cast off at a mo- 
ment’s notice, and within fifty feet of the beach 
we began to fish. It was not long before the line 
began to move over the rail, and I took it in hand 
while my companion cast off the big kelp leaf 
which held us. Out ran the line, slowly and de- 
liberately, the “bite” of this colossus being a sur- 
prise to the novice. I allowed twenty feet to pass 
over, then assuming that the bait was well in the 
mouth of the fish, theoretically gave it the butt. 
The answer came on the instant in so terrific 
a jerk that I was thrown upon my knees and 
my arms hauled almost elbow deep in the water 
