146 Big Game Fishes 
masses of ripe spawn; but the very young have 
never been observed, at least by me or by any 
professional fisherman known to me. 
Like others of their kind the yellowtail is fickle, 
and at times the sea will be fairly tinted with 
them, and vast schools divide as the boat moves 
along, yet the choicest bait is viewed with scorn. 
At such times the resources of the angler are 
tested. Bait is changed, pipe sinkers of various 
weight tried, the speed of the boat varied. The 
yellowtail will perhaps swim up to within a foot 
of the boat, following in the bait, then turn, 
saluting the angler with a blaze of color. A con- 
scientious “chumming” may now be tried and, if 
the school is swimming about slowly, the boat 
may be rowed or steamed slowly in a circle, the 
boatman throwing over small sardines on either 
side, six feet apart. By the time the circle is com- 
pleted a chain of yellowtails has been established, 
all feeding, as they will take “chum”; and if the 
angler is patient, he can in many instances break 
the charm, and once biting, sport is assured. 
It is a theory among some boatmen at the 
islands that the yellowtail fishing is best from 
May to August on the south end of the island 
and trolling in order, and from then on, at the 
