The Blackfish 279 
taken in shallow water, affording sport of an 
exciting nature. I have often seen the clumsy fish 
charging schools of sardines with all the zeal of a 
bass. 
If sharks were to be included among the game 
fishes, some remarkable tales might be told of 
experiences between Florida and California; but 
probably Mr. Edwin vom Hofe holds the record 
in this field of sport, having taken a six-hundred- 
pound saw-fish with a tarpon rod and line. Such 
catches with rods suggest an enumeration of 
strange creatures hooked while fishing for true 
game. While fishing for the eastern horse-mack- 
erel off Boon Island, north of the Isles of Shoals, 
I hooked a sunfish (Mola), but it was accidental. 
On the Florida reef while trolling for barracuda 
I once caught a small hawk’s-bill turtle. In 
Avalon Bay I hooked a sea-lion, which took my 
bait, and I played the large animal for several 
moments. I thought I could bring it to the 
boat, but the sea-lion evidently disagreed with me 
and brought the proceedings to a close by darting 
among some boats and breaking the line on an 
anchor rope. Few swimmers even can make head- 
way against a man witha light rod and line. Other 
catches in California, which are often made by 
