416 Big Game Fishes 
The flying-fish is an excellent bait for yellow- 
tail or white sea-bass, as well as tuna. Along the 
California mainland, wharf fishermen fish for 
small fry, using clams and the various crustaceans 
found along the beaches, the natural food for 
“surf fishes.” Squid, if it could be obtained, 
would be excellent bait for tuna, as in July I have 
found the stomachs of tunas filled with squid; and 
as they stop biting very suddenly, it is due possi- 
bly to the fact that they change their diet. 
The various fishing-grounds for the great 
oceanic fishes of this country are so well known 
that it is hardly necessary to refer to them, but 
for the convenience of the angler they may in 
a very broad sense be divided into three 
classes: the region from Maine to Georgia, 
including the striped bass, bluefish, blackfish, 
sheepshead, drum, etc.; the Gulf region, includ- 
ing the snappers, barracuda, jewfish, groupers, 
kingfish, channel-bass, hogfish, black grouper, 
etc.; and the California region, including the 
yellowtail, white sea-bass, black sea-bass, alba- 
core, tuna, California sheepshead, and California 
barracuda. Fishing-grounds for the first men- 
tioned are found on various parts of the New 
England coast. The islands south of the Cape 
