TALES OF FISHES 



Catalina Island — twenty-nine miles; and he had 

 gotten out into the channel, headed for Clemente, 

 when he broke away. This fish did everything. I 

 consider this battle the greatest on record. Only a 

 man of enormous strength and endurance could have 

 lasted so long — ^not to speak of the skill and wits 

 necessary on the part of both fisherman and boat- 

 man. All fishermen fish for the big fish, though it 

 is sport to catch any game fish, irrespective of size. 

 But let any fisherman who has nerve see and feel 

 a big swordfish on his line, and from that moment 

 he is obsessed. Why, a tarpon is child's play com- 

 pared to holding a fast swordfish. 



It is my great ambition now to catch a broadbill. 

 That would completely round out my fishing ex- 

 perience. And I shall try. But I doubt that I will 

 be so fortunate. It takes a long time. Boschen was 

 years catching his fish. Moreover, though it is hard 

 to get a broadbill to bite — and harder to hook him 

 — it is infinitely harder to do anything with him 

 after you do get fast to him. 



A word about Avalon boatmen. They are a fine 

 body of men. I have heard them maligned. Cer- 

 tainly they have petty rivalries and jealousies, but 

 this is not their fault. They fish all the seasons 

 around and have been there for years. Boatmen at 

 Long Key and other Florida resorts — at Tampico, 

 Aransas Pass — are not in the same class with the 

 Avalon men. They want to please and to excel, 

 and to number you among their patrons for the 

 future. And the boats — nowhere are there such 

 splendid boats. Captain Danielson's boat had ut- 



44 



