TALES OF FISHES. 



I was not satisfied then that the regular light outfit 

 of the Tuna Club, such as I used at Avalon, would 

 do for sailfish. No. 9 breaks of its own weight. 

 And I have had a sailfish run off three hundred yards 

 of line and jump all the time he was doing it. Be- 

 sides, nobody knows how large these sailfish grow. 

 I had hold of one that would certainly have broken 

 my line if he had not thrown the hook. 



On this memorable day I had scarcely trolled half 

 a mile out into the Stream before I felt that inex- 

 plicable rap at my bait which swordfish and sailfish 

 make with their bills. I jumped up and got ready. 

 I saw a long bronze shape back of my bait. Then 

 I saw and felt him take hold. He certainly did not 

 encounter the slightest resistance in running out 

 my line. He swam off slowly. I never had Sam 

 throw out the clutch and stop the boat until after 

 I had hooked the fish. I wanted the boat to keep 

 moving, so if I did get a chance to strike at a fish 

 it would be with a tight line. These sailfish are 

 wary and this procedure is diflficult. If the fish had 

 run off swiftly I would have struck sooner. Every- 

 thing depends on how he takes the bait. This fellow 

 took fifty feet of line before I hooked him. 



He came up at once, and with two-thirds of his 

 body out of the water he began to skitter toward us. 

 He looked silver and bronze in the morning light. 

 There was excitement on board. Sam threw out 

 the clutch. My companions dove for the cameras, 

 and we all yelled. The sailfish came skittering tow- 

 ard us. It was a spectacular and thrilling sight. 

 He was not powerful enough to rise clear on his tail 

 and do the famous trick of the Pacific swordfish — 



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