THE GAME FISHES OF THE WORLD 



say Mr. E. L. Doran. I have been with him on scores of fishing 

 days just for the pleasure of seeing him, a very powerful man 

 matched against these leviathans of the tribe. When he could 

 not stop a tuna I generally estimated the fish at over six or seven 

 hundred pounds. In 1898 fishes of the largest size were hooked 

 and would have been landed if larger lines were used or the 

 methods of to-day employed. Then, we fought the fish, pulled 

 away from it, and endeavoured to fight it down by keeping at it. 

 The method in vogue by many to-day is to puU up over a fish and 

 get it before it realizes it is in trouble. Again the 1912 reels have 

 numerous brakes and adjustments ; but all are fair, as the fish 

 is a tremendous opponent. I have seen Mr. Doran attempt to 

 stop a sounding fish from a one hundred and fifty-pound sktfE 

 in which I had the oars, and the tuna nearly pulled the boat under 

 water ; if the line had'not broken doubtless it would have done so. 



Such a tuna must have weighed eight hundred pounds, and 

 I am confident that I have seen tunas alongside the launch that 

 were ten feet in length. Such a fish, judging by those I have seen 

 in I^ew England, must have weighed a Jihousand pounds. A 

 nine hundred-pound fish was taken in a net in Monterey bay. 

 Mr. Wood of the Tuna Club hooked and played a giant tuna seven 

 hours, then gave up, and not one man in a thousand could have 

 made the fight he did. Then his boatman, Harry Elms, a man 

 in fine physical training, took the rod and played it another seven 

 hours. When this fish was reeled in its massive tail came up 

 first. The wire leader was wound about its body ; but it was the 

 tail of a giant, a seven or eight hundred pounder. It broke 

 away at the gaffing, and the next day a steamer passed a gigantic 

 tuna dead on the surface, a fish that was estimated at eight 

 hundred pounds. In any event, it fought two of the best men of 

 Avalon for fourteen hours. 



No one should attempt this game unless in the best physical 

 condition, and to see such a man play a big tuna at its best is like 

 watching a gladiatorial contest. 



As we have seen, the tuna is a world-wide roamer. It has 

 io8 



