THE LEAPING TUNA 



been taken ten miles off the New Jersey coast, and off the coast 

 of Spain and Portugal, and should be found off the English coast, 

 as it is known to have been taken in the Lofodon Islands. The 

 reason that Santa Catahna Island and San Clemente have become 

 the most popular localities for this sport lies in the fact that 

 perfectly smooth water is assured, yet twenty miles at sea. Mr. 

 Aflalo failed to catch tuna at Madeira as the sea was too rough ; 

 again there were no proper boats. The professionals anchored 

 their heavy craft — a condition impossible. It is possible to take 

 many gigantic fishes with the rod and reel, but to bring this with- 

 in the limitations of sport the angler must have conditions that 

 are favourable, so that the contest will be a pleasure, not a 

 battle with the elements when playing a fish. 



As these lines are written, I read in the Fishing Gazette of 

 London, of December 14, 1912, that Mr. Mark Bolt of Poole, 

 Dorset, with a companion, Mr. Fred Brown, captured a seven 

 hundred and twenty-eight pound tuna in Poole Harbour on 

 November 16. The tuna was seen coming up the channel at a 

 rapid rate of speed, but soon ran aground on a mud bank and was 

 caught, and photographed, the picture published by Mr. E. B. 

 Marston, with a description of the fish from the Weymouth Tele- 

 gram whose editor does me the honour to quote me as an author- 

 ity. I shall not be surprised to learn that Mr. Holcombe, Mr. 

 Sterne, or Mr. Mallett, or some of the British Sea Anglers Society 

 members, who know the dehghts of Ballycotton, will soon dis- 

 cover some tuna ground off the west coast of Ireland. 



The yearly records * at the Tuna Club since tuna angling be- 

 came a sport are as follows : 



Largest Leaping Tuna (Thunmis thynnus). 



C. F. Holder, Pasadena, Cal., season 1898 . . . 183 pounds. 

 Col. C. P. Morehous, Pasadena, Cal., season 1899 . 251 ,, 



1 Hundreds of tunas under one hundred pounds have been caught 

 but they are not recorded. The Club pays no attention to Tunas under 

 that weight, 



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