THE YELLOW TAIL OF CALIFOENIA 



overlooking Ship Eock, and telling the story of our remarkable 

 luck. It resulted in my going out with Mr. J. B. Banning, Jr., 

 and a young lady angler who was desirous to see so animated a 

 scene. We had the Eock to ourselves. The conditions were 

 much the same as on the occasion related, though it was blowing ; 

 but in the lee of the big rock the water was smooth. Acting as 

 boatman, I tossed over a handful of anchovies, and with the 

 abandon which comes with successes summoned the game from 

 the deeps. I was eminently successful, as up out of the beautiful 

 water appeared six or more huge yeUowtaUs, twenty-five and 

 thirty pounders. They came directly to the surface, not five 

 or ten feet from the boat, making the water boil, shooting here 

 and there, turning in graceful curves and picking up the ancho- 

 vies one by one — a sight for the gods, especially the Tritons and 

 those who go a-fishing. Quickly the anchovies were all eaten 

 and all that was left were the two deKcious baits sinking lower 

 and lower. 



It is needless to dwell upon this painful scene, but the facts 

 are, being patient and persistent anglers, determined to give 

 that young lady a fish, Mr. Banning and I fed those demure and 

 educated monsters from nine in the morning until one o'clock 

 in the afternoon, and they ate and ate and ate, very much as 

 ' A flsherwoman had chestnuts in her lap, and munched, and 

 munched, and munched.' 



Taking the free bait, alongside, deep, at the surface, and in 

 every fashion, but never that I could see did they once glance at 

 the same bait that concealed the hook. There are times when 

 patience slips from the monument and scowls at grief, and I 

 can but draw a veil over the miemory of this painful experience, 

 which has occurred more than once in the experience of every 

 angler, whether with yellowtail, trout, salmon or tuna, and which 

 illustrates the astuteness and cleverness and adds to the value 

 as a game fish of the famous yellowtail. 



If this fish could be taken in shallow water it would have no 

 equal in the world, as it would have all the tricks of the salmon 



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