THE GAME FISHES OF THE WOELD 



the reach of rod fishermen, and taken with hand-lines in six hun- 

 dred feet of water. 



Possibly the finest game fish of this region among the small 

 fishes is the Blanquillo or whitefish, Caulolatilus princeps. This 

 is peculiar to Southern California and found principally at the 

 islands, San Glemente being a favourite locality. When fishing 

 with Dr. Gifford Pinchot in 1910 we found a rock one day rising 

 to within ten feet of the surface then dropping to a great depth. 

 The side of this precipice was richly covered with weed, and 

 aUve with fishes of many tones. The zone of thirty or forty feet 

 was evidently devoted to the blanquUlo, as the moment the Ixire 

 reached this depth the strike came, and a sb'ght jerk sufficed to 

 inaugurate the sport, that was always fast and furious. The 

 fishes were twelve or fifteen inches long and some weighed ten 

 or twelve pounds, giving on our little 3-6 rods sport of the finest 

 description. 



There was but one drawback ; it was practically impossible 

 to get the bait down without hooking a fish, and in a short time 

 it paUed on us — ^an excellent illustration of the fact that while 

 angling is supposed to be the taking of fishes, if the angler catches 

 too many he loses interest in the sport. What makes angling a 

 sport and saves it from market fishing, is the uncertainty and the 

 fact that nearly all fishes are capricious, and it rarely happens 

 that the angler catches more than he desires. 



I took so many whitefishes that day on the side of that beauti- 

 ful mountain of the sea, up whose sapphire sides Queen Gulnare 

 might have appeared at any moment, that I have never felt 

 quite the same regarding a blanquillo since. Yet our consciences 

 were free as there were several Venetian fishermen of Los Angeles 

 near by, to whom all we could catch was a gift from the gods, a 

 fish panic being on, or rather a stringency, which I firmly believe 

 we alleviated. 



The blanquillo is a demure fish, yet attractive in its quiet 

 colours. It resembles a dolphin somewhat, having a large high 

 head and a long splendid dorsal and ventral fin. Its colour is 

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