SMALL PACIFIC COAST SEA FISHES 



olive -witli flashes of blue and lavender. It is a most graceful 

 fish ia the water and game in every sense if the angler will always 

 remember the light rod and generous light tackle. The best 

 fishing I have had with the blanquUlo was when the current 

 (tidal) was running at San Olemente. By tossing out bait 

 the fishes were induced to come to the surface thirty or forty feet 

 astern of the yacht, and could be taken without sinkers. 



The reader will be impressed by the fact that Southern Cali- 

 fornia has so many fishes peculiar to that particular region. 



' Out ia the golden sunshine, 

 Throw we the net and line, 

 The silvery lines to-day, 

 Mash in the silvery spray. 

 So throw the line, throw-yo, heave-ho.' 



If Merivale had thrown the line at Santa CataUna for white- 

 fish he would often have taken a fish called the sheepshead, but 

 not related to the fish of that name in Florida. It has a pro- 

 digious head, well domed, like the swordfish ; in the males striped 

 black^and red ; the under jaw vivid white, the lower jaw black. 

 The head is as black as velvet ; its eyes are red, and unlike those 

 of most fishes, are very moveable and have a fashion of roaming 

 around in a comical manner. The females are hable to be aU 

 red or brown, or almost white, and do not have the big-domed 

 forehead or the stripes. 



The sheepshead is taken in rocky places ; in fact, it prefers 

 such, but is fond of roaming into shallow water with sandy bottom, 

 and is a very curious and sociable fish. It will take sardine bait 

 when hungry, but prefers crab, crayfish, clam or ablone, and 

 with its sheepUke teeth, projecting, sharp and stout, it is capable 

 of capturing any of this food. The ten or fifteen pounders are 

 fine fighters, and intersperse long rushes and runs with a variety of 

 manoeuvres, calculated to try the heart of light rods and lines 

 which should be employed. This fish is very amenable to friendly 

 advances. I had an individual under view ia an aquarium for 

 some months where it became very tame, and would poise and 



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