THE TUNA 



389 



summer, and does not go far into waters that 

 are colder than 65°. (G. Brown Goode.) 



Apparently, specimens taken in northern 

 waters average much smaller than those taken 

 around the two coasts of Florida. Dr. Goode 

 says this fish "sometimes attains a weight of 

 8 or 9 pounds, though it rarely exceeds 3 or 4 

 pounds." A specimen of 3 pounds, .5 ounces, 

 measured 26i- inches in length. Drs. Jordan 

 and Evermann give its weight as "6 to 10 

 pounds," with a maximum of all "seen" of 25 

 pounds weight, and 41 inches in length. ("Amer- 

 ican Food and Game Fishes".) 



The great leaping Tuna' of the enchanted 

 waters of Santa Catahna, "the tiger of the Cah- 

 fornia seas," is, on our Atlantic Coast, the big 

 but commonplace Horse Mackerel, Tunny or 

 Great Albacore, — no more, no less. It is the 

 largest and now the most interesting member 

 of the Mackerel Family. 



At Santa Catalina, bold men, and women, too, 

 go out with rod, reel and line, to angle for this 

 monster, and vanquish Strength and Weight by 

 Tackle and Skill. 



This is hook-and-line fishing with a vengeance. 

 The beginner hopes to catch a Tuna heavier 

 than 100 pounds, in order to gain membership 

 in the Tuna Club. The club member always 

 hopes either to improve his own record, or break 

 all others; but, record or no record, the button 

 of the Tuna Club is a good thing to wear by right 

 of conquest. 



Beyond question, when treated as a game 

 fish, and fairly challenged with rod and line in 

 the watery arena of Santa Catalina, in more 

 senses than one the Tuna is great! Mr. C. F. 

 Holder — for two years literally the holder of 

 the Tuna championship with a 183-pound fish 

 which fought four hours, and towed his captor 

 ten miles — says that the Tuna, "when played 

 with a rod that is not a billiard cue or a club 

 will give the average man the contest of his life. 

 My idea of a rod is a 7 or 8^/ foot greenheart or 

 spUt bamboo, with a good cork grip above the 

 reel, the latter of Edward vom Hofe's make, with 

 a leather pad, brake and cHck." 



The sport in catching a Tuna a la Santa Cata- 

 lina consists in bringing the monster within 

 gaffing distance by the aid of the rod and reel 

 alone. The hooked fish leaps into the air, or 

 ' Thun'nus thyn'nus. 



rushes seaward, or to the bottom, or plays on 

 the surface like an escaped fire-hose, — in all di- 

 rections at once. 



The game consists in tiring out the fish without 

 a break, and sometimes ten miles and ten hours 

 of strenuous struggle are reeled off between the 

 start and the finish. 



The beautiful waters of Avalon Bay, the bare 

 and frowning mountain-sides rising like the 

 walls of a rock-built coliseum, and the houses 

 of the httle town clustering at its foot like a 

 gathering of living and interested spectators, 



Photographed by iRONMONtsER. 



THE TDNA. 



Caught at Santa Catalina, with rod and reel, by 

 Mrs. E. N. Dickerson, of New York. Weight, 210 

 pounds. Time, 1 hour and Sb minutes. 



make up a stage setting for the Tuna fisherman 

 sufficiently romantic to quicken the sporting 

 instinct of the most blase tourist who ever swung 

 a rod. 



Concerning the kind of tackle in use by the 

 members of the Tuna Club, and by himself. Col. 

 C. P. Morehouse, of Pasadena, holder of the 



