260 Fish Stories 



then it was found that the angler had snagged the tuna in 

 the eye, and doubtless had so paralyzed the fish, that it came 

 in like a lamb and did not recover until it was gaffed, and the 

 hook was removed. This genial angler, philanthropist and 

 yachtsman, still holds the record in the Tuna Club, as the 

 angler who took his tuna in the shortest time, — about two 

 minutes, — and the record probably will never be excelled. 



The rush of the tuna produces in some men a condition 

 akin to buck fever, and " tuna hospital " is a term which 

 appeals to certain anglers after their first fish. I have seen 

 men with lost finger nails, bruised and smashed knuckles, 

 hands cut to the bone with hand lines, and the big tuna may 

 well be placed in the category of dangerous fishes, as it can 

 easily jerk a man overboard. In the report of the Cana- 

 dian fisheries an authority states that the fishermen at the 

 mouth of the St. Lawrence hold the big albacore, as the 

 tuna is called there, in high respect, as it has been known 

 to jerk men overboard. When it is understood that the 

 fish attains a length of ten feet and a weight of one thousand 

 pounds, the possibilities in this direction can be realized. 



All the large tuna-like fishes, the so-called blue tuna, the 

 yellowfin tuna and the long-finned tuna, plunge into the 

 deep sea and try to sulk like a salmon when hooked, the 

 bonito or skipjack being an interesting exception; it alone 

 plays on the surface, hence is highly esteemed by anglers. 



The tuna, yellowfin or blue, is a very uncertain game. 

 For five or six years it will play havoc with rods and lines, 

 then, with no satisfactory excuse, it will stop biting, and 

 wage war against the patience of men. In 1907 I saw 

 thousands of leaping tunas of large size in their haunts 

 from Avalon to Long Point. I tried every device known 

 to sea anglers, but failed absolutely, and during the entire 

 season but six or seven tunas were taken, and none over one 

 hundred pounds. 



The yellowfin tuna is just as peculiar. One season 

 (1906) five hundred were caught with rod and reel; the 



