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 1 of the enchanted 
waters of Santa Catalina, “the tiger of the Cali- 
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 liook-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 
split bamboo, with a good cork grip above the 
reel, the latter of Edward vom Flofe’s make, with 
a leather pad, brake and click.” 
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 
1 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 little town clustering at its foot like a 
gathering of living and interested spectators, 
Photographed by Ironmonger. 
THE TUNA. 
Caught at Santa Catalina, with rod and reel, by 
Mrs. E. N. Dickerson, of New York. Weight, 210 
pounds. Time, 1 hour and 55 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 
