390 
ORDERS OF FISHES— SPINY-FINNED FISHES 
Tuna championship record, has kindly furnished 
the following statement: 
“ The most of the Tuna fishermen use a green- 
heart rod, as per the rules of the Club, viz., 6 feet 
9 inches long, and a 16-ounce tip. As for my- 
self, I prefer a split bamboo of the very best 
quality made. I caught the large Tuna (251 
pounds) with the longest and lightest rod ever 
used for Tuna, viz., split bamboo, 7 feet 4 inches 
long, tip 12 ounces, with a 21-strand Cuttyhunk 
line on a reel made to order, to carry 300 yards. 
The time was 3 hours and 20 minutes. I do not 
think a lighter rod than the above would stand 
the strain necessary to capture a Tuna of 251 
pounds, or even 150 pounds. 
“The Tuna are hooked by trolling from light 
naphtha launches, and flving-fish are used for 
bait.” 
At this date (1903), the five heaviest catches 
of Tuna by members of the Tuna Club stand as 
follows: 
Pounds. 
Col. C. P. Morehouse, Pasadena, 1900. . 251 
John E. Stearns, Los Angeles, 1902. . . . 197 
C. F. Holder, Pasadena, 1S99 183 
F. S. Schenck, Brooklyn, 1901 158 
F. V. Puder, Avalon, 1901 158 
The rules of the annual tournaments in which 
such records are made are very severe and strict. 
The angler must make his catch unaided, the 
fish must be reeled in, and a broken rod consti- 
tutes a disqualification. The rod must measure 
not less than six feet nine inches, the tip must 
not exceed sixteen ounces, the line must not 
contain more than twenty-four threads, and 
sustain a dead weight not exceeding forty-eight 
pounds. 
On our Atlantic coast, the Horse Mackerel 
is not sought by anglers as a game fish. Its 
average length is put down as “about 8 feet.” 
It feeds chiefly upon menhaden, and inasmuch 
as its appetite is in proportion to its size, it is 
considered very voracious. In its turn, this 
great fish is to the killer ( Orea gladiator) an 
ideal food fish, and from the latter it receives 
special attentions which the Tunny would gladly 
forego. 
One of the largest specimens on record, as 
vouched for by Dr. Storer, was taken in 1838, 
off Cape Ann, and measured 15 feet in length. 
Its weight of “one thousand pounds” was un- 
doubtedly an estimate, only. 
The Pompanos.— Following close- 
ly after the members of the Mackerel 
Family comes a large Family of deep- 
bodied fishes, with very small and 
narrow scales, deeply forked tails, 
and with the dorsal and anal fins pro- 
longed to nearly, if not quite, one- 
third the entire length of the fish. 
They are really warm-water fishes, 
but often stray out of their regular 
haunts into colder waters. This 
Family includes the amber-jack, the 
cavallas, the moon-fishes, and sev- 
eral others. Of this Family, the 
following species is the best type: 
The Common Pompano 1 is a delicious 
fish for the table, but unfortunately its mouth 
is so small it is next to impossible to take it with 
a hook. Once when penned up by bad weather 
in the mouth of New River, Florida, where this 
fish was abundant, we fished for Pompano until 
we almost starved. The “Silver King” tanta- 
lized us daily by showing himself at the surface, 
but his vagrant pounds of flesh were almost as 
far beyond our reach as the stars. 
The Pompano is essentially a fish of the two 
coasts of Florida, and the northern half of the 
Gulf of Mexico. It is the most highly prized fish 
in the markets of its home waters, and as a rule 
the supply seldom is equal to the demand. 
The Jacks are more common. Several of the 
species found in this Family are characterized 
by the enormous thickness of their ribs, — a 
1 Trach-i-no'tus car-o-li'nus. 
THE SILVER MULLET. 
