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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
it was still chiefly fished by Indians. The principal catch was king and coho salmon. 
Kings were fished from November to February, and sometimes to April, in the Gulf of 
Georgia, both in the region of Nanaimo and off the mouth of the Fraser River (see 
fig. 2). They were also taken in the vicinity of Victoria, in the San Juan Islands, off 
Port Townsend, in the upper part of Admiralty Inlet, and in Hood Canal. Cohos 
were taken in smaller numbers, although good catches were made in Boundary Bay 
and in the waters of lower Puget Sound. Rathbun also stated that the catch of trolling 
gear was much less than that of the gill nets in the region. Fishing was conducted 
from canoes or skiffs, and by one or not more than two men to a boat. Spoons and 
hooks baited with herring were in general use. 
The introduction of power, which had almost as great an effect on trolling as it 
did on fishing with purse seines, eliminated the rowing or paddling of the skiff or 
canoe, and thus greatly reduced the labor of fishing. The fishermen were now able to 
cover greater distances, were less subject to the force of the tides, and could attend to 
more lines. Larger, more able boats soon came into use, and the fishing area was 
extended over the entire inner waters of the region, while the size of the catch of the 
boats was increased remarkably. 
By 1908 the trollers were fishing well out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and by 
1911 they were operating on the open ocean in the vicinity of Cape Flattery. With 
the development of the offshore fishery, still larger boats appeared in the trolling 
fleet. These carried a small cabin which housed the engine and provided cramped 
quarters for the crew when at anchor. 
Although the greater part of the trolling boats remained at some base, such as 
Neah Bay, and fished during the early hours of the day, the larger boats, which were 
of 30-35 feet in length, made trips of 2 or 3 days duration. These were designated as 
“overnight” boats, in contrast to the majoiity, which were “day” boats. 
The gear fished by these boats now consisted of as many as six lines, often carrying 
from two to three spoons and hooks each. The lines were suspended from poles of 
varying lengths hung outboard over the sides of the boat, one pair usually at the bow 
and one amidships. Metal spoons were almost universally used, but herring bait was 
still favored by a few single-liners. The power gurdy, which was introduced in 1918, 
was a multiple reel, driven off the motor, by means of which the lines could be hauled 
in whenever a fish was hooked. This greatly increased the speed of handling the lines. 
Figure 21 illustrates the mounting of this device, together with the lead-in blocks by 
means of which the lines are brought from the poles to the gurdy reels. The fish hatch 
is forward of the gurdy, and the cockpit, from which the boat is steered and the lines 
handled while fishing, is immediately aft of it. With the exception of the adoption of 
the Diesel engine, giving greater cruising radius and more economical operation, there 
has been little further change to the present time. 
IMPORTANCE 
It is difficult to obtain accurate records as to the number of trollers operating in the 
region during most of the past years. Some of these boats fished entirely on the high 
seas and were not licensed by the State of Washington, while others roved from Mon- 
terey Bay in California to Southeastern Alaska, fishing for varying periods along the 
coast according to the abundance of the fish. 
