ioi6 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[June 29, 1907. 
Light Tackle Sea Fishing—V. 
The Porch Club is the forum of academic dis¬ 
cussion and the arena of fish stories. The other 
day a violent discussion developed regarding the 
relative merits of old and new lines and the ad¬ 
visability „of drying a line frequently, turning 
it, discarding it, etc., questions which have been 
debated immemorially. 
On this particular afternoon the argument was 
in full swing when a new, raw and inexperienced 
member suggested they adjourn to the tackle 
store across the street and settle the matter by 
actual tests. For a time the suggestion was re¬ 
ceived with the silent contempt it deserved, then 
the Ancient Secretary spoke up and said: 
“Never heard of such a thing.” 
“What’s the use?” the Commodore remarked. 
“The Porch Club never has adjourned to settle 
a debate,” the Professor muttered. 
The raw member persisted, and for the first 
time in its history the Porch Club took its feet 
off the railing, left its huge rocking chairs, and 
wandered off in quest of real information. The 
innovation was accepted with groans and pro¬ 
tests, but lines were produced and tests made, 
the net result being that two lines which had 
been in use over a year parted with ease, new 
ones of same make, showing from two to three 
pounds greater strength, while lines which had 
been dried each day were spongy and weaker 
than new by from three to five pounds. 
Two boatmen dropped in, one of whom never 
dries a line and the other only at the end of the 
season. 
“An old line is always safer than a new,” the 
former remarked; adding, “a man is sure to lose 
his first tuna on a fresh line.” 
After an hour’s arduous labor the club 
meandered back to the porch, each man found 
his chair and . foot prints on the rail, apd the 
discussion resumed at precisely the point where 
the raw member broke in. “But I thought we 
settled the matter,” the latter remarked in sur¬ 
prise. 
“Settled nothing,” the Ancient Sectary in¬ 
terjected sharply, while the Commodore pro¬ 
ceeded : 
“My theory is that if you dry the line each 
night it takes the kinks out of the flax and pre¬ 
vents the development of a certain amount of 
ferment at the core which sooner or later dis¬ 
integrates the strands, causing—” 
But the facts regarding the tests remained un¬ 
disposed of, an old line—not too old—is better 
than a new, while drying frequently is not good 
for flax. 
So far very little has been said about the 
reel, yet much of the pleasure of fishing with 
light tackle depends upon this important piece 
of mechanism. 
In heavy tackle work it is customary now¬ 
adays to use a gear-box of mammoth propor¬ 
tions. A reel is a veritable “winch,” as the 
English not inappropriately call it. The so- 
called tarpon or tuna reel is five or six inches 
in diameter, three or four in width, and weighs 
-—a ton, I was on the point of saying, but not 
quite; however, it weighs enough. The most 
elaborate • are equipped with click, tension, 
leather brake and patent drag, which dispense 
with most of the skill and care requisite in 
fishing with the ordinary reel. With these 
patent drags the indolent angler has only to 
hang on to the handle when the fish runs; or, 
if he has sufficient dexterity, he may a-dd a lit¬ 
tle more pressure with his thumb; but the drag 
is usually so adjusted, it will kill the fish. For 
a long time the Tuna Club barred the patent 
drags, but their use spread so, the club was 
obliged to give in and lift the ban. Happily in 
light tackle fishing, the use of a drag is at¬ 
tended with so much danger to the line, it is 
not in favor. 
With all the automatic drags, the friction 
remains constant, notwithstanding the decrease 
in the size of the spool as the line pays out. 
The result is that as the spool becomes smaller 
the strain on the line is greatly increased, 
doubled, trebled, quadrupled, as the case may 
be. With a large line this additional strain 
cuts very little figure, unless the fish is pro¬ 
portionately large, in which event the drag is 
apt to part the line. Where, however, the 
tackle is proportioned to the fish, an automatic 
drag is a fruitful source of trouble. 
There are, however, reels made with very 
slight tensions, devices which without amount¬ 
ing to a drag are just sufficient to keep the 
spool from revolving while trolling. It is very 
fatiguing to sit with the thumb holding the 
spool all day. A tension which is just suffi¬ 
cient to hold the line against the speed of the 
boat, and which yields instantly to the strike 
of the fish is a useful device; but even this 
tension should be thrown off while playing the 
fish. It is easy to get into the slothful habit 
of working with tension on, for it prevents the 
over-running of the reel, and in other respects 
hides the sins of the angler. It is not only a 
labor-saving, but a skill-dispensing device, 
which should be thrown out of action, by the 
man who wishes to fight his fish without as¬ 
sistance. 
While I do not care for one myself, the use 
of a click is a matter of taste. Many like to 
•hear the music, and it must be confessed the 
sharp whiz-z-z is most inspiring. With a 
second rod in a holder a click is a very useful 
warning. Many a time d have had a strike on 
the set rod when not looking, and turning, 
found the reel revolving with great rapidity, 
the fish going out against the tension. Under 
such circumstances, a click would give quick 
warning. 
As to the size bf the reel, it must be large 
enough to take at least 350yds. of 9-strand 
line, tightly spooled. There are fine sea reels 
made which will take, on a pinch, 400 yards 
and still lie so snugly in the hollow of the left 
hand that thumb and first finger rest easily on # 
the spool. 
When a reel is so large the left hand cannot 
grasp reel and rod firmly and at the same time 
control the spcrol, the work is awkward. Of a 
number of reels I use two of the same make 
by preference. The smaller fits the hand and is 
my favorite; the larger is very good on the set 
rod because it takes a good “core” of line 
under the 350 yards, and therefore the spool 
revolvers with a very even strain when the 
automatic tension is on; the fish may take 100 
yards before a set rod can be freed from the 
holder, and it is important the tension should 
not increase during this first rush. As it is, I 
have never been able to pick up the rod and 
free the line by throwing off the tension 
quickly enough to save any tuna which has 
struck while the launch was moving; they are 
so quick they part the line against even the 
slight tension. But it is comparatively easy 
to get yellowtail and albacore on the set rod. 
The usual thumb brake is essential, and if of 
soft leather, will not injure line. In addition 
to the thumb brake, I have found that a thin 
piece of leather hung just in front of spool for 
the first finger of left hand even more useful 
than the ordinary thumb brake. It saves wear¬ 
ing a finger stall and enables one who holds 
reel in hollow of left hand to exert a steady 
and gentle pressure on the spool with the first 
finger; or, if the left hand, in the course of the 
contest, has occasion to grasp the rod above 
the reel, the little finger just touching, this 
forward brake controls the spool, having the 
right hand free to manipulate the handle. How¬ 
ever, each man has his own way of handling 
a reel, and many might find this forward 
brake quite superfluous. 
Spooling 350 yards of 9-strand line und.er 
pressure will spread most reels, and the spread 
usually binds the reel when the fish is just 
beyond reach of the gaff. 
It by no means follows that because a reel 
costs thirty or forty dollars it will give no 
trouble. I have had a costly reel spread at a 
critical moment, and I have known cheap reels 
to give excellent service; but the comfort of a 
good, well-made, well-balanced, small and trim 
reel is beyond words. 
Sardines and flying fish are the two baits 
principally used at Catalina. The flying fish 
appear in the spring, are present in great 
schools during the summer and practically dis¬ 
appear in the late autumn, though now and 
then they are seen during the winter. They 
are taken by white sea bass, yellowtail and 
tuna. Even small rock bass will §eize flying 
fish which are longer than they are. 
The baits commonly used are sardines, 
which are about the Avalon end of the island 
throughout the year. Avalon Bay appears to 
be a spawning ground. It is the presence of 
bait which brings in the large game fish, and 
makes the island a veritable angler’s paradise. 
When the bait becomes scarce, the large fish 
will disappear and the island will lose the large 
yearly revenue it now derives from the sport. 
It is difficult to estimate the value of the 
sport to Avalon alone;' but it cannot be less 
than $100,000 annually. There are between 
twenty and thirty gasoline launches built and 
equipped for pleasure fishing, and in addition, 
innumerable rowboats. There are two dealers 
in tackle with large and expensive stocks, and 
they do a big business. Directly and indirectly 
in the course of the year a large number of 
men derive either their entire living or a large 
part of it from those who follow the sport. 
Yet, so far as fishing is concerned, those who 
go to Catalina are insignificant in number as 
compared with those who fish at the resorts 
and beaches on the mainland. Sea fishing as a 
sport must bring to southern California in 
one way and another a million or two millions 
of dollars annually. It means incomparably 
more to the State than the Tournament of 
Roses at Pasadena, the Fiesta at Los Angeles, 
or all similar special events taken together. 
All this is apropos the systematic destruc¬ 
tion of bait which is steadily going on about 
Catalina and along the mainland for the bene¬ 
fit of an insignificant sardine. Panning factory. 
This factory takes sardines wherever <it can 
find them, whether they are spawning or not. 
Its large power boat shadows every bay and 
cove about the island, watching for a school of 
sardines sufficiently large to warrant taking. 
A thousand pounds or so amount to nothing, 
but when a large school is sighted by the man 
at the masthead, the crew put out with their 
enormous purse net, surround the entire 
school, draw the net, and fifteen or twenty 
tons may be captured. 
This reckless destruction of the sardines 
means two things: first, the ultimate disappear¬ 
ance of the game fish and the end of the sport 
of fishing in so far as that sport depends directly 
or indirectly upon the presence of sardines; sec¬ 
ondly, the end of the sardine canning industry 
in time, for unless the sardines are protected 
by suitable restrictions, they are bound to dis¬ 
appear or become so scarce it will no longer 
pay to go after them. 
Two or three years ago efforts were made 
to protect the sardines and prevent their being 
taken in Avalon Bay. The supervisors acted, 
