Oct. 29, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
699 
Atlantic Tuna. 
New York City, Oct. 20. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: The measurements of the tuna ( Thun- 
nus thynnus ) sent to the Aquarium yesterday by 
E. T. Townsend, are as follows: Length, 2 
feet ioRj inches; greatest depth, 9*4 inches; 
greatest girth, 2 feet; weight, 26*4 pounds. 
The specimen was sent to the American 
Museum of Natural History for preservation, 
after the measurements were taken and photo¬ 
graphs made. 
I am very glad that the vexed question of the 
presence of the great tuna in our vicinity is, at 
last, settled. Of course you are aware that they 
have been known on our coast as far north as 
Newfoundland, and that they have been repeat¬ 
edly harpooned by the swordfishermen and taken 
in pound nets, but I think this is without doubt 
the very first capture with rod and line in the 
approved fashion. 
The New Jersey Report on Fishes records 
only one occasion when a large specimen was 
they do behind a sailboat. The explanation 
seems to be, that these fish feed on schools of 
spearing or sand-eels, which, when pursued, 
make a disturbance of the water, and the bright 
squids, when trolled behind a power ‘boat in the 
riffly water, caused by the propeller, more nearly 
and naturally resemble the movements of the 
small fish upon which they feed. The alba- 
cores and tunas can be seen in large numbers 
following in the wake of the power boats. 
These fishermen have learned, too, that while 
still-fishing for these fish, better success is 
achieved by disturbing the water, than when it 
is allowed to remain smooth, and the plan is 
adopted of throwing water upon the surface of 
the sea in the neighborhood of the baited hooks, 
and while the water is so roughened or dis¬ 
turbed the bait (menhaden) is greedily taken. 
This is a bran-new wrinkle in such fishing which 
it would be well to take note of. 
It has also been found that both these fish, 
as well as the bonito, are very shy of a squid— 
where the squid is made directly fast to the line. 
The bonito, tuna and albacore have never 
been known to be taken in the neighborhood 
of Barnegat City, as they have been this year. 
One of these Swedish fishermen told me a few 
days ago, that he had brought in as high as one 
hundred tuna in his boat, caught in one day’s 
fishing. Neither Santa Catalina nor Cape 
Breton, can any longer claim any monoply of 
tuna fishing now. 
Another new feature was developed this 
year, namely, chumming for bluefish after dark. 
It has been found that bluefish feed very much 
better after nightfall, and the fishermen get their 
menhaden, and start out about five o’clock, and 
fish until nine or ten o’clock, making large 
catches—much larger than they have made in 
the daytime. So put it down, that Barnegat 
City has learned several new points in sea-fish¬ 
ing this year. James G. Francis. 
Australasian Fly-Casting Championship 
Advices which have just reached us from 
Australia tell of the final fly-casting tournament 
Dr. Maitland. 
taken, near Brighton, Nov. 4, 1898. The man¬ 
ner of capture is not stated, but 1 think it un¬ 
doubtedly not taken by rod and line. 
The slight differences from adult measure¬ 
ments shown by this specimen are due to its 
being a young one. 
It is of the greatest interest to prove the 
presence of this fish as an angling asset in our 
neighborhood. Raymond C. Osburn, 
Assistant Director. 
Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 24. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have just returned from another trip 
to Barnegat City, N. J., and can report the tuna 
fishing as still in progress. 
One fisherman, a Swede, last Wednesday, 
caught eighteen tuna while chumming for blue¬ 
fish; they run from twenty to sixty pounds each 
in weight. This last catch was within a mile 
and a half of the beach. 
Whenever the sea is smooth enough to go 
out, large catches of both tuna and albacore are 
made. One strange statement is made by these 
Swedes, namely, that both these fish bite better 
on the squid in the wake of a power boat, than 
TWO EXPERT AUSTRALIAN FLY-C'ASTERS. 
The line being very heavy, shows prominently 
in the water, and when made fast to the squid 
more or less destroys the illusion of an isolated 
fish swimming, which the squid is sought to re¬ 
semble. The fish will run up to such a squid, 
look at it, turn away from and refuse to take it. 
So the squid is usually made fast to a strong 
wire, invisible in the water and about six to 
eight feet long with a swivel at each end, and 
with sVch a rig large catches are made. It is 
also found that the Belmar squid with two 
hooks lands twice as many fish as any other 
squid. 
Very large tuna are frequently hooked, but if 
much time is likely to be involved in landing 
them, the line is cut, and they are allowed to go. 
In one case, a large fish was hooked, and line 
was being pulled through the hands of tne 
fisherman, when he took a turn of the line 
around an oar, which was being used as an 
outrigger, when the fish sheared off and parted 
the heavy line as though it had been a piece of 
string. In another case where the same thing 
was done twice, one oar was lost overboard and 
another oar broken. 
C. H. Gorrick. 
for the season, held in Centennial Park, Sydney, 
on Sept. 26, under the auspices of the New 
South Wales Anglers’ Casting Club. It was 
for the championship of Australia and was won 
by C. H. Gorrick, with an aggregate of 18 
points. Mr. Gorrick, in this winning, earned 
the Usher cup, which was offered to the caster 
winning the championship three times. He won 
it first in 1908, again last year, when he cast the 
fly 112 feet, and it is now his property, but to 
take its place he has offered another cup to be 
cast for under like conditions. Mr. Gorrick 
also won the Simmons gold medal and the 
club trophy. 
Dr. Maitland, who cast 113 feet 3 inches, es¬ 
tablished a new record for distance fly-casting 
in Australia, and won the Rawson cup. 
There were fourteen entries in the deciding 
contest. Rods of any length and weight were 
allowed, but a cast to count could not touch the 
water behind the caster, and the measuring line 
was in the center of a space marked by two 
buoyed lines twelve feet apart. Ten minutes’ 
time was allowed each contestant. The wind 
was gusty, quartering from the rear, so that 
