FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. 12, 1910. 
78 ^ 
for fly-fishing, or by fly-fishermen when condi¬ 
tions or environment are not suitable for the fly. 
It is not intended to convey the impression 
that all bait-fishermen on the Illinois use the 
coarse tackle described above. A considerable 
number of them who believe in giving the fish 
a chance use light tackle, and it is gratifying 
to note, as mentioned in the preceding article 
on fly-fishing, that many of the natives are being 
converted to light tackle, and more notably since 
the enactment of statutes restricting the sale of 
bass, and which have changed bass fishing with 
them into a sporting proposition rather than a 
means of livelihood. 
The bulk of the bass taken for the market are 
caught with live bait by the means described, 
though many of the extremely large bass such 
as are seen in fish markets and on display in 
the windows of restaurants are caught in nets, 
hook marked and sent to the fish markets as if 
caught with hook and line. Market fishermen 
are occasionally prosecuted for netting bass, but 
with the high market price of the fish the temp¬ 
tation to violate the law is great. 
The quantities of bass that are taken from 
the Illinois annually by the natives and market 
fishermen are almost beyond belief to persons 
not familiar with their great numbers in the 
river. Near West Point in Fulton county, Illi¬ 
nois, at a point where a large drainage ditch 
and the outlet of Matanzas Lake flow into Otter 
Creek, some years I, in company with an old- 
time fishing companion, found in the eddying 
waters where the three streams joined, a school 
of large bass feeding on the minnows and 
aquatic food which were following the falling 
waters into the main channel of the river. The 
bass were working in water too' deep for fly¬ 
fishing, and trolling was the only available way 
of reaching them. We worked that one spot 
all day and were rewarded with a catch of about 
seventy-five fish which varied in weight from 
two to four pounds. When we finally became 
so tired that we could hardly swing a pole, the 
bass were striking the spoon with the same regu¬ 
larity as when we began to fish in the morning. 
Some two years later while fishing in com¬ 
pany with another friend in the outlet of a lake 
in the same locality and under practically the 
same conditions, a very similar catch of bass 
was made by trolling. O11 both occasions many 
of the smaller fish were returned to the water, 
as it is my custom never to keep more fish than 
can be used, and to have kept all of such a catch 
would have left me open to just criticism. 
To the lover of the picturesque, the Illinois 
has little in the way of scenery as compared 
with the grandeur of the upper Mississippi and 
many of the lakes of the North, and yet there 
are numerous places along the river where won¬ 
derful views may be enjoyed. In the southeast¬ 
ern part of Fulton county, opposite the mouth 
of the Sangamon River, is a point from which 
may be seen on clear days a distance of twenty 
to thirty miles, and the view of the river, in 
spite of its desolate appearance, is inspiring. 
With all its lack of the beautiful as compared 
with other waters, yet if gauged by its un¬ 
equalled value as a fishing ground by one who 
is a lover of the sport, whether with fly or bait, 
then indeed will the eye be satisfied. And if 
you want to fish for black bass, the big and 
lusty, always-hungry kind, then get acquainted 
with some portion of the Illinois, and once you 
know your ground you will always have a fish¬ 
ing account to draw against where your funds 
will never become exhausted. 
Willard A. Schaeffer. 
Tuna Club Records. 
Los Angeles, Cal., Nov. 1. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: The Tuna Club summer season ter¬ 
minated Sept. 30 and was succeeded next da} 1, 
by the winter tournament. The tournament of 
last winter was fully as successful as the sum¬ 
mer feature, and had the added advantage of 
being so timed as to permit thousands of tourists 
an opportunity to participate in the competition. 
The tuna record of 251 pounds made by Col. 
C. P. Morehous, of Pasadena, seems safe enough, 
as the largest fish landed this season was over 
seventy-five pounds shy. Probably bigger fish 
than Morehous’ were hooked. Murphy, whose 
T75-pounder leads for 1010, had no less than ten 
on that day before he finally stopped one. There 
is no harder fish fighter or more capable heavy 
angler than the veteran Murphy. Fie has had a 
world of experience and is noted for quick 
finishes, but this i/SRj-pounder used up two and 
a half hours of his time, fighting every minute. 
Colonel John Eldredge Stearns took the sea¬ 
son record swordfish, a 292-pounder, and be¬ 
lieves the swordfish is destined to supplant even 
the tuna. He says the fame of Catalina was 
established as an angling resort by the tuna, and 
is to be sustained by the sw.ordfish. Commodore 
Conn’s 339-pounder of last year is the record. 
1 he largest black sea bass ever taken was a 
436-pouiider caught by L. G. Murphy several 
years ago. The record this summer was 385 
pounds, by Jesse Roberts, of Philadelphia. 
Dr. Benjamin F. Alden, of San Francisco, 
caught a 4514-pound yellowtail, the season’s rec¬ 
ord for light (nine-nine) tackle. W. W. Simp¬ 
son’s Clemente record of 1908, 6of4 pounds, re¬ 
mains unapproached. 
The largest white sea bass landed in the sum¬ 
mer season was a 44-pounder taken by Benjamin 
Thaw, of Pittsburg. Several bigger ones were 
caught late in the winter tournament, one of 4954 
pounds the last day thereof by Simon Spier, of 
this city. C. H. Harding took the record 60- 
pounder some ten years ago. 
The albacore have been scarce comparatively 
speaking, but the season for them is now ap¬ 
proaching. J. W. McIntyre, of Catlin, Ill., took 
the record fish, a 65-pound 3-ounce long-fin, 
the biggest landed last summer being taken by 
IT. A. Ohmsen, of this city, 37*4 pounds. W. N. 
McMillan got a pair of big ones late in the 
winter tournament preceding. 
The Tuna Club, in view of the fact that some 
backsliding has been manifested in the use of 
the Three-Six tackle by those who had no other 
love for it than to get their cards and buttons 
as mementoes, has decided upon a step that will 
give those who need other inducement than their 
sportsmanship, a business reason for using 
Three-Six in their fishing. Heretofore the yel¬ 
lowtail has been the only fish recognized by the 
I hree-Six division. It has been decided to dis¬ 
continue issuance of cards and buttons by the 
I hree-Six class, and to open a premium of 25 
per cent, added weight to all light tackle entries 
caught upon Three-Six. This is to apply in all 
classes recognized in the Light Tackle competi¬ 
tion—tuna, yellowtail, albacore and white sea 
bass. Thus a sixteen-pounder of any of these 
varieties taken upon Three-Six will earn the 
bronze button that it takes a twentjr-pounder to 
earn on light tackle of the nine-thread line per¬ 
suasion. The taker of a 32-pound yellowtail 
upon Three-Six will receive a go'd button, and 
a 40-pounder in the other classes; if using light 
tackle he would have to land a 40-pound yellow¬ 
tail, or a 50-pounder of any of the other three 
varieties. 
The Tuna Club is in better shape than ever be¬ 
fore. Additional sleeping rooms have been ar¬ 
ranged for with a view to increasing the club’s 
revenue. Edwin L. Hedderly. 
Some News and a Little Gossip. 
The ocean or long distance racing subject is 
likely to receive some careful attention during 
the winter, and efforts will be made by those 
interested in these contests to arrange a 
schedule, so that there shall be as little con- 
fliction as possible. This year the races came 
so frequently that all more or less suffered. 
Ocean racing appeals to many yachtsmen be¬ 
cause there enters into the sport an element of 
danger and success depends not only on having 
a speedy yacht, which is properly handled, but 
that yacht must be well equipped and ready for 
any emergency. It must be well manned with 
expert sailors, and navigation and seamanship 
count for more than almost anything else. 
Unfortunately few of those yachtsmen in¬ 
terested in this kind of sport can give up all 
their summer to the game. They are mostly 
business men and cannot get away from busi¬ 
ness for more than one or two races, and when 
there is a continuation of such events as there 
was this year, yachtsmen have to select which 
races they will enter and leave the others alone. 
First of all this year there was the race for 
motor boats from Philadelphia to Havana. 
That was started on May 21. It had taken 
some weeks to prepare the yachts for this event 
which was the longest ever attempted. It took 
