FOREST AND STREAM. 
177 

AUG. 3, 1907.] 
to hang on to some of them so long that he 
would not have time to get eight strikes, but 
these were not monsters, just torty, fifty or 
sixty-pounders; maybe one or two would go a 
hundred, but they kept out of sight. 
| have seen a tuna flash through the water, 
strike the trolling flyingfish sidewise and never 
check its course in the slightest degree; just 
part the line as if it were gossamer. Happily 
they are not always on the fly when they strike. 

(ordinarily they take hold like other sensible 
fish, only good and hard. There is no’ nibbling 
the bait, no-grabbing it by the middle after the 
fashion of white sea bass. When the line is 
hanging over the side of the launch, still-fishing, 
the strike may be quite gentle, though firm and 
decided. Under such circumstances it is good 
pr actice to let them move off twenty or thirty 
leet before striking. There is no danger from 
kelp and one may make surer of the fish. When 
the hook is set be prepared for pyrotechnics. 
The habits of the fish are peculiar. They 
may appear in large schools any time during the 
winter and spring, but when they appear early 
‘they are traveling and not feeding about the 
island. Later, in the summer, they are found in 
schools and also scattered, frequently from two 
.o eight or ten together, and they consort freely 
with albacore but seldom with yellowtail close 
in shore. 
While fishing for yellowtail one June at John- 
son’s six or eight large tuna passed to the north 
within fifteen teet of the launch, their fins out 
‘of water and going at the rate of five or six miles 
an hour. As the bait lay in their path, we 
thought we might get a strike 
it. They often skirt along the kelp in that way, 
but, like the albacore, they are a deep-sea fish 
‘and are usually taken from a mile to ten miles 
offshore. 
One may be trolling at random over a smooth 
sea, not a sign of a fish visible, when suddenly 
the water near the Jaunch breaks in a thousand 
ripples, caused by a school of tuna coming to 
the surface. Then every boat in the vicinity 
makes for the center of disturbance and gets a 
strike. Once located, the fish are usually found 
in the same spot or close at hand for two or 
‘three days. Why they should remain in one 
place seven or eight miles from land is a 
No doubt the attraction is a school 
‘of small fish or other food far beneath the 
| surface. 
__ If twenty or more launches are out, the way 
they lie shows the direction of the fish. Some- 
times there will be a string of launches stretch- 
‘ing in a direct line from a point off Avalon six 
or seven miles to the north or northeast. This 
shows that the fish are scattered along this 
course feeding. 
Again, the launches will all be working within 
a circle less than a half-mile in diameter, getting 
plenty of strikes within but none without that 
radius. A newspaper is often thrown over to 
indicate the precise spot where a strike may be 
expected, and the boats will circle about the 
paper until wind or current carries it away from 
the fish. 
| When tuna are about a good indication of 
iw here they are is the jumping of skipjack. 
\When these active little fish are seen breaking 
water a few handfuls of chum will usually bring 
albacore to the surface and with them tuna. It 
jis a pretty sight to see the brown bodies of the 
jalbacore come shooting up gracefully from 
omewhere far down below after the floating 
|chum. then in a moment appear the much larger 
|tuna distinguished by their more yellowish cast 
and absence of long side fins. 
At first when the fish are far down and only 
the dark shadows are visible darting through 
the water it is impossible to tell whether they 
are tuna or not, but a little more chum brings 
them to the surface. where they may be in- 
spected at leisure. However, it is not always 
easy to get the larger tuna*up and shrewd fish- 
erman will bait with flyingfish. which the alba- 
core do not touch, and drop down beneath the 
fish in sight, the chances are a larger one will 
take hold 
When fishing with light tackle it is better on 
getting a strike to nut the launch about and be 
yrepared to follow the fish during his long runs, 
/mystery. 
| 




not too rapidly, but just fast enough to keep 
but they ignored. 

MR. W. T, MORRISON 
him from taking all the line, following at an 
angle rather than head on. 
lf, as there is reason to believe, the tuna will 
sound to the bottom if he gets a chance, it is 
better to tow him out to sea if possible; the 
deeper the water the less reason for going down 
a thousand feet. I have raised a forty-five- 
pounder from seven hyndred feet, but lost those 
which sounded over eight hundred. When they 
sound they go down very easily, like the slow 
sinking of an object the weight of which is not 
much greater than that of the water displaced. 
When it is considered that at eight hundred feet 
the pressure of the water is 350 pounds to the 
square inch, it is not surprising the fish goes 
down slowly. 
Many a light tackle enthusiast feels like giv- 
ing up after spending a week or two among the 
tuna without landing a fish. It is discouraging, 
lost should be 
but every fish an incentive to 
try again. They can be landed, up to what 
weight no one yet knows, but some one will 
certainly get a hundred-pounder and secure the 
diamond button. 
If a man wishes to make reasonably sure of 
his fish, or sure of even two or three out of 
ten of the big ones, he had better take to the 
heavy tackle, but if he is looking for sport, for 
the excitement which comes from pitting his 
skill, ingenuity. and endurance against the_re- 
sources of the fish under conditions which favor 
the latter, then he will stick to light tackle until 
he “bags his game.” And the man who gets 
a hundred-pound tuna on a nine-ounce rod and 
a nine-thread line will be qualified for the thirty- 
third degree in the ancient and honorable order 
of Ananias. ARTHUR JEROME Eppy. 

Mr. Morrison’s Big Trout. 

New York, July 23.—Editor ,Forest and 
Stream: In reply to your request for informa- 
tion as to the big salmon trout I caught, would 
say that I left New York about June 16 and spent 
three weeks fishing through a number of lakes, 
including’ Big Rideau, Newborough, Indian, 
Clear, Devil and Buck lakes, all in Ontario. 
I caught a mumber of fine black bass and also 
some very fine salmon trout. The fish shown 
in the picture was caught by deep trolling with- 
out any sinkers, usine a braided metal line, which 
proved very successful in this region, landing a 
large number of fish and many of large size, one 
of 17 pounds, and one of 23 pounds (the latter 
shown in the picture). 
The water where these large fish were taken 
is from 75 to 125 feet deep, and an ordinary line 
would not sink sufficiently unless very heavily 
weighted. The metal lines.“ however, have con- 
siderable weight. I used them on a rod of 8% 
ounces, the length of the rod being 8% feet, reel 
AND HIS PRIZE TROUT. 
.300 yards capacity. These lines do not kink, but 
run smoothly through the guides, and are a great 
advantage, especially in handling large lake trout, 
which in these lakes put up a very hard fight, 
much gamier than in many other waters I have 
fished. 
It took about three-quarters of an hour to land’ 
the 23-pound fish, and as we had no landing net 
large enough we had to run ashore finally and 
get into the water in order to get him out. The 
fish was full of eggs at the time caught, which 
was about the 23d of June. 
Some of the above mentioned lakes are rather 
difficult of access, 
as they are reached by rather 
long portages. The portage to Buck Lake is at 
least three miles long, and we had to take in 
the boat, tents, etc. 
[ also did considerable bait-casting, securing 
many bass, ‘pike, etc., one Oswego bass of 5 
pounds, and some smaller’ small-mouth bass. 
Wark 
Morrison, 
Racine Fly-Casting Club. 






RACINE, Wis., July 21—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The scores of this club so far this sea- 
son, are given below. All are accuracy bait-cast- 
ing: 
June 22: 1-ounce, 
4-ounce. 10 Casts. 
AP SHURE AULLES sia taleierasarcbndia ens ate 6 97 4-15 98 1-10 
J. R. Dishington 93 6-15 96 4-10 
Dr Van Ornum 95 14-15 96 2-10 
B. H. ne 97 1-10 
A: L. Wolfe. 96 1-10 
E. B. Hand. 95 6-10 
J Hocking 94 3-10 
W. F. Sawyer’. 94 2-10 
GA iGraNaylor-. 94 2-10 
Es os Smieding én 92 3-10 
Te, Wie IOI «oats vince e ces valance we 89 5-10 
Gee ici Teak tites =o stale ctclatareralarsia/aisse Saniare We ve 88 2-10 
July 13: 14-ounce Re-entry. 
ie bee MeaStlG!: Anateriqvonee aise cs ters “06 14-15 98 3-15 
Dr. C. F. Browne 96 7-15 97 14-15 
OBSE Botsford. successes 93 10-15 97 6-15 
J. R. Dishington 97 97 13-15 
Bey ly Pulson. 3. come aenen 96 97 1-15 
FE. H. Smieding 93 12-13 96 2-15 
We PP. England. sc. 91 10-15 94 10-15 
July 20: - — 14-ounce——, 
Be ee Weastler, sey cascedecot 115, 98 7 15 He 
Dr ©. FE. Brownes. see. 96 7-15 97 14-15 98 6-15 
ODE... Botsford: i305 a 93 10-15 97 6-15 98 7-15 
Joe dk.. Dishini¢ten-< csi at Jb $6 6-15 
B. H. Jillson........00. 97 4-15 ; 
CAH. Washburt..4.08 oy 95 9-15 95 
Berl. “Sniedine setae i. 95 3-15 
C. F. Browne, Sec’y-Treas. 
THE CAMPING OUTFIT 
of the thoughtful camper invariably includes a 
supply of Borden’s Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. 
With this in camp, the most important food item 
is taken care of. Eagle Milk keeps indefinitely 
in any climate. The original and leading brand 
since 1857. Always uniform—Adv, 

