Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast Part 20

THE CHUB MACKEREL

(s...o...b..r j.a.ponicus)

The chub mackerel, the smallest of the =s...o...b..idae= family, approaches very closely the true mackerel of the East. It is hard to find a fish of any variety more delicious than a chub mackerel, caught from the yacht and placed on the broiler as soon as it quits flapping. They are occasionally found as far north as Monterey bay, but their real range is from the Santa Barbara channel south. With reasonably light trout tackle they put up a gamy and interesting fight.

Back, bluish green, mottled with irregular darker streaks, some of which pa.s.s below the lateral line; first dorsal fin quite high, and about the distance of its height in front of the second dorsal; second dorsal and a.n.a.l about the same size and nearly opposite each other; tail forked, but not so broadly as the bonito. Weight, from one-half to three pounds.

=Tackle and Lure=--Trout tackle and spoon will furnish interesting sport. But they will take any lure.

[Ill.u.s.tration: YELLOW-TAIL (Seriola dorsalis)]

THE YELLOW-TAIL

(Seriola dorsalis)

The yellow-tail belongs to the family =Carangidae=, the same to which belong the pompanos, and is one of the gamiest of sea fishes. In fact, it is generally said by experts who have fished for all varieties and in all waters, both salt and fresh, that the yellow-tail of Catalina is the gamiest fish, pound for pound, that swims. Whether this be true or not, it is certainly one of the hardest and most persistent fighters found anywhere and furnishes the angler with rod and reel from an hour to two hours of lively sport before he can bring it to gaff. One well-known writer on angling subjects says: "It never knows when it is dead." While the average catch will run from ten to thirty pounds, specimens have been taken weighing sixty-five pounds. It is occasionally met with in Monterey bay, but its range is from the Santa Barbara channel south, where it is caught the larger portion of the year.

Grayish blue on the back; sides, a dull silver, with a yellowish buff stripe along the lateral line; fins, green, with a strong yellowish tinge; tail, yellowish buff. Scales small, with the head bare, except a small patch on the cheeks. Pectoral fin on a level with the eye and small; ventral under the center of the pectoral; caudal, slim and forked. The dorsal fin is double, the front being very small with spines and the second half more than twice as high; dorsal and a.n.a.l fins continue in a low membrane to very near the tail. Body, elliptical and very small at the base of the caudal fin.

=Tackle and Lure=--Same as for salmon or albacore.

Order, ACANTHROPTERI.

Family, SCROMBIDAE

Genus Species Common Names Range ------------- ------------- ----------------- --------------------------

Thunnus thynnus Leaping tuna {From Coronado Islands {to Monterey Bay.

{microptera Yellow-fin {Irregular visitors to the { albacore {waters of Catalina Island Germo { {and adjacent mainland.

{ {alalunga Albacore From Point Conception south.

Sarda chilensis Bonito From Santa Barbara south.

s...o...b..romorus concolor Spanish mackerel From Monterey Bay south.

s...o...b..r j.a.ponicus Chub mackerel From Point Conception south.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CALIFORNIA SWORDFISH (Tetrapturus mitsukuri)]

THE CALIFORNIA SWORDFISH

(Tetrapturus mitsukuri)

By many anglers for large and exciting game, the California swordfish is p.r.o.nounced the king of all game fishes. Certainly they put up a very determined and exciting fight. In size they average about 180 pounds, though one has been taken at Catalina by W. C. Boschen that weighed 355 pounds. When a swordfish is hooked its rushes are desperate, even reckless, and at times dangerous to the angler. In its determined efforts to free itself from the impaling hook, it threshes the waters into foam, repeatedly leaping into the air, where the sunlight scintillating upon the purple of its back and silvery sides adds the charm of color to the excitement of the contest. It is safe to say that there is no fish, either in the salt or fresh waters, that is so constantly on the surface and in the air during its struggles for freedom as is the California swordfish. Thirty, forty and even fifty clean leaps into the sunlight by the one fish have been recorded in its desperate struggle to baffle the skill of the angler.

The snout of the swordfish is continued into a long, sharp bone, which measured from the back of the mouth is about one-fourth of the length of the fish from the mouth to the base of the tail. The under jaw is also a sharp projecting bone about half the length of the sword. The dorsal fin rises sharply from the top of the head to a height nearly equaling the depth of the body, the latter part curving downward and continuing along the back to nearly the center of the body; tail divided into two long, slim forks; second dorsal and a.n.a.l near the tail and nearly opposite each other; ventral fin below the terminal of the first dorsal; pectoral fins rather long and located close to the gill-covers; two long, slender feelers projecting from the center of the throat just below the base of the pectorals; eye very large and bright dark blue.

Purplish green on the back, with blue perpendicular stripes fading into the silvery sides; fins, dark purple.

=Tackle and Lure=--Same as for tuna.

THE BLACK SEA Ba.s.s, OR JEW-FISH

(Stereolepis gigas)

This monster of the ocean, commonly called jew-fish, seems to be in all respects a gigantic black ba.s.s, closely resembling the small-mouthed of the fresh waters, and no further description will be necessary for anyone who may be fortunate enough to land one to know to what species it belongs. In fact, he will know just what he has hooked long before the monster shows himself on the top of the water.

This huge black sea ba.s.s seems to have a very restricted range, for it is only known from the Coronado Islands to the Farallones. They are very plentiful around Catalina Island, where they are usually taken with hand lines. They can not be called a game fish, though they are now being taken with rod and reel at Catalina and furnish a kind of "heavy-weight" sport for those who like it. One weighing over 436 pounds has been taken on a tuna rod and twenty-one thread line. The writer saw one several years ago that was taken on a hand line that weighed 720 pounds and was over seven feet in length. They are fish of great strength and will tow a boat with ease at a considerable speed.

=Tackle=--The same as for tuna, with fish bait.

THE BARACUDA

(Sphyraena argentea)

The baracuda is a common fish from San Francisco south to Mexico. In the Santa Barbara channel and about Catalina and San Diego it is largely taken by trolling with light tackle, when it affords really good sport. It is a long, slim fish, reaching three and even three and a half feet in length, the usual catch being from two to two and a half feet in length.

Head long and slender; eye high up on the head and nearly half way between the snout and the back of the gill covers. Pectoral fin just below the lateral line; first dorsal spinous and nearly opposite the ventral; second dorsal about midway between the first and the tail; a.n.a.l almost directly under the second dorsal.

Bluish brown on the back, grading into white on the belly.

=Tackle and Lure=--Same as for bonito.

WHITING and CROAKERS

There are three other species of fish which inhabit the surf of the Pacific from Point Conception, south to Mexico, that, while they can not be properly termed game fishes, furnish the angler fine sport because of the gamy fight they make on light tackle. These are the whiting (=Menticirrhus undulatus=), the spot-fin croaker (=Roncador stearnsi=) and the yellow-fin croaker (=Umbrina roncador=). The first of these is known locally by the names of corbina and surf-fish, which are bad misnomers. The name, surf-fish, is given by the ichthyologist to a species of perch, and the courbina belongs to the genus =Pogonias= and is not found as far north as the California coast. These names should be abandoned by the anglers and the proper English name of whiting used. The word courbina is Italian and means croaker, from the Latin, corvus, crow.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WHITE SEA Ba.s.s (Cygonoscion n.o.bilis)]

THE WHITE SEA Ba.s.s

(Cygonoscion n.o.bilis)

The white sea ba.s.s is purely a California species, ranging from the Coronado Islands to about the lat.i.tude of San Francisco. They are caught trolling and make a gamy fight on rod and reel. Twenty to forty pound fish are common and they have been caught weighing seventy-five pounds.