Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 April 1911 — Fishing the Tuna on the Atlantic Coast [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Fishing the Tuna on the Atlantic Coast

BY J.K.L.ROSS

SHE Atlantic tuna, aa far as l know, baa never been landed with rod and line, although many have been landed by harpooning; but the Pacific tuna, which is found off the California coast, is regularly captured by big game fishermen. These Pacific tuna are perhaps the king of big game fish that are caught with rod and line, although some sportsmen who have fished for tarpon may dispute this statement. The largest tuna ever landed with rod and line weighed 251 pounds, and was caught by Col. C. P. Morehouse in 1899 off the Island of Catalina, California, but the average weight of tuna caught at Catalina last year was about 118 pounds, and the

largest 153 pounds. The tackle prescribed by the "tuna Club of Santa Catalina, California, is as follows: “A wooden rod consisting of a butt and a tip and to be not shorter than 6 feet 9 inches over all. Tip to be not less than 5 feet and to Weigh not more than sixteen ounces. Line is not to exceed the standard 24-thread line.” Although the Pacific tuna are large fish to land with rod and line, the Atlantic tuna are much larger, as they run from 300 pounds up to 1,100 pounds, and even as high as • 1,200 pounds in weight. The smallest tuna that I have seen landed, w,ith harpoon, on the Ndva Scotia coast, weighed, 402 pounds, and tbfe largest weighed over 900 pounds. Now, the tackle that I used in try-

ing to land these monsters consisted of a rod of the same specifications as the Tuna Club of Santa Catalina, though I have used a No. 39 line and a special reel that I had made to hold 306 yards of this No. 39 line, as the largest reel that was then made only held 300 yards of the No. 24, or about 220 yards of the No. 39 line. The tuna in the Atlantic are reported to be found as far south as the New Jersey coast, and some as far north as Gaspe, in the Province of Quebec, and they are also Been ofT the coast of Newfoundland; but I shall confine myself to Nova Scotia and particularly to the east coast of Cape Breton, where the two places that I have fished for tuna are situated, namely, Ste. Ann Bay, and Mira Bay. The former place is about 35 miles northwest of Sydney by water, and the latter place is approximately 25 miles southeast of Sydney by railway. The outer bay at Ste. Ann is about seven miles long by six miles wide at the mouth, but there are two islands beyond the southern promontory at the north (Cabe Dauphin) that really make this bay almost two miles longer. There is also at Ste. Ann a beautiful inner harbor with plenty of water and good anchorages very well sheltered. The channel entering this inner harbor is well buoyed, with spar buoys, and has about 14 feet of water at low tide (the rise and fall of the tide here is about 4 feet).

The tuna, or horse mackerel, as they are called by the local fishermen, , are to be found near the southern Bhore of this bay, almost any time between July 15 and September 30; but I would recommend August as the best month In which to get strikes. When It Is not too rough, and the weather Is generally fine at this time of the year, I have never experienced any trouble In hooking a fish. Three years ago I hooked 21 fish, but during that season I was only using a No. 24* and No. 36 line, and did not have a strong enough reel. There were only three fish that I held longer than 20 minutes—one for 8 hours, one for 10 hours and one for 18 hours. The year following, thopgh I had only fbur or five days’ fishing, I booked 13 fish. From my experience with these tuna last year I came to the conclusion tljat unless the fish were hooked properly it was hopeless to try to lfind him. By not being hooked properly, I mean hooked In the corner of hlB mouth (or in any way except fairly in the upper Jaw). One can generally tell In half an hour or so by his actions how he Is hooked, and if he Is hooked badly one might Just as well cut one’s line and try for another, because I do not believe that one can make, any Impression on a fish so hooked. It was early on a Friday morning, early In September last year, that we left Sydney on my cruising launch, the Adine, for Ste. Ann Bay to catch a tuna. Our party consisted of five men, myself, who was to do the fishing, Captain ‘'Bill,” who was to hav? charge of the Adine while we were in tv .Ic-v fshlng. Lowe, the engineer.

and William the cook, while sailor Charlie came with me in the dory. My tackle consisted of two rods and reels, with several spare No. 39 lines of 300 yards each, two large gaffs. one lance at the end of an eight-foot pole. The hook I used was a No. 11 Vain Vleck hook, with a 12-foot wire leader, or snood, but with a few inches of chain next to the hook. Our bait that day was fresh mackerel. My two rods were set up before we left Sydney, each with its reel and 300 yards of this No. 39 line, and I had on this occasion, as I have had subsequently, about 70 to 80 feet of line doubled next to the hok. We reached Ste. Ann bay about 8 a m., and commenced trolling. About 11 a. m. we sighed a large school of tuna about half-way up the bgy. After about half an hour’s vigorous rowing we managed to get the baited hook just in front of the school. Although, after you have a fish hooked, you are kept busy all the time, and have plenty of excitement, still, I really think the most exciting part of tuna fishing is just before the strike, and as you strike. There must have been at least 20 tuna in the school, the leader of which was a monster, probably weighing anywhere between 600 to 800 pounds. When the boat was about 100 feet in front of the school they all seemed so see it at once, and disappeared from the surface, only to reappear to a moment when the leader was only 20 or 30 feet from the hook, at which he took a wild plunge over the surface. As I struck, which I did as soon as I felt the line tighten, I said to Charlie, “Confound it, we have hooked that big leader.” As soon as he felt the hook Btrike in, he jumped practicaly clear of the water, and, although I do not suppose you could exactly compare it to the wild jump of the tarpom being more of a somersault over the surface of the water, it would have made a splendid picture for a very rapid lens camera; but we, in the dory, did not have time just then to think of a camera, even if we had had one, because, as soon as he had made this jump, he was off In a mad rush with the line going out at a tremendous rate, even against two of the brakes, with which the reel was equipped. When • 250 yards had left the reel it looked desperate. as he was still going as if he were bound for Newfoundland for a record, so I immediately threw off the brakes and gave him stock line, I had done this before on other fish and it generally worked. After throwing off the brake I immediately reeled in, and as soon as be felt the tension again he started another, run,, but this time it was towards the dory, and 1 had to reel to like mad in order not to give him any slack line. At last the shoal water which he approached drove him up, and for ten minutes or so we had another exciting time until once more he dived. I then realised that-1 certainly had hooked a tartar, and hooked him badly, and after ten to fifteen minutes of arm-breaking pumping, I informed Charlie that this fish would never be landed, bat I decided that as long as the weather remained fine, and until I was exhausted, 1 would

hold on and see whether it was possible in any way to tire him out. We then signalled the launch which had been following us, but keeping a good three-quarters of a mile away, to send the dinghy with some lunch. They had evidently been expecting this signal, because In a very few minutes we were pleased to see the launch go ahead of us, and parallel to the direction we were taking in order that when the dinghy was dropped they would only have to row to head us off, as no ordinary rowboat could catch us aB long as the tuna towed without altering his course. When the boat came alongside, which it could only do when the tuna was towfng us straight ahead, Charlie grabbed the dinghy by the gunwale while the man in the dinghy dumped our grub aboard. If the fish does not start to raise Cain we generally let the other boat stay alongside in order to give him an extra load to tow. At the end of an hour and a half I gave the order to the launch to commence to work on the fish, too. The launch, being told that the tuna was approximately 176 yards ahead of us, proceeded to run in front of him, and, by giving him the propeller wash, would turn him back into the bay, as he was then going out to sea. With this particular fish the launch did not have much effect, except to make him swim deeper, and then he did not mind the launch at all. We were towed around the bay all day, generally inside the outer island (Cibou island), but occasionally we went beyond the islands, sometimes to the north side of the bay. and sometimes on the south side. About midnight the tuna took the bit in his teeth and started seemingly stronger than ever to tow us toward Ingonish island light at about seven miles an hour, or better, and did not change his direction until he was about three miles from it, when he ran toward the shore, and gave us a very lively time for about half an hour or more. Then he started to leave the shore and go obliquely to sea, taking us about five miles from the shore.

As soon as daylight came I made every effort possible to gain some line on the tuna, and after about 30 or 45 minutes of strenuous pumping, I managed to get in two or three turns of the double line on the reel, which meant that the tuna was within 70 feet of us. I immediately drove a wedge Into the thumb brake, hoping to prevent him taking more line, but within a minute or so he took it into his head to bolt/ and the wedge was ripped out of the thumb brake, as if it had been made of straw. Twice more I got the double line on the reel, but each time he ripped it out seemingly whenever he wanted. At 6:30 a. m., when I had had the rod for about 19 mortal hours, my hands and arms were aohlng so that I was forced to give It up; but before doing so I asked Charlie If he would like to take a turn at the rod. He took the rod for 20 minutes, and during that time twice pumped the fish to within 70 feet of the boat, drove the wedge in the brake, but, as before. the fish took the line out again at will. I again took the rod for about 15 minutes, and at the end of that time, a little after 7 a. m.. r cut the line and let him go. We went aboard the launch—l turned In, and the others had breakfast In the cabin. I slept till we reached Sydney, at 10:30 a. m. ; feeling none the worse for as exciting a moior-and-fish-power cruise as anyone aouM wish for.

462-POUND TUNA HARPOONED IN MIRA BAY