The San Francisco call. [volume], June 09, 1907, Page 3, Image 3

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
The San Francisco Sundiv Call. *
"THE FINEST SPORT IN THE WORLD"
II is a bright, sunny Saturday in July.
All tha world seems glad and golden.
Everything and everybody rejoices.
Two men meet at the railroad-sta
tion. . A hearty hand grasp follows the
familiar nod of greeting. Both men
ar* carrying queer looking luggage
which canvas coverings keep hidden.
But In the case of one At least It re
quires little ingenuity, to the
contests of the bag slung- .over his
back. The shape of it, the size and the
telltale glimpses of brassy and other
clubs give promise of future tramps
over the green after the one main ob
ject In the world, a small gutta' percha
ball, weighing one and a fourth ounces.
The man on this obvious errand bent
approaches the other traveler. "Hello,
where are you off to?"
"Monterey." is the answer.
"Monterey! In heaven's name, what's
there to do at Monterey?"
His companion looks at him steadily,,
an expression of wondering pity gradu-/
ally displacing any other emotion. But
the golf fiend has not yet learned .that
there are some things about which it
were wiser not to try to convince a
man. One of these things is bis family
physician. It is also the part of wis
dom to refrain from any. criticism of
the sewing machine or piano in use in
a house. One - gains only enemies
thereby. To try to sidetrack a man on
salmon fishing bent. In his nostrils the
sea breath, bringing the Joy of free
dom and of living, is to acknowledge
and proclaim that there is still one
knee in the land that has 'not bowed
before Minerva's shrine. .The golfer
\u25a0was such. . •
"I'll tell you what you'd better do."
says he. i"Cut out your Monterey trip
and stop over at the Country club and
I'll give you the best game of golf
you ever played. Ever been on our
links T* he rushed. on enthusiastically.
"We've the best green this side of the
Westward Ho! club, near Chicago: 18
holes, by Joye — one drive 500 yards
bully hazards!" he exclaims,' scanning
the other's passive, almost bored coun
tenance. The man thus spoken to was
looking directly- ahead of him. seem
ingly unconscious of his companion's
outburst. At last, however, he realized
that something was expected of him.
"I don't believe you have an idea of
\u25a0what you are talking. What's "there"
to do at Monterey? Why, man alive,
there's the greatest sport there that's
to be had anywhere on this coast or
off it. Old you ever. fish for salmon in
Monterey bay?" he asked with the air
of a man who has cornered another
and expects Immediate surrender. "
"Xo," admitted the golfer reluctantly,
*'I haven't."
"Well, then, you're forgiven,, for
you really don't. know what sport is.
Here, you cut your trip out this time
and I'll show you the time of your
life."
The golfing outfit was discarded, the
invitation accepted, and because such
is the insidious attraction of the sport
another convert is made.
It . takes but one trip to Monterey,
one morning's .experience in an open
boat, to convince a man that Monterey
bay. offers, to the lover of the sport «i
t*r keener enjwyment than U to, \b*
found elsewhere.' ;> . ...'
When the sweet things around him
pall upon Frank Maskey, "he ;leaves
his shop with a yearning and- a longing
for the pungent sea breezes, and off he
goes to Monterey. The first salmon of
this season was caught I there on ithe
19th" of May and: Mr. Maskey " '.'counts,
that day lost. His reel was in the easC
being repaired and; he is possessing his
soul In what patience lie can v until , it
arrives. Then it's time for.the salmon
to j run to cover. Just where that \u25a0 place
of \u25a0 refuge is it is hard to tell. ..Your
salmon is a thing of mysterious com
ings in and goings out. For four long
years ho keeps far away from .the
haunts -of -men -and fisn hooks, no one
knows just where. Then in, he comes,
bringing his secret with him and
never giving it away. In spite of such
experts in the sport as Mr. -Maskey,
William Murdock an,d Louis Eaton,
some of the more wily salmon escape
the hook and, later In tiic season, to
ward the middle of September, they as
cend tjie Sacramento river, . where 9 the
* « * \u25a0 , .. - * . * • ?
remaies spawn and ai<?. \u25a0'..-.'
"The ."tltlo-; is coming in." volunteers
some. 'onA*lqning ! lazily, on '\u25a0 the : hotel
YACHTING SEASON OPENS
"Give.'mc ayacht andl can'bejhappy insidethe; Golden gate' for^
jife,":said, a member: o^fie.of^ the
and cruise, San,-Francisco\bay,7from.. MayvCuntil^Noyember. In rio v
pastern water is the yachting: season as "long nor- the breeze as sure :
veranda. - See^. that \u25a0 gray, streak : in tin
"Hello, i here are -the; sardines," calls
a*-boatman._. "Every. man> of Htheml; has
been * waiting % for i this %welcomeTsignal:
Every. "~ oar : isrbeh.t ' to ward "I that ? dark,
as^durihg^tlic summer,*bn;this l bay. .Yachting here is sport royal, and
\u25a0 never fags:;; The
sHovynfonVtb!is page were; snapped on the opening day of the season
several vweeks-agQ. "••'••.'':
grayish mass in the water. .Sometimes
• the discoloration will bo muddler and
. dirtier. -V It > is; the challenge .; of . the
squids, .who ; have come this •* time \u25a0in
: , greater.*, numbers fhan L the "".sardines."
- /Again \ the '; "water -may.'be of an • inky
-blackness.'- The -anchovies; are flying:
\thelr ' colors.' 1 .j" But ;be 'i they sardines,
: squids or anchovies, it makes. but small
' difference ;. to :• theT salmon— hence 'also
*to" the- fishermen.; \u25a0 • • '-•/ , <
\u25a0 "On- Sunday. mornings during' the sea
son the; bay:; of Monterey; is in gala
; dress.^: The KWhole-? cove ;,lav alive with
\u25a0;'.; craft /of ;every.^ description— rowboats,
'sailing vessels and launches/ each'..bear-'
| Ing itsburden of fishermen and women—
%,. yes,; women stod, : for the salmon : do • not
•/;; \u25a0,\u25a0' l . .
i TifAny "one;- wishing j, to - interview Mr.
r. \u25a0 Murdock,'' president \u25a0 of Ithe jWestern 1 naf '
, -tionalibank," 1 oh urgent business oh^ Sun-
day morning can be surer of meeting
him way out on th© waters of Mon
terey bay than anywhere else. Every
Saturday ho shakes the dust ot San
Francisco from his shoes, or as much
of It as ha can,' and makes short tracks
for Monterey.* Sunday morning early
sees him pushing off from the pier at
Monterey, ready for a morning's sport.
He" sails "a very short time before ho
Is rewarded with a strike. Hi 3 split
bamboo rod bends, the multiply ins reel*
with . its 600 feet of ' 21 linen ' thread
runs 'out with a whirr and a buzz and
the fight is on. If the salmon be same
the victory is not an easy one for Mr.
Murdock. Yard after yard is let out
to give him full play. .Tim*' after time
the trapped creature a± the end of the
line Jumps four or five feet clear* of
-the \u25a0 water in his efforts to- lose the
' ugly 'hurtful, thing in his mouth. .-And
each time. he falls back Into the water
a little more exhausted than before.
Then suddenly- the line becomes slack.
Mr. ; Salmon; rests. Slowly a yard or
two \u25a0i 3 drawn in.
\u25a0 "Perhaps he's \u0084 ready .. to • give ; up,"
thinks Mr. Murdock and reels in a few
yards \ more. '; Foxy salmon, however, . Is
[ only 'preparing for. his : final : dash for
liberty. :' lf." by; a sudden 1 dash,* he could
only; snap- that' long thing. on which he
hangs Vandw which'ils ;. In ''some • mys- '
terious > manner pullin g him ' away, from"
his "friends and companions' :\u25a0'• He does
\u25a0 not = know' what that ] great beyond :is
'to. which, heels' going, ; but that thl3
\u25a0 slo w, W involuntary, ,\u25a0 ever onvv-ard ride
i through.t he. w ater bodes him : no , goo<J,
"he lis certain. ; So /ofJ he", goes again.
yards and yards, until It ssems as if
the whole reel will unwind. But thi«
time he stops for good. Th© game Is
up. He knows It and so does Mr. Mur
dock. Save for a few short spasmodio
Jumps and starts, the catch Is brought
quietly In.
- Mr. Murdock can boast a r«eoril
catch of 4SO pounds for ons mornings
sport, one individual salmon tipping th*
scales at S2 pounds.
Just to give the salmon fair play and
still further develop the spirit of
sportsmanship the keenest fisherman
Lave recently contrived a scheme
whereby the sinker Is dropped the mo
ment a fish is baited. This removes th*
handicap the fish has had to fight
against and gives him "a chase* for
his white alley."
The salmon which Inhabit Monterey
bay are merely cousins several time*
removed to the steel head or salmon
trout which makes the Eel river Its
home. Thee© Monterey salmon last
year came as far north as Halfmoon
bay and Bolinas bay, but th© stronger
tides and. winds In these places mili
tated against their popularity as far as
rivaling Monterey Is concerned.
,\u25a0 Louis 11. Eaton, th* organist and,
musical director of th© choir of Trinity
Episcopal church, is another enthusiast
whose eyes and general expression ot
happiness tell their own story when
salmon fishing Is mentioned. For
tunately enough for Mr. Eaton h» Is
able to combine business and pleasure.
His trips to Santa Cruz are made every
week, and 1,500 pounds ar© his mm
total for the past four seasons.
-Mr. Eaton employs a boatman by th*
season. About 1 o'clock In the morn-
Ing, when everything is beautifully atill
and the spirit of peaca hovers over th-»
waters, th* old man rows out to sain©
the bait for the morning's sport. Then
about 5 o'clock Mr. Eaton appears, and
after'that pupils, organ, church and all
things else are forgotten and there Is
nothing In the world that Is worth,
while but just one great, big pink sal
mon F One after another is brought
over tha side of the little sailboat. A
blow on! the head ends any, further,
misery and produces a bleeding which
materially improves the edibility of th*
fish. As soon as a landing is mad* tha
catch is cleaned and sent to tha city
packed. in burlap. The true fisherman
keeps his fish away from Ice.
Heretofore there seemed no need of
rules and regulations governing fishing;
In , Monterey bay. . But all privileges
are apt to be abused sooner or later.
At Monterey the threatened trouble
Is a shortage of sardines.' duo to th-*
extravagance of a cannery situated In
Santa Cruz. . There would seem at first
glance to bet plenty of both small and
large "fish In the sea." for all possible,
needs. The cannery, however, which
puts up the sardines, calling them
small mackerel, for commercial pur
poses, last year caught and killed 50
tons more of these small fish than they
could legitimately use, and the refuse
was thrown back into the sea. As has
been said, where the oalt go the sal
mon follow. Let the sardines disap
pear, goodby to the salmon and to the
finest sport on the coa3t. We have
before ua a problem such as faced the
fish commissioners of Massachusetts
when such countless numbers of th*
porgy and menhaden were sacrificed
that the entire variety almost disap
peared ' from the Massachusetts waters. \u25a0
- But ."for the present let him who is
weary of the workaday world, hlnx
who would throw off the "cares that
Infest the day." him who, would bring;
peace unto his soul. let them, one
and all, hie themselves down to the
coast some 00 or 100 miles. There, put
tins out from Monterey. Santa. Cruz orl
Capltola. they, can spend a mornlnjc
that will repay them, a hundredfold
for whatever effort tha trip may have
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