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Bow who attends to bait the Hooks keeps throwing now and then a small fish while the other with the Scoop keeps a Constant Shower about the Hooks; the Fish soon fly at their prey and get hookd when the Men who attend the Crane rope, having notice given them, haul up and the Fish swings in to the Man who attends to receive them and bait the Hooks afresh — Some of these fish are very large and often run the Canoes under water when they do not haul up briskly, but this is attended with no evil except the line should break, when they loose the Hook which if it Chance to be an Iron one is as Great a loss to them as we should think an Anchor. The Skip Jack is Caught by a hook made to resemble a small fish, with some Hogs Bristles fixd for a tail and are drawn after the Canoe in the same manner but caught by a long bamboo for a rod which the fisherman works with the heel in the bottom of the Canoe, and plays it by hand while another paddles the Canoe. The Canoes for this Fishery are mostly Single, with some one and some 2 men, but those with one Man can do nothing if there is any wind but let their hooks tow while they paddle to windward, but they always loose ground while they stop to unhook a fish and put their hook over again, by which time the School are got to some distance while those who have two always keep up with them — Of these as well as the Albicore & Bonnetta they Catch great numbers — they also Catch the Cavally and White Salmon in their small Canoes but without rods; these fish they are forced to play and the Canoes being light, when they have hookd a Fish they steer after it, till it is tired & drawing their line in gradually get it along side when they watch an Opportunity and seize the Small part next the tail in their hand and whip it into the Canoe, Seldom trusting the Strength of the line to haul them in by, as the lines used for these fish are in general not bigger then what we use for Mackarell. Nevertheless they Seldom loose any — in this Manner they also Catch the Shark and Other large fish with small lines, their Canoes being extreamly light, soon weary the Fish, and by this Method make them easily taken.
They always fish for Dolphins four or five leagues from the land in sailing Canoes plying to windward — when they reach their distance they Bait with Flying Fish, and are very fond of Iron hooks; their lines for these Fish are generally two strands and of a Good length, some of them Measure 100 fathoms. They Choose the two Strand lines as they are less apt to get foul by Twisting then those of three and as the Dolphin Jumps and twists about when
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Indigenous Histories |  |
© Derived from the 1935 Print Edition edited by Owen Rutter, page 157, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/-morrison-025.html