Cape Breton's Magazine

line cut past and just missed his ear! At the end of 1 hr. I brought him up, held short to the end of the leader, at the stem of the t)oat, tail first. The leader was across his back, diagonally, and had been pull? ing against the opposite side of his tail, causing him to circle. As he came up the leader slipped over his tail • feeling a new pull on his head, he made a fresh mn of alnrwst 200 yrds. In 20 minutes more I had him "coming" and Percy steered him into a good bit of shore on the South Side just below the farm in "Big Boy Bay" which we now call the bay beyond the red point. 1 hr. 20 mins. weight 977 lbs. A Worid Record (by 50 lbs.). On 36 thread line. Mackerel. 1951 Tuna "showing" very little again this year • just up for a moment. Af? ter lesson learnt with the Record Tuna we tried much deep, slow trol? ling on long line. Had three "short" strikes: one just touched the mackerel's tail: the next struck from the side and bit the belly out: the last one removed the bait. I stmck • too soon I fear. Percy is now put? ting hook through belly which I'm afraid shows too much. There are several schools of half a dozen fish and a couple of pairs of large Now Fly AU Atlantic Canada. This year see all Atlantic Canada in one vacation, green, gentiy rolling hills of Prince Edward Island... colmirfui Newfoundland and L'rador fishing villages... majestic New Brunswick salmon riva'... and the ocean-washed shoreline of Nova Scotia. Over 200,000 square miles of natural beauty, rich heritage, and imforgettable people waiting for you. Getting here is easy... with Canada and Air Nova's daily noB-8t(H> • nd connections from major centres world-wide. Once here, Atlantic Canadapass... a ticket for 3,4,5 or 6 one-way flights between 14 Air Nova or Air Canada cities in Atlantic Canada. And fly where you want., when you want., at savings up to 60% off regular one-way fares. For reservations and more information see your Travel Agent, or call Air Canada Reservations. AirCanada MMirNoMa ones • very large-well over 1000 lbs. I'd say • saw one really huge tail come out in dead calm as large, or larger than the "Old Fence- post" of Plaster Cliffs of some years ago. With the exception of the couple of schools of wild young ones, there are nrwre really big ones than we have ever seen in the bay • Big Boy Bay is still the spot. Sat. Aug. 18th. Percy and I had toured "the beat" to no avail. There were several small groups showing but no takers. Gave up fishing at 6.15 p.m., and were back aboard S.P.II. when two or three very large fish surfaced 15 ft. off. I said "We just can't let those go untried." So we cast off in the Tuna Boat again and when I was less than 50 ft. away I hurled the quite large mackerel out on the water towards S.P.II saying "Take that - you #*%!" and he did! A great fin cut the wa? ter 8 ft. from me and I felt a jeri< on the rod tip • which was lying hori? zontal and on the gunnel of the Tuna Boat (very bad form to be caught in). I suppose that a split-cane would have snapped. The reel was set to mn free. When, & in what order I slammed down the lock-catch on the Vom Hofe reel (to set the brake) and when I lifted the rod, and when I stmck back at the fish and got the harness hook on the rod • I will never know. To have a large Tuna take on 8 ft. of line was new to me • except for one some years ago who took the bait just as I was hauling it out of the water • nearly wrapping the wire leader round my wrist • which would have cost me a hand! It was a poor fight: Percy and I saw his back fin and decided • from its size • that he was a middling-small fish and gave him no "consid? eration." He made short runs and circled a lot, no breaks above water and only showed towards the end of the fight. He was led to the beach • (close to where the 977 lb. fish was beached) in 58 minutes • weight 732 lbs. Mackerel bait. On the new dull stainless steel "Luxon" leader. 1952 Am using Aluminum tube, removing back? bone of Mackerel, for first time here, • hook appearing from belly to make them swim straight. Note much more natural behaviour on line and less pull. Wed. Aug. 13th. Percy and I put off ahead of them and made two perfect passes but they refused and each time we found about 6 inch? es of eel grass on the hook. The third time I kept the mackerel in hand un? til we were ready to pass. The school, with one very large fish nearest us (which we judged to be larger than the 977 pounder) turned away from the bait and we were wait? ing for a good chance to pass again when a Tuna took deep, unseen and very hard as if he had hit the bait broadside at high speed. He roared off for the middle of the bay and peeled off 300 yards before checking. He stmck just west of Tuna brook and made just about the hardest fight I have ever had. He never broke water and we didn't see a fin for 2 hours. By this time we had been down to? wards Englishtown and back, 3/4 of the way over to the North shore, back to near Bmce's Beach and on to Englishtown. We thought that we might beach him at the Church, then at the schoolhouse, but he fought out oppo? site Mrs. MacRitchie's and I sent Sea Pigeon over for Hylda & Linda to see the finish, in 2 hrs. and 40 mins. we beached him at Mrs. MacRitchie's. He was bleeding internally ap? parently and died as he hit the beach. He had the leader across his tail for more than half