Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast Part 22

When the angler waits for the tides, he wants some other divertis.e.m.e.nt to occupy his mind. At Catalina he finds a pastime suitable to every hour, to every fancy, to every mood. He can bathe in its crystal waters; he can stroll along its pebbly beaches or climb its hills in search of wild goats; he can ride through its charming valleys, over its lofty peaks and around the dizzy heights that overlook the ocean; he can increase the elasticity of his step on its tennis courts, or exercise his muscle on its golf links. He can view the ancient relics of a departed people, study the strange and curious forms of ocean life in the extensive aquariums, or comfortably seated in a gla.s.s-bottomed boat, marvel at the extravagant splendor of the marine gardens, hundreds of feet below the surface, where sirens sing and mermaids are said to dwell. And, when he has gone the rounds, and longs again for more exciting sport, well--then he can go fis.h.i.+ng.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HOTEL DEL MONTE]

DEL MONTE

Monterey Bay is pre-eminently the fis.h.i.+ng ground for the Pacific salmon. As these gamy fish seek their sp.a.w.ning grounds, after their four-years' sojourn in unknown waters, they enter Monterey Bay at its southern headland and follow around it at varying distances from the sh.o.r.e. During this season the Hotel Del Monte, with its splendid appointments and scenic beauty, is the favored Mecca of the salmon anglers. Here boats with experienced boatmen, and a good supply of tackle and bait are always to be had. The contour of the peninsula, with its high mountain crest, forming the southern sh.o.r.e of the bay, is such that the strong winds of the open ocean is cut off from the Del Monte side, allowing the waters of this side of the bay to retain that smoothness that makes either boating or fis.h.i.+ng a delight. This, too, may have something to do with the feeding habits of the salmon, thereby accounting for the usually large catches made by the guests of the hotel.

While the Pacific Coast furnishes fine sport for the angler, both in its fresh and salt waters, with an infinite variety of gamy fishes, salmon fis.h.i.+ng must be cla.s.sed as one of the most satisfying. An angler likes to see his adversary and know with what he is contending.

The salmon is a surface fighter, leaping high into the air when he finds himself impaled; and this sight of his beautiful sides, scintillating in the sunlight, quickens the pulsations of the heart of the angler and gives zest to the sport.

Each section of the coast has its fish and fis.h.i.+ng peculiar to itself; but I care not from what section the expert angler may come, he will enjoy the salmon fis.h.i.+ng of Monterey Bay. He will do more; for the Hotel Del Monte is one of the delightful show places of the Pacific Coast. s.p.a.ce will not admit of an enumeration of the many interesting sights here to be seen. There are glimpses of California life a hundred years ago by the side of picturesque golf links and tennis courts. A modern hostelry hid away in the center of a primeval park. A seventeen-mile drive through shady mountain dells and along weirdly beautiful ocean coves and rocky crags. The marine gardens as seen at the bottom of the ocean through gla.s.s-bottomed boats. These, and many other interesting relics and inspiring scenes are the side attractions for the salmon angler who visits Del Monte.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIs.h.i.+NG PIER, DEL MAR]

DEL MAR.

Del Mar is one of the few beach resorts where the pleasure-seeker can divide his time among the whole range of out-door amus.e.m.e.nts. The long pleasure wharf and the miles of just that character of beach where the whiting, the croaker, the chub mackerel and the young sea ba.s.s love to feed, offer the finest of still fis.h.i.+ng. If he is ambitious for a contest with the big fighting fishes of the deeper waters, he can take a boat and soon be floating over the haunts of the yellow-tail, the albacore and the bonito. If he prefers the report of the gun to the music of the reel, a short walk back from the hotel brings him into the country of the game little quail.

Again, he can, by a short ride to the ponds and lagoons, change from upland to waterfowl shooting.

But the gamut is not yet run; for within easy reach are several mountain streams where he can cast his flies on their waters with good returns. And, if he seeks to pit his cunning and his skill against the watchful deer, a pleasant and interesting ride over a good motor road, takes him into the wilds of the Cuyamaca mountains.

But the sportsman in his outings will always think of his comforts as well as his sports, and for those Del Mar has planned with a lavish hand.

It is not all of the enjoyment of a good meal to have a choice selection of viands, admirably cooked by an experienced chef, and served in the most approved manner. It is not all of a good night's rest, after the fatigue of a day's sport, to have lain on a downy bed in a richly appointed room. Agreeable service; the affability of the management; the pervading air of welcome; the society of congenial companions; the beauty of the situation; the inspiring views; the charm of the many scenes that each day photographs upon the memory, adds a relish to the menu which no chef can compound, and a restfulness to one's slumber that the ingenuity of no upholsterer can supply. For a part of these delightful adjuncts to one's enjoyment, I am willing to give credit to the excellent taste of the founders of Del Mar. But the beauty of its surroundings, the possibility of its charming individuality, must be credited to those exclusive gifts which nature first bestowed upon it.

Del Mar is twenty-two miles from San Diego and 111 from Los Angeles, and can be reached from either of these cities by the Santa Fe railroad, or by a good motor road, distinguished for its many interesting views.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AQUARIUM, VENICE]

VENICE

That there is but one Venice in America is the verdict of all who have visited this charming sea-side resort. Its oriental architecture, and its numerous ca.n.a.ls, on whose surface floats in Italian ease, real Venetian gondolas, give it an atmosphere suggestive of the Mediterranean. But it is not of its Venetian aspect, nor its endless chain of amus.e.m.e.nts, from its surf and plunge bathing to its rollicking scenic railroad and hair-raising dash through its cavernous rapids, or its hundred or more interesting pastimes for the pleasure seeker, that the attention of the reader is herein directed.

It is to those forms of sea life that contribute to his pleasure that his attention is called, for the waters of Venice furnish a wonderful variety of these, as will be seen by a visit to the large aquarium maintained on the pier by the University of Southern California. From the wharfs he can angle for smelt, mackerel and perch, as well as for halibut and other bottom fishes. From the beach, by bait-casting into the surf, he is rewarded with croaker, whiting (erroneously called corbina), and young sea ba.s.s, locally known as sea trout.

By taking a launch and going out into the open water, his ambition to bring to gaff the larger species of the deeper sea can be gratified with strikes from the tuna, the albacore, the bonito, the mackerel and the yellow-tail that will give him a contest worthy of his metal.

These launch trips upon the bosom of the open ocean, are among the chiefest pleasures of our beach resorts, for the angler not only finds keen sport in the landing of these larger fishes, but an exhilarating recreation, restful to the mind and healthful to the body.

Then, when his day's sport is over, whether his outing is only for a day, or for the several weeks of his vacation, His comforts are to be considered. In these Venice offers as wide a range as it does in its amus.e.m.e.nts. At the splendidly appointed Hotel St. Marks he can find the most luxurious accommodations; he can dine at one of its deservedly popular cafes; or, if he wants to spend his vacation in restful quietude with his family, he can take a furnished villa on the bank of one of the ca.n.a.ls, hidden away in a wealth of flowers and forest trees, with the sea breeze tempered to a balmy zephyr. To this sequestered home he can bring his fish, fresh from the sea, and broiling them to his particular taste, enjoy the last delight of the angler's day of sport.