Game fishes

marlin

   No fish is called a game fish unless it puts up a good fight after it has taken a fisherman's hook. Most fishes are caught for food. But game fishes are often caught just because men enjoy the fun of catching them.
   Big-game fishing is done in salt water. Here such huge fishes as the tuna, marlin, and swordfish are found. They weigh from 200 to 1,000 pounds. Two other large salt-water game fishes are the tarpon and the sailfish. These fishes are famous for their jumping. The tuna, marlin, and sailfish are very fast swimmers.
   Sharks sometimes spoil big-game fish­ing. They ruin the catch by taking bites out of a fish before it can be reeled in.
   Channel bass, weakfish, and bluefish are among the smaller salt-water game fishes. They are all good fighters.
   The muskellunge is the king of fresh-water game fishes. A "muskie" may weigh 65 pounds. Muskies are found in lakes in northern United States. Other game fishes of these lakes are the northern pike, the pickerel, and the large-mouthed bass.
   Trout are the favorite fishes of the "fly" fishermen. Fly fishermen use artificial flies as bait for the fish they want to catch. Trout live chiefly in cool running water or spring-fed lakes. A trout fisherman thinks nothing of getting up early in the morning and of standing in water for hours to catch one of these speckled beauties.