UC San Diego Library – Scripps Digital Collection

Trolling may be conducted from a small boat thereby requiring a low original investment and the gear used is relatively inexpensive compared with netting operations. As a result, this manner of fishing has attracted hundreds of commercial fishermen along the 1,000 miles of California coast. In recent years, commercial men are being outnumbered by the host of sport fishermen, many of whom do trolling at some time during the year. Sport fishermen pioneered ocean trolling in California and have initiated several of the improvements that have been adopted during the 75 years since ocean trolling started in this State.

An account, from time to time, of the gear and methods of operating is desirable for each of our important fisheries. Not only may changes be noted, but gear and methods of fishing have a direct bearing when appraising the records of catch per unit of fishing effort in attempts to determine changes in the supply of fish in the ocean.

The following descriptions of gear (when not dated) apply to 1955.