that summer. Somewhat traumatized, I didn’t go saltwater fishing again for years. When I finally did, all I managed to hook was a four-inch starfish. Like Pop, the fishing boat operator laughed. It was a first, he said, and he lamented that he didn’t have an appropriate starfish flag to hoist for our return trip to the dock. Spend time around harbor docks and marinas, especially in the afternoon when the fishing boats come in, and you’ll undoubtedly notice rectangular flags featuring different kinds of fish fluttering on outrigger halyards.Though they might look decorative, they’re not.These fish flags, more formally referred to as “capture flags,” are colorful signals to let others know which fish were biting that day. It’s a tradition born in the days before daily fishing reports began to appear in newspapers and on radio. The earliest capture flags on record are attributed to The Tuna Club of Santa Catalina Island, California, a private fishing club started in 1898 by Los Angeles Times editor Dr. Charles Holder for the southern California and Hollywood elite. The Tuna Club refers to itself as the oldest fishing club in the United States, and it’s still going strong. Charlie Chaplin, Bing Crosby, Cecil B. DeMille, William Wrigley and George S. Patton were among its early members. Teddy Roosevelt was an honorary member. Members flew large colored flags on their boats to alert their fellow anglers when they caught tuna, swordfish and marlin.The practice quickly spread, and sport fisherman and charter boat captains on both coasts began hoisting flags to announce their catch as
White Marlin
Sail Ahoy with fish capture flags
Starfish
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WINTER 2022
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