Historical Marker · No. 997
Tuna Club of Avalon
Avalon, Los Angeles County · California
Erected by State Department of Parks and Recreation in Cooperation with the Tuna Club of Avalon, 1991
Holder took a 183-pound bluefin on rod and reel on June 1, 1898, and the club existed two weeks later. Its rules did real work: rods only and no hand lines, tackle scaled to the size of the fish, one person to the gaff, linen line kept long after dacron arrived. Every one of those was written to give the fish a chance. The founding constitution admitted ladies and gentlemen. On June 19, four days in, the members amended it to gentlemen only.
What the plaque says
The Tuna Club of Avalon marks the birthplace of modern big game sportfishing in 1898. Led by Dr. Charles Frederick Holder, the club's founding members adopted the rules of conduct stressing conservationist ethics and sporting behavior. Today, their work remains the basis for the sport's internationally accepted principles. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 997 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Tuna Club of Avalon, June 8, 1991.
Where it stands
33.34566, -118.32704 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Point Fermin Lighthouse — 25 miThe first light into San Pedro Bay, lit in 1874 by two sisters, dark since Pearl Harbor, on a bluff that is still sliding.
More markers nearby
- McFadden Wharf — 29 mi
- Site of First Water-to-Water Flight — 30 mi
- Balboa Pavilion — 30 mi
- Old Landing — 31 mi