TUNA CLUB REPUTATION, MYSTIQUE HAS BEEN A CENTURY IN THE MAKING.

Byline: BRETT PAULY Outdoors

It is the world's oldest big-game fishing coterie - one with sporting feats of historic proportions - and average anglers have long thought the Santa Catalina Island institution unapproachable.

Indeed, its celebrity is matched only by its mystique.

But on the eve of the Tuna Club's 100th anniversary year, members are extending an olive branch not only to the angling community but the general public to abolish the cone of secrecy - however intentioned - that has engulfed their beloved affiliation.

Public events are slated for 1998 with an emphasis on the club's history, public education about sport-fishing and the conservation of game fishes by means of competitive angling techniques and sportsmanship upon which the pioneering group - and others that followed in its path - was founded. A book on the club will be published in 1999.

``There are 162 million anglers in the United States, and many of them still don't know us,'' said club president John S. Griffith of Corona del Mar, a member since 1984. ``Those who do, I think, are either intimidated by or aghast about all the accomplishments.''

Consider:

The first tuna, marlin and swordfish ever taken on a rod and reel were caught by club members - in 1896 (two years before the club was formed), 1903 and 1913, respectively. The development of the modern drag system for reels. The invention of the first fishing kite. The birth, in essence, of saltwater sport-fishing.

``The founder, Charles Holder, is kind of known as the godfather of big-game fishing and made it a sport,'' said Eric Huff, a Ventura tackle-shop proprietor and antique gear collector whose life goal is to become a member of the Tuna Club. ``I want to get in there, but you almost have to be somebody. Look who's been in it.''

Consider:

Zane Grey, Gen. George S. Patton, movie directors Hal Roach and Cecil B. DeMille and performers Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin and Bing Crosby. Theodore Roosevelt fished with the club.

Winston Churchill was an associate member who boated a 168-pound striped marlin in 1929 following a 20-minute fight within sight of the Tuna Club. Afterward the future prime minister of Great Britain discussed his milestone over a cigar and a gin and tonic in the Bait Box - the club's bar - with members who had fished for years without enjoying such a cherished prize.

``He made it look easy and he said he was blessed that way,'' said club historian, vice president and centennial chairman Mike Farrior of Rancho Santa Fe, who is penning the book ``History of the Tuna Club.'' ``Everything he tried to do, he succeeded.''

Thanks largely to the lofty reputation of its predecessors, today's membership is viewed by some outsiders as a bunch of stern, bigheaded, rich guys.

True, their methods are rigid. Monofilament line is forbidden because its forgiving nature benefits the angler; only linen or Dacron are permitted. One person may assist in a catch, but the fisherman must either grab the leader himself when a fish is brought to gaff or gaff it himself. Only members can nominate prospective newcomers, and women are not allowed to join.

But by sharing their history and message with those unfamiliar with the club, members hope to melt its icy image without compromising membership rules and fishing regulations.

``We want to see if we can't tell our story to a broader group of fishermen,'' said Griffith, a 64-year-old third-generation Californian who fishes primarily for marlin Thursdays through Sundays from July through mid-October.

``It's a small club and it doesn't pound its chest very often, despite its tremendous accomplishments. We are saying for the first time that this is the world's home of big-game fishing. It was all started by the Tuna Club.

``The first rules of fishing were established here, and sport-fishing ethics were adopted by angling clubs throughout the world. We try to elevate the sport and establish equal ground rules for every angler.''

Holder himself - who established the club in 1898 with conservation and sportsmanship in mind - would be proud of the outreach efforts. Upon first visiting Catalina in 1886, the transplanted Massachusetts naturalist was ``amazed and horrified'' at the sight of men shore-fishing with handlines and beaching yellowtail as fast as they could cast and retrieve. Many of the forktails were fed to sea lions and sharks or left to perish in the sand because there were more than could be consumed.

Holder left depressed at the notion that the species would not survive the intense pressure and became consumed with proving that the quarry could be successfully targeted by more challenging means - rod and reel from a boat.

His conventional gear would become ``the first to bend in these quiet bays'' and bring him yellowtail - and larger specimens. In 1898, he boated a 183-pound bluefin, and news of the world's largest sport-caught tuna was telegraphed around the globe by the Associated Press. Hence, big-game fishing - and the Tuna Club - was born.

``It was this capture and the unsportsmanlike conditions of fishing (the practice of handlining) at the Island which caused me to suggest the organization of the Tuna Club,'' Holder would later write.

While Holder's visions of angling as sport, not slaughter,remain the club's cornerstone, the language in the charter that speaks to public education and sharing historical facts about saltwater fishing in California became less emphasized by membership, Farrior said.

He hopes that Tuna Club Week - a string of public events in Avalon July 26-31 designed ``to help people understand what the club is all about'' - will assist in opening the doors to the club, at least figuratively. (The clubhouse of white with green trim - a state and national historic landmark - is open exclusively to members and select guests.)

The change is good news for anglers who know of the club only through books and articles.

Huff believes that making the club more public oriented would benefit it twofold:

Descendants of former members who learn it is still functioning might donate tackle or other memorabilia from bygone days, and it's a good way for old-timers to meet prospective members.

The latter is a must if the club is going to survive to see its bicentennial. ``A lot of us don't think we'll be around for the 200th year,'' Griffith joshed. But his point is well taken.

The average age of the 152 mostly businessmen members (total membership is authorized to 200) is about 55.

``We'd like to bring that average down, because you get younger guys who are a little bit more active in fishing,'' Griffith said. ``The offset is that they are starting families, and they don't get as much time on the water. The wife doesn't give him a pass every weekend.''

Even so, it will be tough getting in the club for hopeful anglers like Huff.

``It's going to take a long process of working and meeting people,'' he said. ``But it will be well worth it.''

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

The Tuna Club has a long ledger of events slated for its 100th year. While most activities are designed for members only, a few have been scheduled with the public in mind:

Sculpture unveiling: On Jan. 3 at 1 p.m., visitors are invited to the Tuna Club building in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island to attend the dedication of a centennial sculpture. The bronze will depict a tuna, marlin and swordfish - species that were caught for the first time anywhere on rod and reel by Tuna Club members.

Centennial dinner: Guests will be invited to the June 6 gathering at the Avalon Casino.

Tuna Club Week: Events at several sites in Avalon are being planned for July 26-31. The club will emphasize its history, public education about sport-fishing and the conservation of game fishes by means of competitive angling techniques and sportsmanship.

Note: For more information or to inquire about invitations to the centennial dinner, write to: Tuna Club Centennial Committee, P.O. Box 526, Avalon, Calif. 90704.

CAPTION(S):

7 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) The interior of the Tuna Club is filled with early saltwater sport-fishing artifacts.

Brett Pauly / Daily News

(2--7) 100 YEARS OF HISTORY: The Tuna Club's history in pictures (counterclockwise from top right):

Winston Churchill with a 168-pound striped marlin he boated in 20 minutes within sight of the Tuna Club Sept. 22, 1929.

The world's first sport-caught marlin, a 125-pound striper, landed by Tuna Club member Edward Llewellen in 1903. (Pictured with boatman Harry Willey, left.)

Tuna Club member William C. Boschen, left, inventor of the modern drag system for reels, and boatman George Farnsworth, inventor of the fishing kite, pose with the world's first swordfish - a 355-pounder - to be caught on rod and reel, Aug. 22, 1913.

Tuna Club founder Dr. Charles Frederick Holder (with beard) and boatman Jim Gardner on June 1, 1898, with a 183-pound bluefin tuna, a catch that heralded in the sport of big-game fishing.

Clinton Morehous, left, who is credited with the world's first tuna caught on rod and reel, is pictured with boatman Jim Gardner and a 251-pound bluefin tuna - the largest taken in California - in July 1899.

The record board errected in the clubhouse on Avalon contains a list of the Tuna Club's all-time largest fish.

BOX: CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION (see text)