The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-30
SlIAD FISHING IN THE BAY.
SOME FISH STORIES TIL IT ARE NOT
CREITIONy or THE DRAIN
a Trip with MIR. Van Du1cr to Il Robbins. Rc.

Trip with MIR. Van Duzcr TO obbins' Reef
Light The Luck of the Fishermen in the
Kills tierEymnn's Shad-Fishing Trip.
The fishermen along the staten island
shore were astonshed, about fortnight ago,
hy shoals Of sbad running up tho bay 70 nnd
spawning grounds In the upper Hudson. No
one oxpcctod the nsh at 80 early a date They
were two weeks ahead OF time, and "a the run
lasts for only three or four weeks preparations
were instantly made by the fishermen to begin
the taking OF the 0sh. But Just at the wrong
time, the HaIbor Commissioners prohibited the
setting OF shad poles in the harbor. and before
this prohibition could be removed millions II
nsh had safely run up the river without encoun-
terib9 net. Then stormy weather delayed the
fishermen in getting their poles and nets ready,
and, although the drlft-net men occasionally
made good hauls, the gill or pole nets we're got
ready In time only to take advantage OF the lat
ter part Of the run, which will continue for two
weeks longer. 1t Ia supposed that the open
winter has sent the nsh North earlier than
usual. Experienced fishermen say that the
number Of shad running Is much greater than
that Of last year.
Shad are caught In three kinds OF nets. Drit
nots are fifteen twenty feet wide, and from
LOCO to 1900 feet long. They are made Of very
nne Irvine, and by succession OF buoys and
iron rings the long nets, towed behind skis,
and allowed to drift with the tide are made to
take the form OF n chain OF small nets. Hauls
Of from 300 TO 500 nsh are frequently made with
these nets. Fyko nets are funnel shaped bags,
distended by iron rings and nauked by pole nets
In such a way that the FISH are driven into them.
Gil OF pole nets are aOx.5 feet, made Of strong,
coarse twine painted green to deceive the nsh.
ana extended on poles driven IN deep water,
with the current. Tue nsh, once in the net, be-
come confused, and seldom escape: Formerly
shad were caught with seine nets on the south
shore OF staten Island but II Is said that since
the city refuse and the dredgings OF slips have
been enpued there. the 1sh have avoided the
shore. After long easterly or southerly winds
the run OF shad always shows n marked increase.
But" said bronzed fisherman at clifton,
"if there comes a norwester, although the
nsh may have been a running by millions =
few hours before. they are gone before you
know 1t, and you can't catch one. les mighty
queer, aud I've never found anybody sInart
enough to tell what becomes of 'em."
COSTLY MANURE.
Very soon after arriving at their spawning
grounds In the Hudson near the oversIaugh the
shad begin to soften, and become unit TO eat.
Some OF these soft" shad are, II Is said, sent
to the New York market and sold to ineIperi-
enced buyers. 1t Is said that millions Of young
shad are destroyed every year by herring fishers,
WHO sell them to farmers along the upper Hud-
The Staten Island fishermen expect 20 take
more hsh this year than last. At the turn Of the
tides the NarrOws Is dotted with fishing boats
dragging drift nets. The fyke nets at Great
Kills and along the south shore take thousands
| OF uSn, hnu at the poles IN the upper bay nauIn
Of from 1900 TO 1000 nsh are made almost every
| day. A pOrUoise weighing 4OO pounds was caught
In a glli net on Robbins, Reef recently. Il
who ate some OF II say that 1t tasted like first
rate veal outlet.
About 1880 A. NJ. en- Monday row boat with
Mt. Van Duzer, hsherman, and Dave"
Pete and Jake. stout, ruddy watermen.
Co.'s nets, which are strung on line Of poles for
several hundred ieet south Of the Robbins Reef
| lighthouse. There was u mile to row. but the
/ VAIN At m iha All In ~
| ing and the distance was soon made. Inc boat
WAS moored sideways TO the current, each end
resting against a shad pole. Dave" aud
Pete" sprang to the poles aud the other two
men stood ready to catch the nah that tried TO
| leap over the sides Of the net. " Ileaye away"
shouted the leader ana immediately the ropes
were pulled In and the lower edge OF the net
was brought TO the surface, and ~ the same
| tine the upper edge was hauled In so as to
! keep the BET belNing with the current. As the
net rose TO the surface tho Imprisoned fish be-
gan TO leap anu beat the water into foam. The
| lower edge was pulled over the sides of the boa
| and the men placed IT under their feet to hold
1t fist, while the upper edge was pulled In. Dis
| regarding the splashing water, the fishermen be-
| gan to seize the great struggling iish and tum-
bile them into the boat. Some slipped through
| their fingers and Others escaped at the corners,
| nut with a spls sh Unity or forty shining three
and four pound shad were landed IN the bot
| there's left jawer," said Mr. Van Duzer.
| pointing to broad. Hat FISH, two feet long, with
two bright eyes on the top of It's Nat nose, and
a queer mouth, cut Ike "A nOtch, on one side of
ITS head. some call EN- founders, but we
name 'em from their mouths. It's curious that
when tue run OF shad begins we eaten founders
with mouths on the right side Of their heads.
aud In the latter part OF the run, those with
mouths ON the left side. so we call EN- right
! Jawers and left jawers.' They are about the
only hsh we ever catch with haul of shad, and
| they are the pefqusites Of the men. Once in a
while sturgeon runs against net, but II don't
stop him. He goes through II like an arrow. and
his rough back saws a hole through the net bg
| enough for a boy TO crawl THOUGH"
ABUNDANCE OF BEAUTIES.
Simonson Co.'S poles had eighty nets. They
were pulled in succession. Sor were nearly
| empty Others were fun Of beautiful fish, whose
| bright sides glowed with purple and gold Units
| IN the sunlight. As fart as caught they were
! thrcwn into the boat. some of the nets were
nlled with hsh which bad forced their heads
through the meshes and they were pulled out
| by hand, and often, unless great care WAS taken,
their sharp, ridged bellies cut the net as though
| they had been razors. After all the nets had
| been pulled, there were 800 fish averaging 81
| pounds each In the boat, which they filled up TO
to the ferry at Iompkinsvllle, counted out into
| baskets aud put into boxes, each box holding 20
| nsh.
I'VE pull the nets at every food tide" said
Mr. van Duzer. Our nexttrlp viii be m ade to-
night. Mardell, who Is the only other large
owner OF shad poles on Staten Island, has eighty
nets at Robbins Reef, and he pulls Them at
every turn VI the tide. We have rough work
sometimes. Few years ago munster wanted
| to 10 out with me and see the hsn taken. lilo
| had on nice brOadcloth clothes, ana told him
| the water was rough, and he would get wet but
| he brought out IA bottle Of brandy una soms
cigsrf, and SAID he would 20 any way When we
made a biz haul, couldn't make MIN sit still.
lie got awfuly excited, and plunged into the
net and began 10 pull out the Dsh aud when he
got ashore such "a looking minister as he was
never see afore."
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