The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-08-31


q pretty extensive account of the pen
insula, and Barnegat Bay itself, which
is one of the best fishing places on tAC
Atlantic coast, l propose now to de-
scribe fishing there as we'll as | can
from notes taken on the spot. This
famous fishing bay averages % miles
wide and is about 20 miles long, il is
tranquil when compared to the ocean,
yet rough when compared to the small
lakes Of the Middle States. It's depth
varies from four to eleven feet, conse.
quently it is safe. The game fish con-
sists of mackerel, sea-trout, weak fish,
faunders, sheephead, blue6sh, perch,
Cape May goodies, seatbass, called
also rockfish. Then comes such game
as cells, crabs, oysters and clans. OF
fish not edible are the toad. fish, flying
fish, which scuds before your sail boat
as you go to the fish bank, and the
moss. bankers-the last named is the
principal food of the game fish. There
are some gars, but they are small and
not numerous in the bay; they are a
good kind of a gar for they seldom
annoy the fsherman's hook from their
habit Of remaining stationary in the
water when not disturbed they are
killed by the sea crabs which rise up
from the bottom and close right in on
them. The said gars, "can't stand the
pressure" SO they are scarce.
In the bay much of the fishing is
done with hook and line; though for
blue'f fish and mackerel they troll they
use squid, which is a piece of solder
or pewter about g. inches long, three
sided and made very tight, with
large hook soldered into it the line
attached is about 200 feet long for use
when fishing in the surf where blue.fsh
are mostly caught. The ond of the
squid line is usually made fast to a
post or stake on the shore as a matter
of precaution, especially in surf fish
ing A fish highly priced on the Jer-
sey coasl is the Sleeps head for them
they fish with a dipsey line, going cut
in sneak boats to the reefs when they
feed the bait used for sheaps head is
CLANS.
The sea-trout is an excellent fish
it varies from IA inches to 2 feet long.
The bait for them are shrimps, a small
crab caught along the salt marshes on
the edge of the bay with a scoop net
They go in schools, like some other
species; a line of sail aud fish boats,
always points out where they are in
the bay. The first day / fished for
them we had to sail about Z miles
down the bay in our cat boat to the
bank, John Frick, two boys and
myself composing the party. Having
fished an hour we filled a good sized
dry goods box, and voted to quit for
the day. When you get into a good
school of fish the number you catch
depends upon the capacity of yourself
and boatsman to bait-this is the only
limit.
One agreeable feature in bay fish
ing, too, is the fact that you generally
get just the kind of fish you go out for,
as far as my observation goes, you
catch the same sized fish, usually each
day. The first day the fish caught
were about IA inches long, and the
last catch of fish were almost to
fraction about 20 inches long of the
same species. There is little skill re.
quired in this kind of fshin.
There is facina ton peculiar to the
coast that can never he forgotten the
mind reverts to the sail boats covering
tho bay, giving it a holiday picnic
appearance. Watching the play of the
flying fish ahead of the boat, and the
various fashioned boats, there is no
monOtomy about it. Then we have
an ever changing scene. On the
ocean we behold the mighty vessels
blowing through the waves, while on
the other hand the little duck-like
boats play like corks on the water, or
dancing like puppets to the music of
the waves. The land is quietness
;4,oIP oa.-....--I -