The Mineral argus., 1884-09-25
Fishing For Horse Mackerel.

NO." was the reply, In broad Yankee
dialect, that sounded strange where
French is mostly spok en-. I'm goin
1oss-mackerelin', an eff you wanter put
n a good solid days work, ship afore
the mast, I'd be glad to hev your COM
pany. Jist clear that line while 1 coil.
Will YEP" said the fisherman, IS soon
as 1 had verbally signed papers and
shipped. The rope, which was about
two hundred feet long, was coiled in
the bottom of the boat, the cable
was slipped, and the Grampus bore
away before the wind. churning
md putting like her namesake.
That's a delicate lookin' hook" said
the skipper. as he took up a giant iron
hook that might have passed for an ice
hook; "but 1 tell We they want a hook
thatH hang on. They're the strongest
hsh that a swim, an 1 amt ~exceptin'
sharks. Sharks is good at a steady
pull, but a boss mackerel will 90 a mile
while a sharks maxim up his mind
whether he's hooked or not. 1 reckon
we might as well hev over here" con-
tinued the skipper, "an' eff yen take the
tiller a minute, mate, I'll fix the fly.
Hoss mackerels amt very particular, "
he SAID, as he forced a large eight-pound
bake on to the barbed hook. "What
they want is somethin' solid and sweet,
an bake iist about hits the fgger. Ye
see they make a shine as they tow
along"
The fisherman slackened away on
the line until all but about twenty feet
was out, ard then took a hitch in the
line.
"That's what I call a telltale, he con-
tinued, pointing to the hitch. "When
that gives and slips you'll know we're
in fur business. Jist slack off yer sheet
a tri1e, so she won't make so much
way. Ye wanter take it kinder slow,
jist to keep the hake a-movin' natural
like, and not take it out of their mouths
at the furst pull. Sometimes I've fish
ed all day and never got a bite, and
then agin I've been off shore here q cod
din and the minute Tide get a fish up to
the top of the water along would come
one O. these fellers and take him off. L
remember n day particular when
Jo-"
Right here came a rasping sound,
and the "tellta lie" disappeared with
a rush.
Down with the helml" shouted the
skipper, and down it went, the little
craft rushing up into the wind, shak-
ing herself like a wet dog. The line
was as stiff as a bar of iron when the
fisherman seized it, but by a rapid pay
ing out he ~succeededin passing 1t forward
and making it fast. The object of this
was evident a moment later, when the
boat buried her nose and dashed away
dead in the winds eye, towed by the
powerful fish
aye see" said the skipper, keeping
his eyes on the singing line, eff he'd got
the strain OF over the side or astern,
we'd hev to go over or cut the rope.
Now, you want to keep her right after
him"
This proved no easy matter; the fish
was making frequent side rushes from
right to left, hauling the boat here and
there, and making it almost an impos-
sibility to guide her. Suddenly there
came a slack on the line.
"Stand BY" shouted the skipper,
hauling in on the slack with all his
power; put her ahead the way he goes"
For a moment the line came in as if
nothing were on, but in a second it
leaped again. The man darted back to
get clear of it, while the bow of the
beat was turned in the new direction
indicated not a moment too soon, as
with a singing sound the line tautened,
burying the boat to her very deck.
Time and time again did the willy fish
adopt these tactics to rid itself of the
obnoxious load, but at every turn it met
the equal cunning of the fisherman, who
was an old hand at such pranks.
"This thing can't last all night" said
the skipper. "There's an end to all
Just clap on here and see eff
we can't get in a little slack" The
r~elinquished the tiller, and
both laid hold of the line. The first
pull seemed to spur the fish on to re-
newed exertions. A foot of line was
gained, and with a rush was lost.
was regained and as much more adj
ded to it, and then begun a tug of war.
the line came in, and finally,
when within fifty feet of the boat, the
monster rose five feet into the air and
showed It's shapely length.
"It's about up with him when he does
gasped the skipper. "Now slack
Now in with it agin! Now let
go againl" Thus gradually the great
ish was hauled this way and that, and
inally half drowned ir its own element,
on its back at the bow, and after
few more struggles succumbed to the
of the shippers mallet.
"That's the biggest chap L ever