Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-06-17
LIFE On NANTUCKET SHOALS.
Where the Fish Are Car1ht that supply
Large Part ofthe United ~iates--Fishing
with Travis.


an interesting account of the visits
paid by tie city's fishing fleets in Nam
tucket shoals, and the way in which
fish are caught. Af&er describing the
fishing smacks used on the cruise, and
the manner of reaching Nantucket
shoals, the writer continues interest
ingly as follows:
AS the tallOw on the lead announces
that we have struck the off-shore
grounds the vessel heaves TO, and the
fish lines, two to man, are thrown
over. All sorts of fish are taken up
cunners, skates, dog fish, star fish,
Wrinkle, and the like, and mayhap a
little black rock or ground keeper"
as the sailors term them. Time passes,
and it is evident that the school cod
for which we are in search are not
here. 4 shift is made. Likely enough
then at the first cast of a hook jerk
is felt, and the fisher pulls his line
hand over hand, till in moment
handsome graybacked and white
bellied thirty-pound school cod is lying
on ii e deck. All hands rush 10 their
lines, clam shells are thrown over
with bits of bait to toll the fish, and
the fun begins. The fish bite fiercely.
AS fast as one line is unlOaded the
other is found fast, and the fish chase
their impaled companiC rs to the very
surface of the water. One forgets
the fog and the cold in the
excitement of the hour. The tide
has now turned, and is bearing
us away to the north, and we
are taking the fish with us. Fingers
soon grow sore from contact with the
lines, and hard words are plentifully
bestowed upon the struggling fish as
they resist the efforts of tender hands
to pull them from the bottom. Thus
the fishing goes on uninterrupted for
hours, until at length an unusual swish
of the water is heard under the lee,
and suddenly there shoots out Of the
fog and across our bow mammoth
ocean steamer, looming up in the mists
like moving mountain. She passes
SO near to us as to alright the most
hardened of the crew. A slight change
In her course and she would have
crashed over our little vessel as though
1t was but feather. As she vanished
IN the thickening gloom of approaching
darkness fishing is suspended, the YES
sci is run into ShOaler water and an
chOred, and all hands but the cook be-
gin the work of slowing away the
days catch. The fish are headed,
Quilted and washed, and after hours of
hard labor are snuggly packed in tiers
In pounded ice. Then after delicious
supper of hot bread and coffee and
delicately Drowned fresh cd tongues,
the crew, save the watch, find their
berths worn out with labor. Six hours
OF slumber and the days work is re-
peated, often with the most d.scour-
aging results.
Sometimes in the height of thick
fishing the biting will suddenly cease,
and the old heads know that a halibuU
is about. A good halibut will bring
from SO to so, but special pains are
required in hooking, playing and land
ing him. Liberal bats of menhaden
are substituted for the CLAIMS, for the
cod are frightened away by the APP
proach of the monster flat fish. Sud
denly zip, Zip" sings out one of the
lines, and the fish runs away with the
hook. The skillful angler knows bet
ter than to "snub" him too quickly, |
else he'll tear out. A halibut is very
gamey. He can be played almost to
the surface, when he will make sound, I
and the line whizzes through the sore +
creases in your hands till he gets tired /
of running. At length he is brought /
to the surface, and man on either I
side of his captor seizes the halibut's
head with large gait hooks, and sum- |
marty jerks him in on deck, where a
"muddlins" club is vigorously applied |
to his brain and his throat is cut. |
Some of these fish are very large and |
strong. weighing over 300 pounds.
Hand lin ng, as it is termed, is not
the only means employed by the cod
fishermen in capturing Their prey. |
Travis are extensively used, particu- !
iarIy in the winter. On some grounds
the fish WI take a still bat, while /
they will decline that from bobbing
hand line Travis were for years OPP
posed by the Old hunkers in the bust
ness, but now they tare extensively
used all along the coast, especially IN
shoal water, where the school fish come
in for spawning purposes. A cod
trawl is made of much lighter mate
rial than is employed for catching hall
nut. A cod trawl consists of ''run-
7er," or main line, 400 or 500 fathoms
long. of the size of lead pencil, TO
which, at a distance Of few feet
apart, are "ganged" hooks smallenough