The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-11-11
HALIsur AND THEIR HABITS.
Where One of the Largest Food Fishes
IL Caught.

The st. Georges hand-line fishermen be-
lieye that halibut often strike the baited
hooks with their tails 1t is not uncommon
on board George's-man to hear o fisher
man remark There's halibut around
felt him strike my gear" When halibut
has announced his presence in this way, it
is scarcely necessary to say that every eff
fort is put forth by the fisherman to attract
the fish TO his hooks, and, if q man is suf-
ficiently skillful, he generally succeeds in
capturing the fish. There is much rivalry
in vessels crew when it is known thai
halibut are on the ground where she is ly-
ing, and every known device is adopted to
sntice the fish to bite at the hooks Strips
Of newly-caught paddock, with fresh blood
still on them, are considered the best bait.
Two, three or more Of these are put on
hook, which is passed through the thickest
and of the strips, while the pointed ends of
the bait are left to float about in the water.
Where there is a tide running these closely
resemble the movements of small fish.
The hooks are usually pointed with her
ring bait. After the bait is on the Looks
many fishermen add Gas they believe) to it's
attractiveness by hopping it in the slime of
halibut, if one has been previously caught.
This is done by wiping the baited hook back
and forth over halibut The lure thus
prepared, the fisherman lowers his appa-
ratus to the bottom, and by skilful manipu-
lation tries to induce the fish to bite Some
times he will let the tide sweep his gear"
along the bottom, and again he will endeav-
Or to give his bats the appearance of life by
slowly pulling them up a short distance from
the ground. If he finally succeeds in hook
ing halibut, all his art is required TO bring
the fish to the surface and land it safely on
deck. If it be large fish it almost invari-
ably makes desperate fight to escape. 1t
may, perhaps, come up easily for ten or if
teen fathoms, when it suddenly takes
plunge downward. Surge surge goes the
line through the hands of the fisherman,
who knows very we'll that he must play"
his fish or else his line will be snapped like
pack-thread. This operation may be re-
peated several times, and it is not uncom-
mon for large and particularly "wld y
halibut to go almost to the bottom after
being hauled nearly to the surface of the
water. AT last the fish is alongside, and the
shout of CATS gatfs here I" brings two
or three of the nearest men TO the side
armed with long-handled gaffs. If the fish
is exhausted the gaffs are quickly hooked
into his head and he is dragged unceremon-
iously over the rail and falls with thump
on deck, which usually resounds with the
stroke of his powerful tail until he is stun
ned by repeated blows with killer. If the
halibut is still active when he comes along
side, much dexterity is required to eaff him.
He makes desperate attempts to escape, and
thrashes the water into foam with his tail
When the fish is on deck and killed his
captor cuts his mark in n conspicuous man.
ner, generally on the white surface OF the
halihut, which is the underneath portion
when the fish is in the water, but is nyaria
bly, turned upward after it is taken on deck
This method being adopted to prevent tia
blood from settling on that side and thus
making the fish look dark colored or gray.
The Georges fishermen frequently bleed
heir halibut by making cut across the
tai. american Naturalist.