Morning journal and courier., 1889-07-23
CATCHING BLUEFISH.
Great sport With the Gamey King OF
Salt Water.

Great sport WIN bnO Gd"0y AkAS Oh
Salt Water.
The angler must have steady nerve and
quick hand to make a success of trolling for
blue6sh says writer in Harper's Weekly.
The fish must be hauled in es quickly as
possible. Such thing az playing with him
is entirely out of the question. The slight
est bit of slack line or delay, and in nine in
stances out of ten the fish will break away.
1t is not an unusual thing to catch them
with lacerated jaws, thus showing evidence
of previous battles with anglers. To the
amateur there is good deal of downright
hard work about the sport. In time, how
ever, he becoms5 accustomed to the work of
constantly hauling in his line to remove the
ever-troublesome sea-tangle with which the
hook becomes clogged, in which condition
the nimble blusfsh could not see the SHIN
mering squid. He must also become acous-
toned to an occasional sore finger caused by
the strain upon the line. These annoyances,
however, are trivial in comparison to the
sport and the delightful sail. There are no
mosquitoes or black-dies to make ones life
burden, as in trout and salmon fishing.
Expensive fishing tackle is not at all neces-
sary. It is pleasure which may be in
dulged In by every tndividus! wealthy
| enough TO hire sailboat
Cumming for bluefish Is slightly more
| expensive than trolling, but 1t is more excl
| ting. The captain of the sailboat must be
/ nOt1QeQ III auVauC6 W SSCuE6 q l6W uuuuEo0
| menhaden. On the eventful day he sails
| out with his party to his particular favorlte
| spot and anchors. An improvised hsh grind
| er is placed on one side of the boat, and the
mephaden are ground up into what Is called
chum This is gradually thrown overheard; ;
| then the captain bats each anglers hook
with good sized piece of the fish and the
sport begins. The anglers pay out their
lines, allowing the bait to float away with
the chum. The fine chum simply aggravates
the bluefish and they dash through it, look
ing for more substantial food, which they
invariably find enveloping a copper snelled
hook, This ia the supreme moment when
the anglers skill is tested. It is the moment
when he needs all the presence of mind he
possesses. Should he become excited he is
| sure to lose his prize. An advantage in
Cumming is that neither hand lines or rods
and reels may be used. Sportsmen prefer
the latter In both cases the line must be
paid out as rapidly as the tide is running
when nearly out it must be reeled or hauled
in again, the bait examined, the seaweed re-
| moved and the line paid out again. One il
, as likely to get strike reeling in as in pay
| ing out; and, as in trolling, one must bt
! ever on the lookout for the sudden, savage
strike of tbs fish. When the rush comes, il
: you have not the rod and reel under perfect
control, you will not only lose the fsh, but
! you may return with a broken rod or the
loss of hundreds OF feet of line.
II Bluefish feed on the schools of menhader
and other small fish with which the ba!
abounds. 1t is grand sight to see them al
r feeding time. Whole regiments OF them
may be seen to leap from the water IN tneli
r Wild rushes after their unfortunate prey
j. They lash the water into foam IN tneit % mac
h charoes. and often bite each other during
their delirious efforts In procuring food
Even when not hungry they will wantonll
o rush upon schools of other fish and snap ant
I bite bite right and left, killing and manning
Q merely for the sport it affords them. Thes
) oannibals act as though they were not afrai
n of anything above or below the water. A
y occasional shark gets among them, however
b and brings them to their senses. Anothe
!, peculiarity of the fish is that they may h
= caught as freely during thunder storm ,
e on pleasant day. It is said that they q