Los Angeles herald., 1890-09-09
PRACTICAL FISHING.
'GANGSp WITH WHICH FISHERMEN
WORK MOST EFFECTIVELY.

Various Devices for killing Zig Fish
Speedily and Surely-How to Construct
"Gang''-Some of the Various Kinds
of Tackle Used in Deep Water Fishing
For the practical angler who goes fishing
to catch fish and not with the idea that the
fish must have the biggest possible chance
to get away and the angler the least pos
sible chance to capture his prey, gangs of
hooks" are used and are coming more into
use every day. Their use is justified by
the consideration that the ocean and the
large lakes comprise a large territory, and
that fish are comparatively difficult to take,
so that the wise angler multiplies his
chances of a catch by multiplying the
number Of his hooks. In gang fishing the
hooks must be as widely separated as pos
sible in order that the bait may be swung
around and cover as much space in the
water as possible and attract the notice of
the fish
Gangs are used in both salt and fresh
water fishing. In salt water fishing they
are called "separaters," because the hooks
are kept as far apart as possible In fresh
water fishing two styles are used, minnow
gangs and gangs of flies. Minnow gangs
are in use in angling for trout black bass,
pike and pickerel If the reader should
chance to enter the mandatory of gang
maker with the notion of making a gang
for himself he would see something like
this: The expert determines first whether
the minnow gang is to be made up of hooks
bound on gimp or on gut If on gut it
must be either on single or double gut, the
single gut being intended for trout or small
black bass and double gut for large black
bass. English white silkheart gimp is used
for pike and pickerel, though some anglers
choose treble twisted gut.
HOW TO MAKE A GANG.
The expert takes the end of the gut or
gimp between the thumb and fingers of
his left hand, and with his right hand ar
ranges three hooks at the end of the line
When they are placed at equal distances
apart, so that the points of the hooks form
a triangle, he binds them firmly to the line
with waxed silk, first laying the end of the
silk along the shanks of the hooks, and
then winding the silk over and over after
the fashion of thread on a spool. After
securing the end of the thread by peculiar
twist known to anglers the artisan meas
ures off an inch or SO of the line and binds
on three more hooks in a similar way
Afterward he measures off an inch more
and fastens single hook on the gut. This
hook is called the lip hook. 1t is so called
because it is placed on the gut above the
gang, and the minnow is hooked to it
through the lip. The whippings are finally
coated with varnish, and the gang is ready
to use after fastening a swivel at the end
of the gut.
The Seth Green gang, so named from the
inventor, or at least, as that is disputed,
the great advocate of artificial propagation
of fish, is the simplest of gangs, being made
of two treble hooks, one lip hook and a
gut from six inches to foot long, with a
swivel. 1t is used for brook trout or small
black bass, and it costs twenty-five cents
at tackls stores. For black bass fishing,
where the fish run large, it is customary
to use two or three treble hooks and a lip
hook, with very stout gut about three
feet long. They cost from thirty to fifty
cents. For large black bass, lake trout or
pickerel fishing some fishermen prefer a
minnow gang with patent treble hook
batting needle, bound in either heavy
single or double gut. They can be used
for trolling or still fishing.
MANY KINDS OF TACKLE.
Finally, where fish run very large, two
or three treble hooks and lip hook are used
on treble twisted gut or silver gimp from
one to three feet long They cost from 80
to so cents each. Undoubtedly this is the
most popular gang used for trolling among
the Thousand Islands, and for that reason
it is termed the "St. Lawrence gang" 1t
is highly esteemed because on it minnow
lives longer than on any other gang, and
because it is the easiest gang on which
minnow can be placed. Furthermore, it
nt tho old md fol
lows by dangling line of hooks in the
rear. Some anglers use three swivels on
the end of the gimp, and this course pre-
vents kinking and breaking of the gimp
and the loss of the fish.
In trolling for black bass, perch, rock
bass and pike perch deadly gang is COM
posed of a nine foot single or double gut
leader and four flies known as Seth Green's
favorites. For the tail or stretcher fly a
''Seth Green" is used, for the first dropper
a Governor Alvord," for the second drop
per "Grizzly King" and for the upper
dropper ''Lake George" For the Lake
George dropper live minnow is often
used with "Seth Green gang"
In salt water fishing gang once very
popular has long since been discarded by
many anglers on account of its bungling
construction. 1t consisted of two pieces of
brass wire bent to form nearly quadrant
of circle These wires were fastened to-
gether in such way that when in use they
were pulled out to form nearly half cir
cle The other ends were formed into
loops, and from each end gut or gimp
leader was suspended, the leader being
long or short according to the depth of the
water. 1t was suspended from the CENTER
and swivel was constructed in the top so
that the apparatus could revolve when a
fish took the hook on one of the lines.
From the center below was suspended a
lead sinker This gang was superseded by
a lighter invention. With the big sinker,
furthermore, the waves frolicked, and it
was not certain whether the fisherman had
a fish or not, and the bobbing of the line
was often due to the sinker.
One of the most popular weakfish gangs
was adopted from gang sometimes used
in black bass fishing, and differs from it
only in having float painted red floating
on the water. It's simplicity is its great
merit. The fishing line is passed through
two eyes of three armed swivel. Then a
smell is fastened to the third eye, the SMELL
being divided at it's further end into two
arms. One arm is short and one long, so
that both hooks will not come together
New York Times