The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-29
SHARK FOR LIVE BAIT.
A Twenty-Footer Of the Same Sort Caught,
but Got Away.

n Il Wenty-f OOter OF the am ~oFt Aausht,
but Got Away.
~ don't see why il is" David G.. Weems
tan enthusiastic sportsman of Baltimore,
and author Of the electric railway system
which bears his name,, remarked to "a
Baltimore American man, THAT some men
think that because a fish story is remark
able it is consequently untrue.
"The last time l was at Cape May there
was a fine run of sharks, but the hotel
guests did not seem to think il worth
while TO fish for sharks which no one can
eat. / like the sport and | know now TO
catch them. / had an old darkey catch
me four long cells, and ! bought four
pieces of rope about the size generally
used as clothes line. each being some ~
feet long. At the end of these ropes |
fastened hooks almost as long as my
arm, using small iron chains to fasten
them TO the lines. A shark will bite of "A
hook fastened to the end OF a rope just as
a man bites oil the end of n cigar. Going
out to the end of the pier l strung Nh eel
on each of the hooks, and then tied "A
piece OF pine board about ten feet from
each hook, using the boards as corks to
keep the cells within that distance from the
top of the water. Sharks, in feeding, keep
in deep water and run along some ten feet
from tie surface.
Throwing the line out as far as | could
1 fastened the ends To n post, allowing the
lines to run under n chair, so that when n
shark swallowed the hook the chair would
tumble by way of a signal. | got a book,
sat in hes shade. and began to read. In
shark fishing always carry along some
thing to pass away the time with. Ii takes
"a patient man to catch sharks.
81 had read perhaps twenty pages when
the chair tumbled Owe and the line got
taut. The shark had found the eel.
| a.. l.al aasl. -. al.
line and felt the weight of what j consid-
cred a half-grown man-eater. He was not
so heavy but he was game. Soon | was
drawing him To the pier, slowly enough. |
thought, To weaken him, and gently
enough to get him in without breaking the
hold. Suddenly the line, which had before
yielded to my muscle satisfactorily pulled
through my fingers and hen stuck as il
caught in a log. l couldn't bulge II, though
l tried with all my power. Two men who
had been watching me came to my rescu.
aud the three of us began to pull
him slowly, in. We didn't know
whether we had caught a huge shark Of
got our hook into something that didn'
bite, but when We began tn play him W,
could feel that there was something alive
trying to take our line out to sea-. Ii wa,
not like fishing. Ii was more like hauling
seine or pulling in a dead horse, FINAL,
we discovered that II was q shark by TIN
way the rope would become slack for {
few seconds, then get taut again.
1--WE decided to draw him, il possible
up to the surface at the n of the pier
and then. as the shark opened his mouth
to drop in two or more hooks to makes sur,
of having a firm hold on him. We ha,
him within n few feet of the pier. though
some distance under the water, when III,
other hooks were ready TO drop into hi
mouth IL he should turn over to fight
Ii was as much as three of n
could do to lift him 10 the surface when W,
had him right. Presently the heavy loa
came up and We saw il was an immens
shark, but w had barely time To observ,
his great length and size when his moutl
opened. There was a gulping sound. am
out from the sharks mouth came a youn
shark nearly three feet in length. The bii
fellow gave a turn, a good-by salut wit
his tail, and disappeared. We had the lii
tie fellow firmly hooked In the mouth AM
soon drew him in. He bore the tectl
marks of the 30-footer, who had evidentl
gobbled him up after we hooked tn
young one. Sharks will not cat tllei
young. except by mistake. We agree
that the big fellow must have appeare'
just as we had the little fellow founder
ing about, and it'being their habit to rus
for anything struggling in the water. th
big shark had by mistake tried To swallo'
him, and refused To give up his prey Ill
we had him almost out of the water an
in the sunshine"