Telegram-herald., 1890-09-20
CATCHING BLUEFlSH.


o. Bears /. Fishisx snAek-EAs osss-
ti@a 81 fAekls .Aa wh-s In tsss-
BlaeasEiax for Bssi1~ss @aa fis-~ers
co.stsS4 Blass ga shore
A skghI breeze raeies TIE ocean TIE
vessels scu1 oy und@r fal sail. and ne
FISHING boats, ef ca the hanks. rlse ana
faal hke logs ca the leng ground swell
The surf breaks ca the beach II great
eoInbers, which throw themselves mgh
upon ths sand and then rush eaek y
mingle WITH the more eongenlal ele-
ment. On TIE bia6 az Sesbright stands
man whose eyes. shaded by his hand,
are bent fxedly upon a snail dark patch
on the ocean over which arc clustered
excited SEA gulls. Now aud then the
patch scintinates with silver spots. and
the gnlls throw themselves from their
lofty height into the silver kaleidoscope.
II seems 10 be moving nearer shore. The
watcher p-rceiyes IL 10 be > school OF
blasfsh. Soon the school is inside Of
the breakers and he runs into neigh
boring house.
He comes cut carrying long fishing
line. neatly coilei and ending III SIX
inches or more Of stout wire. 10 which
is attached lead squid Removing has
shoes and stockings and rolling up his
trousers the man. carrying the coil OF
line on his arm, wadas into the surf, and
catching hold Of the line about six feet
from the squid begins 10 whirl the piece
T OF lead around bis head. Ii whirls fast
+ er and faster After the retreat o.
wave he finally runs down almost into
the ocean bed and lets 90 OF the line.
The squid flies out straight hundred
and fifty feet or more and settles into
the breakers.
FISHING FROM THE SHORE.
Then the fisherman h2uls il in hand
over hand as rapidly as he can. A blue
fish jumps from the water and the hne
assumes marked rigidity. The fisher
man hauls yet faster, and pulls up on the
beach a SIX pound beauty. He unhooks
+ the long, powerful bodied. blue backed.
white bellied fish very gingerly, for he is
mindful of the razorliks teeth and does
not care 10 lose finger. He throws the
fish high up on the beach and begins his
efforts afresh. In half en hour the blue
fish. which have been in chase of a school
Of menhaden, head for the deeper ocean,
and the fisherman picks up his catch of
dozen or more and walks back to the
house. Such is bluehshing on the jersey
coast.
Would you zee the sport on Great
South Bay, go to any Of the bordering
towns, and engage fora small sum sail
boat and captain to take you out. If
you DO not become seasick and there is a
reefing breeze you will have grand sport
A squid and line can be used, or a rod
and reel with n squid. The boat keels
well over on its side and rushes through
the water with an exhilarating motion.
Several long lines troll out from the
boat, and the squids of bone or metal ly
through the water. Now the fish strikes
one line. now another, until fingers, pro-
tected as they are by mitts. are sore and
arms ache. A mornings sport will often
yield enough fish for large hotel.
Another method frequently practiced
here is known to fishermen as chum-
ming. Several hundred menhaden, or
"bunkers," are secured, portion Of
which are ground or chopped up into a
kind Of mush, and literally scattered
over the surface of the water where the
boat is anchored.
THE OUTFIT.
An oily stick" is thus formed which
floats rapidly to leeward, and often at
tracts the bluefsh within radius of a
mile. A slice from the menhaden's back
is put on large hook and the line is
thrown overheard, and as it drifts away
the bait is seized by the voracious fish
which swarm about the boat.
Blueish tackle is exceedingly cheap.
A dollar viii purchase ell that is neces-
saTy for hard fishing, while an outlay of
So or 81 will buy stout casting rod. a
cheap. stout reel and line, and the nee
esssry hooks and squids. With this out
fit the most fastidious can fish.
Small snappers of two pounds weight
are quite abundant at Broad channel and
the inlet Of Jamaica bay, and also at Sea-
warren, Princes bay. the Horse at Sandy
Hook and at Barnegat The large fish
running from six to iiftsen pounds have
been found in great quantities all along
the Long Island and Jersey coaSts. The
season is usually from the middle Of July
to the first Of October.
To be sure of good fishing and big fsh
one should go aboard one of the stanch
little smacks that supply Fulton market
with It's Fridays bluehsh A little tact
and the iudicious use Of four or five dol
lars viii secure berth. These boats 90
out to the banks OF the Jersey or Long
Island shore and sail around until fish
are sighted Then they anchor
Small hand mills are brought on deck
and msnhsden are ground mp. Dories TO
the number often Of dozen, each car
ryipg man and menhaden. mush and
bait. put of from the s1nacks and anchor
within a radius Of hak mile At the
end Of the day each dory viii bring in
two or three hundred large fish. As the
smacks remain out from a week 70 ten
days. and meat, FISH and fresh vegetables
comprise the bin Of fare. an enjoyable
sea voyage offers its attractions IN addi-
tion 70 the fishing New York World
T