Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22
There is the Place to Have Fun with This
salt Water Salmon IL the Conditions Are
Right--Black Bass and Other Good Fish
ing.


Written for The Evening star.
rTNHE STRIPED BASS Is THE SALMON OF
i salt water. He fights with the activity of
the tiger. II may be minutes or it may be
hours before he suceumbs, but only when he
is safe in the landing net or securely held by
the gait il it certain that he won't escape. His
appearance in the waters along the Atlantic
coast lave been growing later yearly. but now
he is due and can be seen in his old haunts,
and this means some good sport for the angler.
The striped bass is the embodiment Of pisca-
torial sport from his powerful, sharply forked
tail to his square. huge jaws and voracious
mouth. His body is like the salmon, long and
oval. but more compact and stout. His gigan-
tic, bristling fms are admirably adapted TO his
congenial home in the surf. He has large
wieked-lookiug eye. big. silver-colored scales
and darkly striped back and sides He runs
in size anywhere from six inches to five feet
and in weight from one-half to one hundred
pounds. He is BY odds the gamest fish along
the Atlantic coast.
WHERE TO CAPTURE HIN.
The striped bass frequents the coast the
year round, but does not appear in the bays,
rivers and creeks before the middle Of August
or remain much later than the 1st of October.
Sometimes he can be earSnt in the early
spring. The methods of angling for him are
Is rs INC plaCcS nc LAuutS- hiOh6
the rocky shore Of New England and Long
Island and along the sandy beaches OF New
Jersey cumming and squiddInS Is practleed.
In the bays you can still fish or troll, while in
the creeks and rivers the fy rod can be cast
with certain success.
The methods most in vogue, however, are
cumming and still fishing. A suitable outfit
for bass fishing consists of a stout two-joint rod.
One Of which. made OF bamboo, can be pur-
chased for 81; a reel holding 200 yards cost
ing 81 The line should be twelve-thread. An
expenditure of % more will buy lot of 40
sprout hooks and a landing net. a number of
sinkers and wire swivels- Ihls completes the
OUTFIT for everything except surf fishing To
be equipped for surf angling it is necessary to
have u twenty-one-thread line, with three-inch
hooks, landing gaf. some stout wooden
cloths or oilers and stand with q socket in
which to rest the butt OF the rod.
To enumerste the striped bass resorts would
mean to name the bays. creeks, rivers and
streams and waters throughout the United
States. for the bass Is to be fo;:nd in nearly
every spot that offers rocky beds salt water.
The principal places. however, are near the
New England coast, Long Island, the New Jer-
sey coast. Long Island sound and down the
Atlantic coast. The best places for fly fishing
are up the rivers where the small brooks usu-
ally empty. red ibis or white miller are the
best flies. Cast them gently, so they will sink
a fes inches below the surface of the water If
the tide Is Hood, for that is the best condition
for all kinds Of bass fishing. you will have great
sport landing the two and three-pound bass
that run into the rivers.
BAIT FISHING.
In the creeks and under the banks you can
fish in the same way, but it is better to stick to
the bait. Attach to one end Of the wire a
heavy sinker and to the other end the line.
After fastening the leader and hooks to the
horizontal projection of the wire YOU are
ready to fish Shedder crabs, sounds. red and
white worms are equally good as bait The
bait should be well put on the hooks, for the
striped bass pounce upon il with the vorscity
OF a blue fish and is apt to tear it off without
looking clumsy. The Cumming is precisely
like that for blue fish. A lot of menhaden is
chopped up and thrown overheard making an
oily slack, which drifts to ieeward and attracts
the bass in the neighborhood. slice of flesh
from the back Of the me MAIDEN is baited on the
hook and the line baited by the hook and the
bait is thrown overheard to drift with the tide.
This method Of fishing is by all means the most
lsborious-
CASTING IN THE LERF.
The acme Of bass fishing is found in the Lerf.
Numerous fishing clubs dot these islands from
Cape Cod to Point Judith on the Jersey coast
where this is the only sport Along the Jersey
coast the angler casts from the beach, elsewhere
the fisherman stands on q strong narrow iron
wharf which jlts hundred feet or more into
the breakers The most favorable conditions
are an overcast sky and brisk wind from the
eastward The sea then is dotted with white
caps and the breakers come rolling shoreward
with large white erests and crash upon the
beach and among the rocks with the booming
and rumblIng CT artillery.
heavy undertow tears the shell fish from
the bOttom-then a dainty feast is his dream
The monarch of the surf is in a congeniai en-
yironment- Leaping from the water in search
Tor food he defes with his strength and agility
the angry waters the screaming gulls over
head do the gale.
At MOntauk Point on the extreme end Of
Long Island, where some of the best fishing can
be mad. the angler stands on one of the small
iron stands that iut into the water and is clad
In oilskias- Behind him rises the PERCEPTIONS
, bluffs and beneath and before him is the surf
An attendant throws broadcast upon the water
Q handful OF chopped menhaden from a pail
aud then fastens some menhaden flesh on the
anglers hook. The latter swings his rod back
ward and then throws il forward with q rapid
swing. The bait dies forward and settles uSon
the water hundred feet or more distant Ii
settles to tie bottom and remains there few
minutes. IL is reeled in and sent out again
living out over the water. Hardly has il touched
the water when the rod bends like reed and the
hne whirls Is the bass takes II from the reel
The line Is almost out when the bass weaT.ied
at The strain which the anglers thumb pressed
on the reel has caused. doubles his tracks. Out
goes the Inc as the captive makes another
break for liberty Then 1t remains motiouless
but tact. as the fish sinks to the bottom II is
almost an hour before II can be reeled in near
enough 10 per mt the attendant 20 gaff him
de Is carried up to the shore and is found TO
weigh good twenty-five pounds
oTaEK FISH.
Weak fishing still continues poor along the
Atlantic coast, though several good catches are
now and then reported The Mecca Of good
fishing just now is off Barnegat Messes of
from 80 to 100 are caught there daily
There seems TO be q sarfei, Of blue fish also
there They are running IN large schools along
the jersey coast and mp the sound. Sea bass
and fuke are another good catch along the coast.
HOMES OF BLACK BASS.
The black bass season opens on the LIST Of
September The best places in the east for
them are the susquehanna. between Starrucco
and WillismsPOrt, and tine Delaware. between
the BSsAkiu and the Water Gap. Greenwood
lake viii always be considered an Oswego bass
resort Where one OF the last is caught a
dozen OF the clumsier coarse fish fall victims to
tie angler. The largest Oswego caught there
weighed SIX AM half pounds The Thousand
Islands fishing this season promises TO be the
BEST In many wears. aud Tor those who have the
tlme and moaey II il the place to catch the
black bass TINS resort has always held its rep
utation as fishing resort.ey ia of years aud
from tbs present outlook some good hsh stories
Will come from there.