Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1891-09-18
FISHING FOR SHARKS.
Terrific Struggle with q Ferocious
Man-Eater

Terrific Struggle with Ferocious
Man-Eater
The cool, dim shadows of early dawn
still chung to the leeward side of things
as old Cap'n Joel made sail on the
little sloop A mild breeze came up
from the southwark and stirred into
lazy life the vagrant patches Of mist
that hung here and there on the sur
face Of Great South bay. Away out in
the solitude of water the lighthouse on
rosy Ky:
old man. g he let the sloop's head pay
Oh. We're mebbe . little late for
the first run. but Wen get EN- further
elonG. and mebbe one or two on the
turn Never can tell about sharks
Nays, though. Mebbe won't get bite
al day."
Don't croalE, Cap'n JOEL" said ]. -
! trimmed in the jib sheet, with that
elaborate attention to detail which
90 plainly suggests that time is bur
den on ones hands I'VE may get
whale before night"
"Mebbe so, mebbe So" admitted the
old man, ''but the chances are agin it.
I don't believe in raisin' no hopes, an
sharks is mighty uncertain. I remem-
Der one day last summer had . city
man out after sharks, and we sailed
and sailed and never bite did we get"
Had you hired BY the hour. / sup
pose"
Cap'r Joel looked hurt. always
manage to hurt the old mans feelings
sarlv in the morning. 80 that he will be
tractable for the rest Of the day.
When fish for sharks want skipper
who viii obey like a Chinamsn. In
return for hurting the old mans
feelings I invariably make it up to
him in some other way at the close Of
the trip.
"Msn-eaters plenty this year. Cap'n
Joel?" I asked, cheerfully and brisk
~.
mot so darned plenty" the old fel.
low grumbled, making pretense Of
squinting carefully under the boom, as
though he was calculating the danger
to be feared from two other sloops
about six miles of.
Anybody caught any?"
''Not as know on" He was still
grumbling. "'Taint many folks as
Ash for sharks. Most peoples got
something better to do" For Cap'n
Joel this was very severe, but had
hit him In very tender spot. "Whereu
head for?" he asked, almost sullen-
".
For the inlet, to be sure. Seems to
me that you forget things very quick
ly." was still brisk and cheerful
know well enough where to 60, but his
feelings were hurt, and when the old
fellows feelings are hurt he acts like
boy.
As we went along close hauled for
the Fire island inlet made ready my
new shark tackle. Cap'n Joel had
never seen it before, and in ordinary
circumstances he would have been as
curious and as eager about it as Q
child, but he said never word When
had last fished with the old man I
had used heavy trolling line, one end
of which was made fast to the boat
WHICH 0OOhCO = SA1dX n SAAARty Aou1C0
In hand over hand by main force. This
year decided to put a little more skill
into shark fishing, and for that pur-
pose prepared an extra strong bass
rod and reel, and fitted to it as stout a
line as l could find that would run
readily on the reel intended to play
he shark as would play bass. Old
Capt. Joel shifted contemptuously, but
silently, IS he took note Of the new
tangled shark tackle, but l let him
alone In HIS she'll
It was my purpose to meet the in
coming food tide at the inlet, and to
reach back and forth across it until
was satisfied with the days sport.
Sharks follow the smaller fish into the
Great South bay with each tide, and
sometimes big one will come along
and stir up the bathers on the beach
at Fire island The fun that shark
can have with Q lot of women and
children along bathing beach is
something out Of the ordinary run Of
American humor. The shark probably
enjoys it, and it never does the bathers
any physical harm.
Inc VIM CAME Al u A1tIic AEcSucT
with the food, SO that the sloop had
good working Roadway. She would
3ibe quickly, and not too hard, while at
the same time she could be luffed up in
. twinkling. I baited the large hook
with . plump mossbunker, which the
old man had provided the day before,
and threw it overheard.
"Slack away and stand OF and on
across the food" said I. The sloop
filed away with lifted sheets. The
long line trailed astern with constantly
increasing pressure. Away off on the
lee quarter there was a slight commo-
ton on the surface Of the water, and
In . minute or two I fancied that
could catch q glimpse now and then Of
Q shark.
DO you see any sign of gamer"
said to Capt. Joel, as he came about
and stood back toward Fire island
beach.
There's one or two sharks about"
he answered, but he did not explain
where they might be found. Then we
stood Of and on again without catch
ing sight Of the triangular fin.
6000Su1y LueTc C8mc u tIcmcuuOuS
jerk on the stout line. the reel gave
wild scream and began to revolve like
. buzz-saw, and the stiff rod bent like
. whip. had struck big game. put
on the check very quickly, and as the
velocity Of the line lessened thought
Of the pain that the big hook was
causing in the mouth Of the ferocious
SEQ devil The pain would stop him II
the line would not Presently the line
slaNkened and reeled in furiously.
ease of and run for it." shouted.
'1or he will be ON us"
Tho little sloop gathered Roadway
and darted OF before the wind, but still
the line was slack. The shark was
trying to see what held him. In about
two minutes had the line tight again,
and then l had the sloop brought up
ihto the wind. The shark then took .
a a Ms own own account. out al Sefore ne nod