Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-10-22
FISHING FOR SHARKS.
Terrific Struggle with a 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
Fire island doomed family against the
rosy sky.
Tides on the change now," said the
old man, as he let the sloop's head pay
! off. We're mebbe a little late for
the first run, but we'll get 'em further
along, and mebbe one or two on the
turn Never can tell about shark
/ ways, though. Mebbe won't get bite
all day."
Don't croak, Cap'n JOEL" said /, as
trimmed in the jib sheet, with that
elaborate attention to detail which
so plainly suggests that time is a bur-
den on ones hands I'VE may get a
whale before night"
'Mebbe so, mebbe So" admitted the
don't believe in raisin' no hopes, an
sharks is mighty uncertain. l remem-
Der one day last summer had a 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'n Joel looked hurt ] always
manage to hurt the old mans feelings
early in the morning, so that he will be
tractable for the rest of the day.
When fish for sharks | want skipper
who will obey like a Chinaman. In
return for hurting the old mans
feelings | invariably make it up to
him in some other way at the close Of
the trip.
"Man-eaters plenty this year, Cap'n
Joel?" ! asked, cheerfully and brisk
ly.
Not so darned plenty" the old fell
low grumbled, making a pretense of
squirting carefully under the boom, as
though he was calculating the danger
to be feared from two other sloops
about six miles off.
Anybody caught any?"
mot as know on" He was still
grumbling. "'Taint many folks as
fish for sharks. Most peoples got
something better to do" For Cap'n
Joel this was very severe, but had
hit him in Il very tender spot. "Where'n
head fOr?" he asked, almost sullen-
ly.
For the inlet, to be sure. Seems to
me that you forget things very quick
ly." | was still brisk and cheerful.
The old man muttercd to himself. He
knew well enough where to go, but his
feelings were hurt, and when the old
fellows feelings are hurt he acts like a
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 a
child, but he said never a word. When
l had last fished with the old man |
had used heavy trolling line, one end
of which was made fast to the boat.
When hooked a shark simply hauled
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
line as / could find that would run
readily on the reel INTENDED to play
the shark as would play bass. Old
Capt. Joel shifted contemptuously, but
silently, as he took note of the new
tangled shark tackle, but l let him
alone in his shell.
1t was my purpoNe 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 a big one will come along
and stir up the bathcrs on the beach
at Fire island. The fun that shark
can have with a lot of women and
children along a 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.
The wind came in little fresher
with the flood, so that the sloop had
good working Roadway. She would
jibe quickly, and not too hard, while at
the same time she could be luffed up in
a twinkling. | baited the large hook
with plump mossbunker, which the
old man had provided the day before,
and threw it overheard.
''Slacll away AMI stand off and on
across the flood" said |. The sloop
filled away with lifted sheets. The
long line trailed astern with constantly
increasing pressure. Away off on the
lee quarter there was n slight eommo-
ton on the surface of the water, and
in a minute or two | fancied that /
could catch 4 glimpse now and then of
a shark.
DO you see any sign Of game?"
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