The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-01-24
BASS FISHING IN THE SURF.
The Fish Is IA Fighter and the Breakers
Add to the Excitement.

breakers and fishing in the open sea.
The game the surf fisher is after
is striped bass, although bluefish
and weabfsh are not disdained. 1t is
the gamy and noble bass that alone
counts in the surf fishers record of his
seasons triumphs.
The surf fisher is rugged ont with
stiff, strong rod, reel carrying from
six hundred TO nine hundred feet Of
fine linen line, and hand-forged steel
hooks, from number five TO seventy, at
tached to four-ply leader, and carry
ing pear-shaped lead sinker of
from FIVE to seven ounces in
weight Thus accoutered, and hav.
| ing blood or worms, she'd
der crabs or mullets for bait, according
TO the time of theyea and other cir
cumstances, the surffsher is ready for
business. Having baited his hook, and
standing on the shore just far enough
| from the inrolling waves to prevent
them from running over the tops of his
| hip-high boots, he makes his east"
That is, he sends the sinker, with lead
err and hook attached, almost as swift
as rifle shot over the boiling surf TO
drop into the sea one hundred or one
hundred and fifty feet from where he
stands. The object is to east the bait
beyond the breakers, where it is per-
mitted to sink to the bottom. The fish
erman then reels in the SLACK until he
is in touch with the sinker and waits
for bite. The incoming surges grad
ually sweep the bait and sinlser in to-
ward the shore, and the fisherman
slowly reels in the slack.
The most likely place for a strike is
in the midst of the breaking. boiling
surf. where the bottom is churnod up
by the tumultuous water and the sea-
bugs. sandworms and the other feed
the sharp-eyed bass is eagerly search
ing for are exposed to view. Quick as
flash, before the alarmed fry can hide
themselves in the sand. the alert bass
is upon them. 1t is while the bait of
worm or crab, on the end of the color
less leader, is whirling about in this
maelstrom of sand and water that the
bass seizes it. The fisherman suddenly
feels sharp tug. He pausss moment
to feel more pronounced jerk, and
then gives a quick, energetic strike.
One single moments pause, as though
the startled fish into whose mouth the
barbed hook has deeply sunk was mo-
mentarily paralyzed by fright, and
| then rush. like q runaway horse, that
'rattles" the novice out of all control,
and tries while it thrills the nerve of
the most experienced angler.
If it is a big bass, say from ten to
thirty pounds, it will, in it's first
startled run, take from fifty to three
hundred feet of line. While it is thus
rushing seward, the cool and skilful
veteran will press his thumb upon the
reel just strong enough TO put as
strong curb as possible upon the fish
without endangering the line. This.
and dragging nearly half pound of
lead hanging from its jaws, tires the
fish pretty fast, and at the end of its
first rush it may be recled in, by care
full and not too rapid reeling, almost to
the shore. But as soon as it gets near
the beach and feels the undertow, the
bass is again seized with panic, and
makes another long and powerful run.
This performance is repeated, with
variations, again and again. The aim
of the fisherman is to tire out and
''drown" the bass, when he may be
landed. Any attempt to reel him in
by brute strength at any time before
this state of exhaustion and col.
lapse occurs would simply result in
losing the fish and about one dollars
worth of tacllling attachment. No
line that will allow six hundred feet to
the reel is strong enough to pull in
ten-pound bass in good health and
strength against his will. IT requires
fine work, rare Judgment and great
presence of mind successfully to play
and land big striped bass in the surf.
When the fish is dome mp and shows
the white feather by turning on its
back when turned into the undertow,
he should be landed To accomplish
this successfully is also nice piece of
work. He should be reelcd up as
close as possible TO the shore, until he
is in the cut or depression that is al
ways found at the edge of the under
tow. Then watch for big incoming
wave, lift him into it, and swish him
in on its crest. The receding wave
will leave your glistening and beauti.
full prize stranded ON the beach.
The bass fishing season begins on the
New Jersey coast in April, and lasts
until Thanksgiving. The best months
are June and early July, and froIn the
middle of September until late in No.
vember The most notable surf-fish-
ing resorts are Belmar and Point Pleas
ant near the mouths of the Shark and
Manasquan rivers. The bass gather
and Turk about these ''inlets," as the
river mouths are called, lying in wait
for the feed that is brought out of these
streams. The sport has rapidly grown
Id popularity of late years, and hun
dreds of persons now indulge in it be-
tween Sandy Hook and Barnegat bay.
When washed off and laid out side by
side in their bright and beautiful col
ors at the close of the days work the
fish present striking and, to the en-
thusiastic angler, a most fascinating
sight.--N. Y. Post.
--''Why did you tell the preacher
that you never talked shop on sun