Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1896-07-01

way L heard 1t pronounced, Is peenS'-
These fish are canght in nets. None IS
ever more than pound in weight, and
half of that weight is oil. The fish are
not used for bait until decomposition is
we'll advanced. Forty or fifty of them
are taken along in the boat, and if ever
there was floating Barren Island fly
ing fish boat on its way to the fishing
grounds is one. Not much in the way Of
tackle is used in catching flying fish,
The equipment is a shallow scoop net
with inch meshes,s the hoop being three
feet or so in diameter.
"The fishing grounds are from five to
twelve miles from shore. The sea is mar
velously clear. When. the boat has
reached a spot where the fish are likely
to be found sails are taken in and the
preliminaries begin. The fisherman leans
as far as he can over the side of the boat.
In one hand he holds the light net by
the hoop, so that it touches the water, and
can be pushed down slantingly beneath
the water and toward the boat when the
time comes. In the other hand he has
one of these loud-smelling bait fish. THIS
he squeezes, and the putrid oil from it
falls into the water in a noiseless stream.
The fish is reduced TO fragments at the
same time and sinks. The oil spreads
over the surface and is as clear as crystal.
1t has the effect of making the depths Wis
ible for fathoms down.
81 suppose flying fish are partial to de-
cayed fish, for if there are any in the vi
cinity when this bait is turned into and
upon the sea they will not be long in
making their presence known. Not 4
word is spoken nor a sound of any kind
made after the boat reaches the fishing
ground. The native | went out with on
my first trip objected, Judging from the
expression on his face, to the manner in
which my heart beat, and l must say that
it did beat rather loud The novelty and
expectancy of the occasion excited me-
| lay with my face over the gunwale, and
forgot even the malodorous exhalation of
the bait. Presently, far down beneath
the oily surface, | saw myriads Of black
spots moving. They rose swiftly, grow
ing larger and more numerous, until the
sheen of thousands of flying fish, their
long black fins. or wings, bristling like a
moving column of lancers, glisiened close
to the surface. A bunch Of the advance
guard came with reach, and the fisher
man buried his net IN the water with a
swift and noiseless sweep that brought ii
toward the boat. He drew it TO the sur
face with lis opening against the oiled
side of the boat, apparently with case, al
though it contained as many flying fish
as man would care TO carry. Quickly
dumping bis catch in the boat but with
scarcely a sound, he was ready with his
net again squeezing the oil out Of an.
other bait fish and reducing it to unsa-
worry pulp. The captured flying fish
seemed not to deserve their name, for they
lay in the boat with scarcely movement,
and soon died. In two hours that one
fisherman filled his boat, and we sailed
back home.
"That is all there is to flying fish fish
ing, but it is exciting and enjoyable, in
spite of the bait fish. You soon get used
to that, and don't notice it. got so |
could handle the net about as well as the
natives, and l landed many a thousand
of these queer ish. | have no doubt the
flying fish fly. But they must 60 far
away from Barbados waters to do their
flying. l never saw one Of them fly, but
if had | don't believe / would have
thought it half so wonderful a thing as
the way ten thousand or more Of those
fish can disappear utterly from sight, as
in the twinkling of an eye, in water clear
almost as crystal to the depth. Of many
fathoms.