The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-12-21
FISH TRADE TRICKS.
HOW THE PROFESSIONALS LOCATE 4
sslTNG" GROUND.

HOW THE PROFESSIONALS LOCATE 4
"sTNG" GROUND.
To, secret of Successful Fishing CT
the xeS. Jersey coasf-uarking the
Good spots Tor Future Catches snd
DodgIng Rivals
"Got the range willg"
..I.ooks like ii. 81.
.see the walnut tree On the bills"
"Yes; stands about west-northwest .
land the church steepIe sOu-sou-
Rest:''
.sTo the dot. Nomistake about that .
How heads Ladomus' cnttages
"About due west
1--WE ought to be nearly over il now,
Will. stand hy 20 LET go when sing
out STEADY, now; steady Let her rip.
Now! Now, Bully boyl Right over the
middle Of it.
That Is how the professional fisher
man alorg the Jersey coast finds his IA
vorite biting ground. The latter may
he 20 or more fathoms deep, and a
dozen or more miles oiishore; but,
with tie a:a Of such landmarks as trees,
stseples ard beach cottages, lying IN
various directions along the strand,
these crack snrfmen seldom make mis-
take in picking up the ground sought
oifshore. It's DO easy job this finding
nf some particularly good fishing ground
that has no mmk On the chart and Is
only fixed in the mind Of fishermen by
strdv cf distances from the shore.
II is a well known fact that fish must
be sought. They viii not, as rule,
come TO the fisherman. be the latter
professioral or amateur. Sea fish, as
well as lake fish, like rocky bottom, and
it is over this kind Of bottom that the
best catches are made. 1t isno easy task
TO locate rocky bed along the Jersey
coast. and even with ranges or land
marks one is nor always certain 70 find
il on another days fishing trip. The
ranges are manipulated this way:
n an ordinary surfboat, such as the
majority Of the Jersey fishermen use,
the beach line that locks so White ard
extensive close inshore resembles
white thread at distance of, say, 10
miles from the land. When the fisher
men discover a new ground at CT about
that distance offshore, they generally
nick three marks on land-one north,
one south and the third directly to the
westward. By bringing these three
marks 10 a oonvergenee the happy hunt
ing ground is located.
As rule these fishermen are a bit
selfish when new grounds are discover
ed. They conceal the fact as long as
possible from one another, for business
reasons principally. for there is ripe
competition among these beach comb
ers, and it IS only by playing possum
and keeping weather eye open that
one learns what his rival sometimes
knows.
One day last season a reporter was in
one Of these surfboats IS miles Offsbore
from Barnerat. The fisherman in charge
Of the tiny claft was heading for rocky
bottom as far offshore as be dared to go
without compass and provisions. When
within a mile or SO OF the ground, an
other fisherman and his helper were
seen at aug..or. They We're hauling up
whacking big bass as fast as they could
throw out. and altogether they seemed
10 be having glorious time. After the
two boats had separated sufficiently 10
permit a private conversation the pro-
fessional in charge Of the first mention
ed craft said to his shipmate:
Did you mark it:''
Yes answered the ether. "rhe
piers TO the westward, the lie saving
station is TO the northwsrd and the
cottage Of that old crank is to the south
ward. "
That's the way made it, " replied
the first speaker. All this seemed like
so much Greek TO one Of the amateurs
in the boat who began to ask questions.
"That's a new ground, - said the fish
erman. 1--WE didn know that il exist
ed Yes, they are catching lots of fish.
Why don't 60 back and Try it? Well,
do not like to initiate people-at least
do not care to let them see me copy
them. I'll try it some other day"
1t may have been professional pride
or etiquette this sharp bit of practice,
bat IN other walks Ct life it would be
called trick of the trade It's done all
along the beach. Here's another trick
of the trade that a surfman at Belmar
taught this landlnbberly reporter.
There's a schooner that takes city folk
from AsbEry Park ofTshore to fish She
was anchored ten miles OffshOre this
particular morning over a newly found
ground. and there were ha.f dozen or
more surfbaats clustered abont her. The
biting was first class. but presently one
of the big fishing steamboats, from the
Battery was sighted heading down the
beach. There was an interchange Of
conversation on the part of the profes
sional fishermen. bat they suddenly
pulled Up anchors as if one man and
began rowing around.
The schooner weighed her bower also
and under her headsails and mainsail
reached offshore. Naturally the anna
teurs wanted TO know why a shift
,hOuld be made especially as the strikes
were unusually lively. THAT the Hal
Corster coming down. said one Of the
fishermen in half whisper, as if those
ON the steamboat could hear him, al
though she was fully two miles away.
1--WE have a good ground hero and we
don't want her pilots 10 find the ranges.
She'll keep TO the southwark, and Well
circle around until she gets out Of the
way That's how we save our bacon.
And they did save it too The steam
Loat kept TO the southwark for some lit
tie distance aud finally, being unable
20 get the ranges or whatever ground
her pilots had in view, came about
again and stood to the nOrthward, final
~ anchoriDg OF Long Branch. She had
no sooner done 80 when the fishing
schooner and surfbaats, after 4 mental
aud ocular struggle with ranges. were /
hack in their original positions. with 1
their amateurs fishing like mischief -
New York Mail and Express.
Domestic Repartee.
She had put on her hat and gloves |
and was moving toward. the door. when
be looked up from his newspaper and
asked:
Where are you going?"
brcb,nd xx-itb Good cauea ,,o-o~ /