The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-01-31

gong out with
them In their smacks for a whole
night, and making myself acquainted
with all their operations.
heard wonderful yarns of sharks,
whales, PROPOSES, dog-fsh, and other
denlZens of the deep which they had
met with i'll the course of their bust
ness, but was particularly struck with
their report of the great congers which
were 10 be found i'll the Bristol Chan
mel. The two accounts of their size,
strength, and ferocity excited my in
terest so much that / became very
anxious to meet and try conclusions
with one OF these monsters.
With this object in view / applied
myself more particularly to conger
hshering, and gathered all the infor-
nation | could on the subject. For
some weeks L had varying success: |
caught variety of fish and few con-
gers OF good size, up 10 twenty pound
IN weight, but the giants | was hoping
for did not visit me. Those of lesser
size and other kinds of fish being co
much more numerous, the bats fell
to their share before the rare monsters
came nigh, and / saw that | must de-
wise some fresh method of batting, or
L might so fishing indefinitely with
out accomplishing my purpose,
What / wanted was n bait not very
tempting to the majoriy Of fish, but
which big, omnivorous conger would
not refuse, and also too large for the
smaller eel to swallow entire. This
might lie long unmeddled with by the
common crowd of the deeps, and thus
give an opportunity for one of the
great cells to come within range OF its
attractions. l might have to wait
long, but ] did not mind that, and
could occupy myself meanwhile by
ordinary fishing.
Having talked the subject over with
my fishing friends, various suggestions
we're made for feasible bats, when ono
more promising than the rest was un-
expectedly presented to me. One of
the fishermen called at my lodgings.
and, upon my appearing, he paired
two dead sucking pigs from under his
arm, wrapped in paper.
"Them's the bait ASH do it, slf, :
believe" said he. "They's only a
week old, and was overlaid by the SOW
last night. My neighbor as owns her
chucked 'em away, but as soon as I
spotted 'em. l says to myself: That's
the bait as the gentleman wants; it'll
do the job if anything will, I'll gut um
and stuff um wi herrin'; they'll want
that"
thought the idea n good one, and
resol7ed TO try them without DELAY.
and made an arrangement with the
man to go out fishing the same
night. / had also an idea of nv own.
which / thought might increase our
chances of success. This was TO in
troduce something like the fresh
water anglers plan Of ground batting
into my sen fishing. 7 accordingly
procured an old sack, got it filed with
fresh fish garbage and beach stones,
and proposed to sink it at our fishing
place.
The smell was sufficiently pro.
hounced, and as water CONVEYS the
scent of anything within livery readily.
when there is current, and "a cells
have good noses, ] expected the tide
ADW WOuiA NuNtIllbe JUS whereabouts
to congors aiar off, and they would be
sure 70 follow it up and come within
range Of my lines, without being able
10 glut themselves. unless they swal.
lowed tho sack whole. Congers, like
fresh-water cells, being chiefly noctur-
nal, we purposed fishing all night, but
it being midsummer, we should have
daylight most Of tho time.
We had ell aboard an open rowing
boat by tho evening. The fisherman,
his boy, and myself wentof for q bank.
or elevation of the bottom, about q
10 he shore, where there was
= Pr'selyen or eight fathoms of water
weigh tide. Having sunk our sack
by rope, so ne 10 know its exact
whereabouts, ! baited my conger line
aud let il lie near tho sack. I he'd
nbout sixty yards Of good strong line,
with double gorge hook of large size
fastened on TO % thin zinc chain about
one foot six inches long, for the cor