The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-31
THE F1sHERMAy,s CHRISTMAS

:
among It's members statesmen. senator's and
shocmakers, counts, counter-jumpors and
! cobblers. They all 20 Fishing To some WISE
acres this fact only serves TO provo that there
are fools among all classes. Children chase
butterflies probably because they are bard to
catch. or possibly because they are beautiful.
Anglers follow up the fishes doubtless for tho
same reason. The most enthusiastic disciple
OF quaint old Ike" would hardly stoop to pick
up perfectly fresh nsh. II he should find one
at his feet: but, II no had caught II himself,
every speck and scale upon IL would imrnedi
ately become diamond. Certain beasts and
birds Of prey 20 hungry rather than touch
game that was not killed by themselves. The
enemies OF tho anglers hold that this peculiar
fty presents evidence going to show that from
Just such stock the fishermen have evolved.
But the angler laughs at his enemies He
knows that they can't go back to the sunny
days when they chased butterflies. or return
to tho sports OF their boyhood. He alone
can do that: for he gets the same delight
from a good catch when he Ia 80 rs he
got from 1t when he was 10 In this he Is TO
be envied. and he knows II. He II proud OF
tho length and delIcacy OF his cast. OF tho
learning and research displayed In his
flybook. and OF the majesty OF the law
which recently enfranchised his land
streams. and they lead him to regions where
his eyes rest upon scenery OF bewildering
beauty. while In the bays. and beyond them. the
whitecaps stimulate him TO efforts OF a rougher
md moro risky kind In which he COM
bines the excitement OF sail. and often OF a
race. with the thrilling sensation OF big bite
Rough weather and hard luck never affect him.
He Is the man who laughs and his long list OF
game runs from salmon to suckers. from
trout to tomcods and from saueteague to
smolts. Upon no less authority than that OF
1znak Walton himself. we flnd that the
fisherman must also no horo. ''He must not
he afraid OF thunder" says the brave old gen
tlcman-a thoroughly British idea OF the pima
Gle OF ntrepdity.
Well. there are many Jolly fellows among the
anglers. They are not all fools at the other
end OF the line" with all respect to the shade
OF DIR. johnson They know how to ENJOY
themselves In the cold holidays. like other
people. ard tell OF their freaks and frolics In
their club rooms and In their favorite little
hotels. The latter arc usually out-oi-,be-
way places by the seaside, where they asse m bio
In the winter months to listen to FISH stories
and smoke their pipes In front OF log fro
There they forget their trolleys and their other
troubles and tormcnts and make merry. as
their Grand'athers did long ago. far away from
N'N''N uhi 'D"liH' Nl' uusS nauntN OF men.
In truth. the knights ~ the rod and reel are
band OF brothers. bound together by long lines
OF sympathy and friendship and hooked rer-
haps to n little poetry and q love OF the country
Probably the most conspicuous example q,
brothery love among fishermen hereabouts
was presented several years ago by the old
English gentlemen. Thomas and William
Holt. In the neiahborlng bays and
streams they caught wcakHsh and trout.
and In the meadows and marshes thew
hunted snipe and ducks. They were
always together. inseparable M Tom md
Jerry. They seldom joined a fishing or hunting
party. Their own society seemed all sufficient
for their enjoyment. Cold in their bearing
toward strangers. YET always polite. they shut
themselves no rather closely in their own shells.
Al times they pushed their polteness almost TO
that freezing poInt where II becomes rude
ness. when not handled by Frenchmen, INST
masters In that sort Of thing Not that
they were misanthrophic or selfish. on
the contrary. the fow who were privileged to
know them pronounced them charming old
fellows and gentlemen In all kinds OF wentber
Their favorte fishing groundi IN New York Rnv
was under the Bluff" "a rocky place a little
below Fort Wadsworth. Their success wes
wonderful md they were looked upon as Ash.
winding wizards. Some twenty years ago
bVl'I' tl' aNNhuVe toward SANDY Hook Of
civilization. sludge acid and mud scows, md
the MULTIPLICATION Of pound nets, there w,s
good fishing under the Bluff" for all who
really knew how to handle a rod and rccI
Now. to borrow from Capt. Dawson. q man has
about as much chance to catch n Ash there IA
he has TO find holy water In an Orange lodge
Perhaps the last catch there was mnde nv
the brothers Holt. tho old crack shots and
wondrous casters. who have long ago gone to
tina happy hunting and fishing grounds where
sport goes on forever.
Al about the time tho Hollis were nourshinR
under the Bluff. there was an old fellow from
brooklyn who's" hobby II was 10 row from
Gravesend Bay to tho Llghtship and hnck In n
boat OF that type which approaches the shell
and is commonly known as a practice
boat" He performed the feat several times
The boatmen used TO shake their heads and
book him right side up with care" for Davey
Jones's locker; but tho old chap always pulled
through. To see his practice boat and 20 him
one better. druggist In Clifton. Station Island,
went over the same course in genuine she'll
He still holds that record. and apparently
nobody has any desire to break It.
The leader OF the daredevil fishermen
OF Clifton is ex-Judge Joe ONelll. Tn
all sorts OF weather whero sailing was possI-
BILE Joo for many seasons used to 60 down 70
the Romer and out upon the bluensh grounds
twice week In thirteen foot sprltsai boat
He was really not 80 much In danger ne he
seemed to he. for his little craft rode the sens
Ike duck and was as stiff as schoolhouse
Even In the winter months his ex-Honor goes
down to tho same localities In the same shin.
or one like It. to catch Goldfish. and ho catches
them. too.
Doubtless there are still greater heroes on
the Long Island and Jersey shores. but. unfor-