Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-14
MONSTER FISHING
Northern Angling That Beats
Tarpon Hauling.
REAL FISH TALES
100 WEIGHT TAKEN WITH TEN
OUNCE ROD. =
Exciting Battles With Sharks, Dog
Fish and stingarees-A Sport
ing Secret.


Written for The Evening Star
Now begins the season for monster fish
ing along the Atlantic coast from Nova
Scotia to the Chesapeake capes The sports
man who wades out into the slrf to catch
the big fish that swim just in the break
of the waters, are inclined to sniff at the
mention of tarpon or tuna catches, for the
outfit used by the men who go after those
great fish is clumsy and murderous when
compared with the light, graceful, taper
ing rods, thin lines and tackle Of the north
ern fishermen.
The northern fishing is sport in every
sense. This fish must be fought usually
without the aid Of boat; they must be
killed by the rod because the tackle is too
light to handle them by main strength and
they must be landed in bad water and
generally by the angler himself, for most
of the surf fishermen disdain the use of
gaff hook.
In addition, the northern fishermen must
wade often chest deep into boisterous surf
In order to cast his line to the proper spot
Mighty fish are landed every season. But
the facts are not published broadcast. The
big fishing" of the Atlantic beaches Is one
OF the best kept of sporting secrets.
The striped bass, king of salt water, leads
the list. There are several scores of rich
sportsmen in New York, Boston, Philadel-
phia. Baltimore and Washington who fish
for this beautiful fellow and none other
through almost all the year, refraining only
Tor few months In winter Every one
Of these men dreams Of a monster Weighing
more than 100 pounds. Many of them have
caught fish weighing more than half a hun
dredweight. Jim Flynn Of Nassau street
New York, known to every sportsman in
the country, lost one that. being caught
subsequently in a seine with Flynns hook
still in his jaw, was found to weigh sixty
five pounds.
An expert fisherman has just left New
York on an investigating tour, commits
stoned by a half dozen rich anglers who
want him to find a spot where there are
striped bass weighing 100 pounds or more.
They have told him that they are tired of
thirty and forty Founders. They want
real fish" The expert already has found
one place where, as he reports, striped
bass from ten to twenty pounds are thicker
than feas on a dog" That is off New
Brunswick, n. s., but he IS not sure that
any bigger bass can be found there and in
tends to hunt farther.
Hundreds of bass Weighing from five to
fifteen pounds are taken along the north
ern beaches every season by the striped
bass anglers who go after the big ones"
They rarely record these catches. To really
interest them, a bass must weigh at least
twenty pounds.
Have Strong Jaws.
Channel bass or red drum, the huge fish
that can crush oysters In their strong
jaws, also are hunted by the sportsmen
who look for big game. They range larger
in size than the striped bass. but are not
quite as game. However, they are strong
and determined fighters and as they not
uncommonly weigh more than 100 pounds
their capture tests the mettle of man and
rod Last year G. p. Morosini, jr., son Of
the New York banker, caught one off Edge
mere that weighed sixty pounds.
And these great fish are taken with rods
that. save for the heavy reel seat and fer
rules, would weigh not more than ten
ounces. Except for quality, the lines, smells
and hooks used are such as are used gen.
orally for the ordinary angling for salt
water fish weighing from three to four
pounds.
Surf fishing is the method followed most
The angler wades out into the and casts
his bait to the spots where he expects that
the big fish are feeding Trolling with
worm or crab bait from a boat that is
sculled slowly over likely places. is another
almost equaiy popular method. Still fish
ing from anchored boat is a third form
of striped bass fishing, but it is more popu-
lar with the anglers who are after the or
binary run Of small bass than 1t is with
those who look for the big fellows.
Surf fishing is the most exciting of them
all. The angler has not only the fish. but
the sea to fight. And in the broad-backed
surge that ever rolls and tumbles toward
him, there swim huge things that he is not g.,
fishing for, but must battle with when they
choose to take his hook. Sharks and skates
and stingarees hunt along the surf just as
the monster striped bass and channel bass
and bluefish and weakfish do. Thus Moro
SIM and John Du Til of New York, stand
ing waist deep in a leaping tumble of sea
one morning on Long Beach. Long Island,
hooked eight great sharks. The biggest Of
Playing Them Out.
They were fishing without gait hooks and
had no choice but to work the savage crea-
lures until they were played out. Then
they reeled the fish in till they could reach
them and suddenly Selling them by the
tail, ran them up the beach. The biggest
like lightning and bit at him furousy. He
jumped away and was barely quick enough
to save his legs. The shark tore away a
great piece of his waterproof waders, and
the fragment Is preserved as a souvenir in
the Morosini home in Riverdale now.
The stingaree is a customer almost as
savage and even more troublesome and
dangerous than the shark. He is extremely
like the skate in appearance but at the end
of his long spiny tail he carries a keen
thorn like the spur of a game cock. The
swiftness with which he can thrash that
armed tail around Is astounding Its mo-
ton is as hard to follow as the swapping
Of the lash Of a Transfers whip and the
aimis as accurate. Southern fishermen de-
clare that the thorn is as venomous as are
the fangs of a snake. This is not so. But
the thick nasty slime with which the raw
is coated can, and no doubt often does,
produce blood poisoning. The weapon does
not need such aid, however for 1t is cruel
enough in itself and makes wounds that
may cripple the victim for life The spur
on the tail Of full grown specimen meas
uses three or four inches in length and is
full Of tiny wicked barbs that are incred-
IDLY tenacious. Thrust the spur through a
piece Of tissue paper and the barbs will
hold so well that it Is Impossible to with
draw it without ripping the paper all to
pieces.
AS the tail Is whipped around with vlo-
lepce quite equal to its swiftness, some
lively stepping around on the part of
the angler is necessary when he hooks
stingaree. A fish that can drive his weapon
deep into the plank of boat with one
swcop is not likely to make much account
of wading boots or human shinbones. There
fore the angler runs backward as fast as
the surf will let him and does not essay to
land the ugly beast until he himself is on
the sand above the surf. Then club does
the rest.
What Experts Use.
Surf fishing demands the use of q free
running reel, for casts Of from 100 to $50
feet are essayed by the experts. AS the
OH