The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-07

sioops and schooners around New
York that are devoted exclusively to
taking out fishing parties. The demand
for them> is so great shat after May
il often is impossible to hire them
except for date far in the future.
They are kept busy until we'll into Oc-
tober.
Their owners generally sail them
and provide bait, and, sometimes, tack
lie. These men know the best grounds
from long experience. They know the
waters so thoroughly that they can
drop anchor in the right spots even in
fog. They are among the best sailors
on the coast and they rarely have an
accident.
The fishing parties that go out in
these boats or in the many tugs or
other craft that are chartered daily
are surprisingly mixed. Rich men
and poor men fish shoulder to shoulder.
They drink from the same flask. lose
The same kind of whoppers, and tell
about it afterward in the same way.
Next to the sloops and schooners.
the faVorite vessel for private parties
is the tugboat. There is an elaborate
fiction that only sea-going tugs may
go outside of the harbor. The anglers
are not narrow-minded men. Their
conception of sea-going tug is prim-
tive. If it steams top-side up they
are content.
A noble and imposing craft that is
impressed in the service of oceanic
sport is the steam lighter. The own
ers of these craft have discovered
that they can turn an honest penny
with them on Sundays and holidays
when they can not be used for their
regular work. So many of them may
be seen in the great fleet that steams,
sails, rows, paddles and wabbles out
TO the fishing grounds in the early
morning.
The best fun of all is on the fishing
banks boats that go out daily with the
regularity of any other passenger YES
sells. There are always two or three,
and when the season is especially good
there sometimes are as many as six or
seven, all making scheduled trips.
They are closely watched by the
steamboat inspectors and their man
agement is excellent. Once upon a
time it wasn't. Then the fishing banks
boats were places where a man might
get fish, but surely could get fight. He
could always get the fight, even if he
couldn't get the fish; but he could only
rarely get the fish without a fight.
Sometimes an angler would happen to
catch another in the nose or the eye
with his hook. When man hooked a
fish he had to hustle to get him aboard
sourceful, fisherman got hold of the
line and confiscated the prize. AS the
anglers always sat as closely together
as they could crowd, few fish. could be
landed without bringing in with them
a snarl of other lines. Then there
would be clamor, for each man whose
line was in that snarl demanded that
he be permitted to assure himself by
minute examination that the fish was
not on his hook.
If the snarl was involved, it would
not be long before the feeble patience
of some large and husky disciple of the
gentle art would crack audibly. He
would then fall upon the tangIe and
rip it with his knife, royalty regard
less of the fate of any line except his
own. Sometimes the large angler
would not be large enough. In such
distressing circumstances his SUISSE
quent career would be all over the
deck with from one to a dozen ag-
grieVed fellow sportsmen working hard
with fists and feet to convince him
that the best way to unite a knot is to
cut ton the fishing banks.
Sea Anglers of To-day.
The passengers on the fishing banks
boats of to-day are better men. They
long only to fish. They use rods, which
is something that was viewed loudly
and pointedly as unmanly weakness in
the old days. They still have their lit
tie fads. They race for the best places,
and the old-timer who happens to be
euchred out of his favorite spot is
gloomy for the rest of the day. They
will occasionally heave a sinker
against their fellow mans head But
they will also apologize, which is
startling improvement over once upon
a time. They love to make their joys
and griefs public in loud tones. They
bait the seasick brother numerically.
But on the whole they are fine good
tempered, sturdy and delightfully."- jolly
crew.
The seasick angler is always among
those present. No ocean can be too
calm for him to be overtaken by his
manifest destiny. Some of him get
seasick even before the lower harbor
has been traversed. There is ample
saloon accommodation on the boats
for him, but true to the natural his
tory of his kind, the seasick man
would die rather than to admit that
he needs retirement.