Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-07-04
FREAK FIsHlNe ExclrINe.

me Florida fishing season is now In
fulI swing, having begun officially on
April /. and the disciples of Izaak
Walton are pulling in tarpon, kingfish
and Jewish in the regulation manner,
but for many amateurs freak fishing
has the greatest eharm-to pursue
devilfish with sail or motor boat, or
bait sharks and goff them is much
sport, says the New York Tribune. To
say the least, such freak work varies
the monotony of tarpon or kingfish
angling. affords great danger and ex-
element and occasionally leads up
to that champion of sea demons, a
fourteenrfoot sawfish, which will
wreck a boat if he can Some of the
carniyorous fish weigh up to 5000
pounds, or more than two tons, at
least. So says Edward Vom Hofe of
New York, an expert in such pur-
suits. Mr. Vom Hofe captures devil
FISH at Punta Rosa and southwark
his largest weighing over a thousand
pounds. He says he finds them in
groups of from three to ten, floating
on the sluface with the tide, feeding
on isl., for which they seem to fly
uade- water with a vampirelike mo-
ton of their huge wings.
MI Vom Hofe's views on the ham
me~head shark would indicate that
it is a mammal, like the whale, rather
than fish. A female, which weighed
upw ard Of 1900 pounds, he says, when
cut oren was found to have twenty
five young sharks within, weighing
from three to four pounds each. The
hanmerheads are found on the bot
tom. They are baited for with fish
-sp inh bzbzb hrhrd shrdshrd hrd
heads, the hCcks and lines being cast
overheard in churn of blood. Mr.
Vom Hofe uses a small, stout rope for
his fishline when angling for all kinds
of sharks. Attached is a brake made
of rounded wood, split in twain, which
prevents the rapid running of the
rope from burning the hands. The
rope is coiled on the bottom of the
boat. When the hammerhead is
hooked the boat is beached as soon
as possible and the shark worked
toward the shore. AS soon as the
hammerhead approaches within dis
lance he is gated and dispatched
There is no finer sport than to
angle for small sharks with rod and
NJ
under 800 pounds. One is fairly safe
in handling small sharks if armed
with good stout fishknife having six
inches of blade, or even a stronger
gaff. The main thing is to get the
knife or gaff home through the throat,
the vital spot, before taking the fish
into boat or on wharf, otherwise
they will fiercely attack the angler
and may snap off hand or foot.
Ffshbites are somewhat poisonous
and sharkbite dangerously so. A
fish in swapping the hand will often
leave a Footprint under the skin,
causing a serious sore. Immediate
cauterization is necessary for such
wounds. No person should go fishing
for shark without a stick of caustic
nitrate of silver in his pocket.
In fishing for large shark the har-
poon becomes mans good friend and
must be hurled with deadly accuracy
before the great fish is taken aboard,
In Florida the rope is passed ashore.
if possible, and the shark dragged to
the beach, where there is room to
kill him or let him die naturally. At
sea the tackle is rugged to the boom
and the shark hauled into It, where
his throat is cut The wise angler
who hooks a big shark from a row.
boat with no weapon but oars, digect-
" cuts the line if he cannot get his
tackle ashore. A large shark will,
when maddened, attack rowboat and
smash It.
Such shark, weighing nearly 1000
pounds would readily make kindling
wood of a rowboat with his tail and
jaws.