Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-09-20

Z ZEa to the angler is
:: :: =: s.
: &: .: 4: !: !; ', e: 6:
sport, there be-
Ing no casting or other fine rod work
Z to be done. They maintain, and not
unjustly, that as much skill is needed
to lure some of the fresh water vari.
cites to the bait as to land them after
/ 9 strike. and that one misses the keen
battle of wit against instinct and
natural wariness. All Of which, while
true, does not alter the fact that sur
roundings play an all-important part
in the full enjoyment of a days out
ing with rod and reel, thing even the
most enthusiastic angler would soon
come to realize were It possible to
catch the highly priced varieties
d from the Anpicturesque docks along
the water fronts Of our cities.
There is Unborn within all Of us a
keen love of the beautiful in nature
and in thu appeal made to it by the
country into which we are taken
lies much Of the fascination Of ang-
ling We are .tirred BY the swish Of
the wind through the swaying trees.
the murmur Of the brook, the silence
of the deep pool among the rocks, the
placid lake, the fragrance and mys-
terry OF the wild woods.
And Is not the sea every bit as fas-
cinating Indeed, once experienced.
one never again escapes the subtle
spell 1t weaves about one with It's salt
laden breezes. its wonderful skies. the
great body ofawater sparkling In the
sunshine. the silvery beaches, rocky
lodges and laxurian: green shores.
The blackfish inhabits localities that
show the sea at its best and he is so
game and crafty a fighter as to leave
nothing to wish for on this score.
It is not for nothing that he has won
for himself the name Of bulldog Of
the sea" His large. powerful jaw
is Of iron, and he will dispute every
Inch Of line. resortipg to all man
aner of clever tricks in order to free
himself. He is never caught until you
have him safely in the boat and the
sskirmish between you will likely end
in his getting sway with the best part
of your tackle unless your hand is
skilled and your attention unwaver.
Ing. In h 5!s,
The blackflsh Is to be found along
the shores of New York, Connecticut.
Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Old
fishermen claim that his appearance
north Of Rhode Island Is comparative.
~ OF recent date. In days gone by.
when the Indians roamed the terri
tory at viii, he had place among their
choicest table delicacies and We are
told that the Mohegans. who called
him ''tautog." held him in high es-
TEEN as q spring and fall food. Z.
The name Of blackdsh. evidently
due to the fish's color, is not . par
lticularly fortunate one. Though the
black sis of dark gray and notified.
the sides are decidedly lighter and
the under part almost white. Il
The ;blackhsh inhabits the vicinity
OF rocky lodges. reefs and rough bot
toms and shows a decided preference
for places where the tide runs swift
". Here he will lie in ambush be.
bind some sheltering rock and await
the passage Of shrimp and small crabs
carried down by. the tide. When he
spies his prey he darts out with light.
ming rapidity, pounces upon IT and
darts back to. cover This predilec-
ton for tidal fues has won him the
name Of tide runner in certain 10.
5calities. Il He is also found inside the
sandy bays along the southern shore
OF Long Island and on the ocean banks
of Sandy Hook In fact, the largest
specimens are to be caught in these
localities, and this, added to a#slight
but noticeable difference Of color be.
tween the rock, and the sand catches.
has led to the belief that there are
two distinct varieties of blackf1sh.
which Is not the case. Only one ex-
lists.
lWondrous tales are told in the
eastern fish market regarding the
size OF some of the blackfsh brought
In from the banks and there are those
who will swear to having seen so
Founders weighed. Like the majority
of extraordinary fish stories they can
not be credited. No specimen tipping
the scale even at 20 pounds is au-
chemically on record. and ten pound.
ers are considered a wonderful rar.
ity. Men who fish constantly claim
that the seasons average shows a
preponderance Of two and three
Founders, with few five, six or even
seven Founders to boast Of. The mum
Der to be had depends a good deal on
the locality. Of course. but a string
of 80 to 40 is by no means excep-
itional in the best waters.
New Workers are quite partial to
blackfshing and regular excursion
boats are frequently run to the banks
with large PARTIES on board. They
generally return laden with spoils.
Launches and sailboats are also used,
and along the coast skiffs carry out
many fishermen On Saturdays and
Sundays, from April until November
there can be seen issuing from every
harbor hundreds of little craft bound
@sesaes8s@ae aa8@sss
C.,1rfew aw