The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-24
long Island Closes Saturday Woo Snpe POey Yeog and Rail
BIG COD NOW AT
CHOLERA BANKS
Fish Ranging From Is to %
Pounds May Be Hooked for
Thanksgiving Week.
STRONG TACKLE NEEDED

Cant. Bill Stephens OF the Velocity Of
Gheepshead Bay said yesterday that the
biz cod, the offshore cod, were now Bit
ing, and anglers who have hshed during
the last couple of days have been taking
fsh averaging Is pounds each.
Previous TO this all the cod have been
caught at tho inshore grounds, OF Long
Beach. at the Iberia and East wrecks and
buoys 2. 4 and Q. These fish averaged
I pounds each. but now that the first
run Of big fish is at the Cholera Banks
the Southwest grounds and the angler
banks cod ranging from Is TO IS pounds
may be looked for. It was on these
grounds last year that n 81 pound cod
was caught. Other good grounds are
the Seventeen Fathom Banks and the
Farms.
Horned dogflsh. forerunners Of cod,
are in tho outside waters In numbers
Another indication OF q good cod season.
In the view OF Capt. Stephens, Is that
OF the early run OF small cod TO the
inshore grounds.
Strong tackle, says Capt. Stephens,
10 needed for the cod. Use a large hook.
bottom. A No. s Virginia hook, the
skipper Of the Velocity regards as being
about right. Sometimes a ten ounce
sinker will do, frequently sixte.
ounce weight is needed to hold bottom.
It all depends upon the tides, winds and
conditions generally.
There are times at the Cholera Banks
when the fishing Ia like an inland lake,
such as Prospect Park. but often condi-
tions are such that the Cholera Banks
are not even easy for a boat captain to
End There Is a flag on the Cholera
Banks. but there are days when the
tide $ so heavy that the flag cannot
be seen.
In foggy or hazy weather. or when
there is a big sea on, the grounds are
only found by the chart and by 80 many
minutes run from, say, Rockaway bell
buoy. The grounds, Cholera at one end
Anglers Banks on the other, with the
Middle Grounds OF more properly speak
ing the Souwest Grounds between, are
fourteen miles southeast of Rockaway
bell buoy. The fast Sheepshead Bay
boats make It in two hour run. Al
three grounds are within easy access Of
each other, tha Angler Banks being O
ten minute run from the Cholera Bank:
with the Sou'wsst Grounds lying be
tween
The best all round bait in Capt. Ste
phens's opinion Is the skinner clam
Soft clans are also used for bait and
also for chum. Sometimes herring ant
hard crabs are used for bait.
The hook should be about two feet of
bottom. Although anglers use severa
. hooks the hook that gets tho most FISH
Is the one that Is near where the coz
swims in these waters, say, two fee
above bottom.
most essential thing is TO put tin
bait on the hook in n long drawn on
manner rather than in chunk. Som,
anglers go so far as to draw the skim
mer bait over the SHELL leaving som'
strings hanging. The idea OF leaving
the strings hanging Is that II tempts th:
cod TO suck the bait in.
Goldfish like a still bait. The man who
fishes for cod as he would for fluke. Jig
sing. stands very little chance Of get
ting cod, unless they are plentiful. Th'
cod likes to take the bait, feel 1t aht
when the flsh comes 10 the conclusion
that il is all right, It sucks 1t in. bal
that Ia moved. while the cod IL merel!
interested In the object, scares the flsl
away.
strange thing about cod Is that the,
usually come back to the same feedin
, grounds year after year and usual
about the same time. II is the wee
before Thank sgiving that the really BIZ
cod arrive and gladden. the heart O
the man who isn't afraid to 80 fishin
because OF the arrival OF winter