The sun., 1919-09-07
Hooked on Shallow Mud Flat
1t Pulled Rod From Ang-
ler's Hands.
FIRST OF FALL INVASION
Big Fish Should Increase as
Squeteague Drop Down From
Haunts in North.
BY w. III. BALLOU.


does at the boardwalk summer human
storage places. 1t means just the usual
Saturday Sunday collection of family
anglers, augmented somewhat by their
invited guests. There are only so many
rooms and so many boats. When these
are engaged, usually considerably in
advance, there is nothing left but the
gate for laggers The additional friends
mentioned are put to sleep In improvised
beds in boats tied at the wharf
AS for the outsider who always thinks
some one will vacate for his or her
benefit. there is nice row Of red cedar
trees up the avenue, under which one
can watch the stars-and fight what
ever winged enemies of man are scout
| ing for unscreened victims.
Over on the town wharf plaza atten-
ton was attracted by a crowd and EVIL
dent excitement about 80 in the MORN
ing. A number of autos with parties
had arrived, merely wanting boat and
bait for the day. Ordinarily there
would have been so such thing to fight
over.
Anglers Bid for Boat.
However. during the night an up-bay
captain had come in with his kicker
craft to earn a few honest bones on a
holiday. The mad autoists had sur
rounded him and were fercely bidding
| for his boat. All he expected was ten
| spot. but when a man said he was
hired, another objected and offered
twelve iron men. Instantly brisk bidding
| ensued.
When 1 arrived on the scene bids had
| reached the fancy sum of $25. Just
then a real roller rolled up in a lemon
zine that will never descend to the tin
| Lizzie class in a thousand years. The
ducat lined party inside caught on to the
situation quickly. He leaned out OF the
portfolio and yelled: Forty dollars Tor
| that boat! r.
silence fell on the bidders. The poor
captain promptly collapsed, and as he
staggered on deck with the unheard OF
price beating on his ear drums he whis-
narad softIy TO a bystander: I'll, l
would have sold him the boat for less
than that!"
And out on the wide flung Barnegat
Raw. from the tall and staggering light
| house at the Inlet. clear inland TO the
railway bridge at Seaside Park. there
were weakfish in ample quantities, my
| friends. running from 2.75 TO 10 pounds
| for all who angled.
From now on they should increase IN
numbers for several or more weeks
since anglers who go outside on the
ocean for prey report that the big fell
lows have begun to drop down from fur
| Their north on their way to no one knows
where in winter.
Lighthouse Weakfish Rendezvous
No honest weakfsh will proceed be-
yond the lighthouse until he has entered
the bay for q rest. Summer does not
end until the ed. and our falls OF late
wears have been hotter than our sum-
nners. Many moonlight nights are Just
emerging, and OH boy. what times are
coming on the shallow deeps OF the bay !
| Speaking of the staggering lighthouse.
the high fierce tides OF August have not
only swept away the defences which the
forces of the Government have been
erecting but have cut away all barriers
| to it's base Any one else will tell you
that the lighthouse has now only to lay
down fiat and bust up. Let us see
about that. The shaft Is round and is
1862 feet high. To an engineer that
means that its base of masoned rock eN-
tends fifty 1--WE feet below the surface
probably resting on solid rock.
| Now old ocean cannot exert the same
|
| OF rock that It can on mere sand. In
fact it's force is rendered almost NIL by
the rotundity. without any defences
whatever the lighthouse will be right
there a century hence my friends. take
| II from me- Other such structures else
where, with similar basal shafts on solid
rock, have stood the battering of the
mighty oceanic waves and tides un-
affected and 50 will this one.
Fight of 3 Foot weakhsh.
was peaceabiy fishing for blaclSfish
in a discovered section OF Mud Cha9pel
The water was shallow on a falling
tide, the blackfsh were hungry and ran
| uniformly at two pounds. motor boat
anchored thirty feet away was taking
only lafayettes and the man on board
was cussing because blaciIfish were SO
provincial.
Cheer up" said I. they have stopped
biting all OF a sudden"
Good" said he. you amt entitled
| to such fine goods II i can't get any
OF EN-"
There's a big fish around that has
scared them away" I countered. Cheer
up. They will be back in a minute"
az hope 1t is a stingray or a shark
he Missed Bin Just then my rod few
I out VI NY hdiAdSf bhN iuNhAN NobhhN III
the coiled rope. AS l grabbed it tho
| line shot under kedge rope and in a
minute thirty yards OF line had gone
and the reel was stiIi buZzing.
Nothing doing until I managed to pass
the rod under the Hedge rope and put a
brake on the reel. snubbing the fish.
"Ha, hal" yelled old jealousy, "a
shark. That ends your tackle :"
Successive runs followed and success
sive ceilings of the line on reel. Acres
OF muddy bottom lay around the boat
without a hazard for the big fish to
break line or hook on. By and by he
| came up TO the boat-a huge weakfish-
| then shot under the rowboat and away
! This time | passed the rod under the
boat while he was enjoying himself
"You don't say there is weakfsh here.
! in this shallow mud fiat, do your
gasped the next boat.
mo, ] don't say II. ! know it-now"
! Mr.. Weak came back to the boat. As
| attempted to put ueep landing net
under him he jumped out of water
and caught the big upper hook in the
netting. putting the reel out OF COM
mission, There was nothing else to do,
so / Just pulled him hand over hand
| into the landing net and brought him
and much tangled tackle aboard. He
had swallowed my smallest OF blacklist
hooks, steel smell and all.
Even in the boat he bit my thumb
| 4 al. l.