New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-12
One of the Fish | Didn't Catch;
Ben Franh<lin's Story Modernized

for the biggest cod or haddock
caught during the season and $50
for the biggest in each month, but
there was nothing about swordfish.
We didn't have q chance to ask why
hat wos because some one said
there was going to be such a big
crowd it would be a good idea to
grab onto a place at the rail. We
got a seat alongside of man with
an old, gray sweater and a pipe
that showed no signs of feebleness
despite its years.
A Friendly Fisherman
He was a friendly man and we
were pleased to be next to him and
pick up information until he said
ne had won the pool for the biggest
fish the day before and three times
before within q week. We looked
around for another stool, but they
were all taken by then.
Pretty soon a boy came along
dragging basket behind him and
yelling:
Goal hogs, the best bait. Coal
hogs! Only few more left here.
Coal hogs, the best bait" ~"
1t seemed strange as we'll as an
expensive thing to feed fish either
coal or hogs, but we determined to
get nothing but the best, whatever
was recommended, even to the finest
anthracite and pork tenderloin.
When the boy got to US it turned
out that what he really had was
quahogs, which differed from clans
only in that they were 40 cents a
dozen, whereas clans were free.
From what we could gather from
the boy the quahog is a sort of a
vampy clam, or clammy vamp, hav-
ing the power to make any fish leave
home. He intimated that when u.s.
ing this bait it was necessary to
stop frequently to rest ones arms
from the strain Of hauling in the
fish. !!
We took only two dozen qua
hogs, being but mildly interested
t. in cod, although the boy said that
swordfish, too, have a highly de-
veloped quahog complex. The man
with the pipe took ordinary clans,
probably wishing to give the fish a
sporting chance.
On the way out of the harbor
the mate sold chances in the days
pools. 1t seemed the thing to do,
go we invested. Then we had to
rent an oilskin apron that was nee
essary if one was to do any leaning
against the bulwarks in pulling in
ones fish. There was also a de-
post Of rs cents on ones line. The
use of the scales in weighing the
fish, however, the mate said, was
free.
Bats of Various Kinds
The trip out was spent in opening
bait. With clans and quahogs,
this is done with a knife. With bait
brought from home in suitcases,
the obsolescent corkscrew returns to
favor. There was some talk about
the three-mile limit. In Boston har-
Dor, apparently, this comes unusual
ly close to the shore Channel buoys
are better than umpires az bottle
targets.
The man with the pipe said it
was fine day for fishing, as it
started to rain and grew foggy.
We thought perhaps it might get
80 that the fish wouldn't be able to
see the boat, much less the qua
hogs; but the man said no. He
said, too. that the quahog has we'll
developed biceps with which to
clamp it's shell together very
tightly.
We already knew that, though,
because when we got our first qua
hog pried open little we started
to pull him the rest pf the way with
cur fingers. We only started. The
man with the pipe told Us about the
biceps as he cut in and persuaded
the quahog to loosen up. We expert
mented and found we could still
hold the line with the two good
Anglers left on that hand.
The fog, which had been about the
consistency Of, cay, cream Of Gallery
soup, thickensd to something close.
U = I'M