Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-16
HERE'S GOOD NEWS
FOR SEA FISHERS
Catches in Pound Nets Show
Anglers Can Start Earlier
This Year
FOUNDERS ARE PLENTIFUL
BY w. f. MEEHAN
Superintendent Of the Fuirmount Park
Aquarium

]
Aquarium
Nothing definite can be given yet con.
cerning the results Of the opening OF
the trout season yesterday In this state,
as at the time this is written the dis
patches from the different counties have
not begun to arrive.
Nevertheless indications are that
large number of fishermen were out. and
it is reasonably certain good catches
we're made. Nothing in the weather con-
ditions throughout the week occurred
either to put the streams in bad shape
or 10 cause the trout to cease feeding,
Memorial Day has come to he looked
upon as the opening day for nearly all
kinds of sea fishing, although as mat
ter of fact, in three years out OF four
there are some fish to be had week or
two before that date. This year, ac-
cording to reliable reports, the season
will have a successful opening at least
two or three weeks earlier.
In the last two weeks many favorite
angling sea water fishes have found
their way into the pound nets, some in
considerable abundance. Croakers have
been fairly numerous. and summer
founders almost as plentiful. There
have also been sea ba"s. striped bass,
kinGtsh and few. very few, weak
fish.
1t has been observed that not more
than two or three weeks after the sum-
mer resort fishes are found in the pound
nets, they get down to the business of
trying conclusions with hook and line,
and so unless there are some violent
weather changes lasting for about a
fortnight, the big contingent of anglers
who prefer salt to fresh water fishing
can confidently start their regular pil-
grimagcs to the shore either on the lst
or Sth of May, these two days being
Sunday.
Taking the Hook
Already some of the fishes named
have taken the hook and been caught.
On Thursday OF last week during the
heavy northeastcr three croakers were
caught with hook and line by one fish
erman on Goung's Pier, Atlantic City,
and one was caught from the same
pier on Monday. There Is also a report
that kingfish was caught by an an
gler fishing from the Boardwalk between
Nentnor and Margate
All the members Of the croaker fam
lily. which includes the croakers, the
weakfsh the kingtish, the silver whit
ing sometimes enormously called
hakel. the spot or Cape May goode, the
mademoisele or sandtish, the black and
red drum, are all visitors, spending the
winter in Southern waters, and only
come north when the temperature be-
comes too lgh for comfort.
Usually the first of the family to ap-
pear is the kingfsh. 1t is followed
closely by the spot and croaker. The
weaktish is next and the two drums last.
The pOrgie. which generally appears
early in June, Is also a visitor from
Southern waters. but the summer
founder, the sea bass and its cousin. the
striped bass, are residents that 60 into
deeper water off the coast or bury
themselves in the sand or mud in the
bays. The tautog or slippery bass, Il
New England sea fish transplanted to
the New Jersey coast, may also now be
considered a resident, for it does not
depart in the autumn, but lies dormant
in deep water through the winter in
the locality where it spends the summer.
}. r. Fenton's Catch
Under the circumstances, with the
weather conditions as they have been,
and the early appearance of several of
the members of the croaker family. the
are now biting with some freedom will
cause no surprise. More than 100 are
reported to have been taken from Cor
sons Inlet. Townsend ) Inlet and Great
Bay within the last ten days.
j. P. Fenton, a Philadelphian, is said
to have taken thirty five in one day.
IL is true the report OF Mr.. Fenton's
catch did not designate the species,
whether thev were both summer and
winter founders or all the first named,
but some at least are known to have
been summer founders.
Winter founders have been biting for
some weeks and will continue to do so
for three or four weeks more, when
most Of them will seek comfort in the
coolest bottoms they can find and remain
there more or less quieScent until later
next autumn. This Is because the win
ter founder is northern species with
the New Jersey coast as the southern
limit Of its range.
There Is one curious fact concerning
the members OF the founder family. 1t
is that when the little founder first
emergeS frJm the egg, 1t swims upright
the same as any other fish. After II Is
few days Old, however, it begins to
tilt over on its side, To the right or TO
the left, according to the tribe TO which
It belongs. The summer founder tits
to the right the winter to the left.
While this is going on, the bones on
the top part of the head begin to twist
over TO the side opposite to thar in
which the fish is fitting, carrying with it
at the same time an eye. Finally the
fish is resting on one side and both
eyes are on the other side of the head.