The Washington times., 1934-12-22

1911 OS spun VI ASoA do nAu'
lightest tackle commensurate t
The following letter, by a man
we know to be a real fisherman
seems to be a query for infor
nation and at the same time
the chance for a lot of clean ar.
gu;nent.
Seth Briggs, fishing editor OF
Field and Stream, is looking for
an explanation of the same sub
ject in his February number
which will be on the newsStand'
January Is. Read his "Tales o1
Record Fish"
If you have any ideas on the
subject of this greatest of all
small sport fish, let us have them
by answering the questions at the
top of this column.
Sirs:
"What circumstances prevent
the catching of bluefish, by
trolling on the surface of Chesa-
peake Bay?"
Question Arises
For your information, the above
question has arisen through the
writer's correspondence with Seth
Briggs, nationally known fishing
editor of Field and Stream Maya
zine. Mr.. Briggs in reply to my
letter says:
'It is indeed unfortunate that
a fish as sporty and game as
the bluefish has to be taken in
the manner you describe. In all
my years of experience with
this fish / have never heard of
such a method used by anglers
anywhere. Up here (Long
Island) we take them by troll
ing on the surface land by
chumming) at about five miles
per hour, trolling. Your method
is a reversal of natural cOndi-
tiOns. By that 1 mean the blue
fish is a surface feeder, seldom,
if ever, feeding on the bottom,
so where is the advantage Of
going down deep for them? Why
should the fishing in your
waters be any different than up
here or other places where the
bluefish is found? / am able
to see my bait practically all
of the time as it slips along be-
hind the boat. I even use a
small wooden plane to keep it
on the surface and in sight
most of the time. The. question
you put forth would indeed
make a very interesting article
for my department sometime.
If you can find the reason for
the peculiar method used, 1 will
appreciate it very much if you
will send same to me-"
The first impulse of the fish
when hooked is to rise to his ma,
tural haunts, the surface, and
usually at terrific speed. Make a
mental picture if you can of the
heavy lead dangling down three
feet from his jaws and what that
has to do with cramping his style
of fighting as he alone foc his size
has no equal, pound for pound.
Giving him better chance with
no lead on the surface is fairer
and the action in return that he
gives you is we'll worth the effort
to find the reason that makes this
method almost impossible and still
get results. A fish fighting the
sinker is a case for a strong man,
dragging them in and usually in
a half drowned condition.
Weight of Fish
Take the weight of the b1uefish
as we find him in the bay; many
are taken that weigh up to eight
pounds in the early spring and
late fall, but above three pounds
are by far in the minority. One
pound of lead. sometimes more,
on the wind and tide
almost half the weight of the fish
in lead for the most expensive
fishing on the bay. Trolling on the
surface as it is done in other
parts of the Atlantic, and bring
ing the boat to a complete stop
after the fish has made its strike
is a sport that is something to
write home about. What real cir
cumStances prevent this method
on Chesapeake BaV?
Some anglers will say that they
have taken them on the surface
many times. This is true but only
in part, in fact only occasionally
is this done in comparison with
deep trolling. 1t is a common prac-
tice to continue the deep trolling
when the fish have been sighted
and are breaking by the acre. 1t
is always the practice to troll deep
when they are not breaking.
Nature has its own laws Of