The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-02-27

bluefish, that wouldn't take il
or on top.
We have had numerous opin-
ions, from Florida to Long Island,
but not one that we feel answers
the question as to why top feed
ing bluefish will take the lure
far below the surface and refuse
to touch it when at the surface
in the midst Of the bait they are
feeding on.
Don't Spoil Days Sport
If you must have fish, get them
anyway you can, but if it is for
sport that you take day off
from work and spend $12 or SIS
for boat, don't spoil it by using
the pound of lead that is the
general practice in the CheSa-
peake Bay section. If you were
going quail shooting you wouldn't
shoot at a bird that for some
reason or other was unable to get
off the ground. Neither, we feel,
should you fight bluefish for
the sport that has enough lead
hung from his mouth to anchor
him.
Chesapeake Bay is the only
place that we know of that this
method is used. On the Jersey
coast the block-tin Belmar squid
is used to good advantage. 1t is
much heavier than the Hunting
ton or Pfluger spoons used here,
thus riding much deeper.
The only other salt water
fishing that has come to our at
tention where lead is used is on
the Pacific coast from Seattle to
Alaska. There as much as eight
pounds is used in the salmon fish
ing in the open sea to get the
bait down to the fish. You can
see at once that this eliminates
the use of almost any kind Of a
rod.
Question Unanswered
The question is still left open
and we will be glad to hear Of
anything that might seem to offer
a solution or a correction.
Before leaving the bluefish, we
would like to call to your atten-
ton some facts in regards to the
record bluefish caught in the past
few years and entered in the Field
and Streams fishing contests.
Seth Briggs says that the worlds
record bluefish, caught on rod and
reel, weighed Is pounds. 1t has
stood mere so years, since June
Is, 1874. Something to think
about.
Now here is tip to column read.
ers. Bring your largest fish home
this coming summer and enter
them in the annual Field and
Stream contest. Details are in
every issue of the magazine. Don't
wait for a particularly large one
or you might lose out. Figure out
the above averages. They are in
tereSting in view of the fact that
nine and ten pound blues are
not at all uncommon in Chesa-
peake Bay. Last September, two
were taken off Point Lookout that
weighed IA and 16 pounds. Al
though we didn't see them the
information come from an au-
thenic source. Note that they
would have placed one and two
in the contest and would have
been worth in fine tackle of your
own choosing, just $50. Is that
worth thinking about? Why not
try it next year?
Distressing, Indeed!
Can it, indeed, be the truth
that Maryland is in such stress
that monies from a dedicated fund
must be turned back to the gen.
eral treasury. Washington helps
materially to supply these funds
which should be used only for the
protection and propagation of
game in the State of Maryland
as the law says. A report of the
Maryland Game Commission says
in part:
Regarding the Budget, and
not referring to the abolish
ment Of the positions of State
game warden and chief deputy
game warden, it is very un-
fortunate for the sportSmen of
this State that such action is
requested through the budget,
as same reduces the salaries