Evening star., 1939-07-09
Marlin Fishing Season
Opens in Ocean City

| lliC llIl CicSbS W Sbl lhE.
It's as if he could see you wanted
some shut-eye. as if he knew you got
up too early and wanted a snooze.
1t always has seemed to me that
every time I dozed off there was ac-
ton, although, of course, it was far
from So However, you'll be doing
and nodding in your fishing chair,
with the captains injunction to
watch those bats" completely for
gotten.
Suddenly you'll snap out of it with
one of those eck-breaking Jerks.
There he is the captain will say.
See him out there behind your
bait You'll look and look and you
won't see anything.
There he is again. whispers the
skipper, although there isn't any
need for quiet. And suddenly you
see him, just at the moment he
| comes across 5 feet of water in a
slashing rush to hit that squid an
awful smack right in the middle of
the body
Down comes your line from the
| towering outrigger. The captain
says, Free spool" and you are all
thumbs trying to find the gadget
which throws the reel into free spool.
You find it in time and the line runs
out.
Now he has it. strike him." yells
the skipper. You throw the dog
and strike him hard; half dozen
times. Out of the ocean 125 feet
astern, comes shimmering. rides
cent beauty, 6 feet long. his bill high
In the air, his tail shattering the
oceanic stiffness with multiple beat.
If he's so inclined he'll "tail-walk"
along the top of wave for 25 feet,
There's no finer sight in all fishing
than this stunt.
But you'll be plenty busy. Care
full YOU don't let him have any
slack" warns the captain And
don't tighten up on that drag"
You'll have an almost irresistible
/ temptation to tighten up AS you find
the line vanishing alarmingly from
your reelspool and the fish going
away from there. You'll think he's
halfway to Europe and that you'll
never be able to stop that first rush.
But if you tighten up on the drag,
you may break the line. Captains
have name for it. It's dumbness,
and usually they tell you about it.
The marlin will stop-after
while. Then he'll start jumping
again. After II or Is of these glori-
Gus leaps, he'll settle down to a little
steady pulling. Then the skipper
will tell you how to pump" him.
Some captains prefer long pump"
by elevating the rod-tip and sud-
denly dropping it while you reel in
the slack which develops in the line.
Others prefer the short pump"
claiming it kills the fish more quick
ly. But you'll pump, anyhow. The
minutes roll by and the sweat rolls
off. II it is cool out there on the
! ocean. you'll sweat anyhow. The ex-
element and the hard work will
make YOU perSpire. After a while
your left hand will fee numb. your
left forearm will feel as if a rock
! fell on IT, and YOU can't work any
more You're letting him get YOU"
says the skipper. Work him hard"
AS If you weren't giving him all
you had.
Put your back into it." the cap
tain will say Your back will feel
as if it had parted company with
your legs.
Keeps Fighting Spirit.
But somehow you'll get him in.
He'll come up to the boat sWerving
from side to side. still fighting. You
may get what they call a boat
jump within 10 feet of the stern.
That's a great spot to lose a fish.
You won't be looking for a jump,
and the marlin may get a little
slack. If he isn't we'll hooked. he'll
shake it out. and you'll be all full
of disappointment. And let down.
But we won't 60 into that. It's too
tragic
Pull him around this way" the
captain will say. while he dons long
cotton gloves, to protect his arms
and hands from the rough marlin
bill, Suddenly he reaches over thu
side, grabs the marlin by the bill
and yanks him over the gunwale.
smacking him over the head with
club to stun him.
Want to keep him?" he asks.
Sure you answer. He'll look fine
in my den"
Then the skipper hauls off and
gives him good wallop with the
''persuader" and yanks him into
the cockpit. careful not to break his
delicate fin You look down at your
marlin, all green and blue and gold,
and you feel a pardonable pride in
your achievement as the skipper
looks at his mouth. He was we'll
hooked" he says. Right in the
lower jaw. See that hook. He
couldn't have shaken that out But
you couldn't take chance with
that baby, He was too precious,
And now you really do feel quivery.
Mice going, fellow" your pal will
tell you. And you'll feel that you
did all right, too. That marlin will
look pretty good mounted over the
mantel in the den.
And you can lie about how he
fought and how you struggled for
hours to land him. "Thirty-tWo
minutes" the mate sings out. But
you'll swear it was four hours. And
after bit you'll want to go below
deck and lie down. You'll be pretty
tired.
But before the day is over, If
you're around the Jackspot when
the marlin run is on, you won't stop
at one.
Didn't you come out here to
catch marGn?" the skipper will ask
when you say you've had enough.
Sure" you'll say. as you try to
close those aching fingers. And
sure enough. as certain as another
fish hits your bait, you'll 90 after