The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-06

ROCKPORT. Mass, April 3.-Your homesick reporter
went fishing today in the Wilmington of Massachusetts,
and is happy to inform doubling Thomases, that the folks
at home, and their hungry %neighbors dined on a variety OF
bluefish, mackerel, haddock, etc., and the cat is happily
asleep now after consuming the best part Of a sand shark
We motored back to Boston as darkness approach
ed with a car full of briny creatures, plus the wife,
who from now on will let us rub elbows with other
anglers alone, and not tag along.
Rockport is in Gloucester, and is not a pretty place, but
Is positively a fishing paradise. The old houses and streets
play second fiddle to the party boats and. schooners that
dot nearly every backyard. And the kids in Gloucester
learn to love fishing at an early age, or they get sent to
some awful place. like Harvard or Yale, for instance.
We arrived after an absence of six years, fully ex-
pecting someone on the piers to recognize US, but no
such luck, and we had to pay full price. A 3O-foot craft
takes the incoming throngs out to a schooner that IS
= anchored some Is miles off the coast right over a
school of pollock (blues.)
The schooner of course, has been out there for most
Of the night and at 9: 80 A. M. when we arrived there were
about 100 anglers hauling up the prize catches as fast as
they could pull in their lines.
The scuttle-run boat removes anyone who has had
100 enough, or has run out of beer, and returns to the
: mainland to pick up some more folks who have LAID
= down their three bucks. =.
We remained aboard the schooner until noon, and quit
with several hundred pounds of fish fanciest haul being
& 10 pound mackerel. The tackle, which costs an additional
dollar, consists of a line. sinker, and hook. No pole or reel,
Because the darned fish are too plentiful. That seems to
be the only fault with the waters here.
There is really no sport, for a wait OF III minutes
So between strikes is unusually long. The schooner skip
= per, a colorful old seaman by the name OF Guilty Sark
(no relation to the Scotch) admitted that his lieuten-
= ants occasionally anchored over a school so large that
~ all sport was lost.
"Tt's not too good for business. People like to fight a
Httle for their fish" he said. "But, in another month the
Is,na will be here, and therell be plenty of sport"
Actually, everyone here seemed to feel that April
: was one of the poorest times to fish off the New Eng
: land coast, yet no one had less than 10 good looking
go specimen at his feet.
ut seems to be even better in January, through the
fce." Sark said, as he flung chunk of squib at the squean-
ish wife (ours) for bait. Sometimes we arrive this TAR out
It dawn, and there doesn't seem to be a blasteo OH OIL lie
under the surface. But, for an hour we'll toss food out,
while we wait for the first gang to be brought aboard, and
hy that time, they're biting"
We asked him about tuna, with the thoughts OF
: Wilmington and the tuna drive down there, ana N
> picturesque captain said the big boys would be off the
- Mass. coast late this month. From what TINS writer
had heard, they were expected to pass the Carohnas IN
: May, enroute north, and we said So:
Sonny, I amt arguing with you, oarK gfowleo saI-
.astically. "But I caught one myself last April %, and ne
vas over 300 pounds. So he either got by the Nortn
Carolina coast before May, or he came over from Norway.
Sark (that isn't his real name, but everyone aboard
calls him that, and he signs his name 1men nnat t; whyy r s.d
ed while we told him about the SENCbA 1lsn1ng rooeo
= this wear with its SIS, 900 prize list.
GIVE never fished below Cape Hatteras, save for one
fling at Miami waters" he told us, "But I heard of the
rodeo last year in Wilmington, and you certainly shoulo
draw some crowds, for It's a fine idea"
Sark became busy when someone sighted another
schooner nearby. He began to curse, and as the wlte>s
ears picked up in interest for the first time, we chased
her onto the taxi-craft, and took leave OF the 1lsnlhg
throngs.
Home now, after spreading our deep sea fortunes
among the neighbors, it's still easy to see the story-book
type captain aboard his beloved schooner. incidentally, we
took the liberty of inviting him to visit Wilmington at
rodeo time. but since he's never done it before it's doubt
ful if he'll journey south this summer, or fall.
But, this we can say. If there were 5OO 1olks
fishing aboard the large schooner, $50 heard about
Wilmington, the sport fishing, and the rodeo. And not
49, few were mighty interested.
81 Moonwhi1a We'ra ready for COWle ANYTIME.