THE BLUE-FISH. 155 
men ; but the arms of the fisherman soon weary, and 
their hands, nnless protected by leather gloves, are often 
seriously lacerated. The fishing can hardly be said to 
begin till July, and continues till late in the Autumn ; 
the smaller fish are taken early. 
If cooked when just out of their native element, these 
fish are excellent, but they soon lose their flavor. They 
should be broiled, or split and nailed on a shingle and 
roasted quickly before a hot fire. 
Undoubtedly they could be taken with the trolling 
spoon, and a stout leader of double gut running on 
swivel traces attached to a dark hand-line would add 
greatly to the success. In fact, like all other fish, at 
times they are shy and must be fished for with fine 
tackle, and then the rod and line come into play. In 
fishing with a rod from a sailboat, the moment a fish is 
struck the sheet is eased ofi", the boat run up into the wind, 
and the fish killed at leisure ; if the boat were kept in 
motion, the strain would be too great for the rod and 
reel. 
One of the favorite haunts of blue-fish, although they 
frequent the entire length and breadth of the Great 
South Bay of Long Island, is Fire Island Inlet ; and 
there, of a bright summer day, may be seen congregated 
the white sails of fifty boats tossing about in the roll of 
the breakers, clustering together as the shoals collect, or 
scattering far out to sea in the hopes of better luck. 
There, when the wind blows, they may be seen under 
double reef, plunging along, throwing the spray from 
their bows, or, if a milder day, under full sail, generally 
a single one, sweeping over the quiet waters. Moderate 
