Current Conunetits. 



317 



*' Don't go. I know where there is a 

 thing that we can catch these shy 

 fellows with. Last Summer John N — 

 of Newark, was here, and he caught 

 bass when everybody else was skimked. 

 He used a ' go devil. 



"A what!" shouted both young 

 fellows at once. 



"Yes! I said 'go devil,' that's what 

 John called it. He always stops over 

 at my cousin's, and when he left he 

 gave this thing to young Bill. I'll go 

 over there to-night and get it. It's just 

 over the lake from our house. " 



The curiosity of the young fellows 

 was aroused, and having in reality no 

 where else specially to spend that third 

 day, they made up their minds to 

 remain over and try their new con- 

 trivance. That night over the lake 

 rowed the guide, and upon his return 

 had with him this most successful fish 

 delusion, at least for the big-mouth 

 bass of Swartzwood Lake. 



What was it '' One of the young 

 fellows described it to me. Here it is. 

 A cigar-shaped bit of wood, stumpy for 

 its length, which was 3^ inches. The 

 blunt end of the wood was separated 

 from the other part and revolved upon 

 an iron pin which held the two pieces 

 together. This revolving end was a 

 scant inch in length. On each side was 

 a bit of galvanized iron. These bits of 

 iron were placed where the two pieces 

 of wood joined. At the small end of 

 the cigar-shaped wood was a bit of gut, 

 to which was fastened a triple-pointed 

 hook, or rather three hooks with a single 

 eye. Then at the spot of the two bits 

 of wood coming together and on the 

 longer bit of wood was placed on either 

 side a hook of the same kind. All the 

 work was done by casting. A cast 

 being made, the " go devil " was reeled 

 in quickly. The two little wire pro- 



jectives whirled around rapidly, creating 

 quite a churning of the water. Was it 

 successful ? Ask those two young 

 fellows. They only fished in early 

 morning and just as the light began to 

 dim a little in the evening. Such sport 

 was never seen. The bass were (at 

 that time) feeding in the shallows or 

 along the stony shore where the depth 

 of the water was not much over, if any, 

 a foot. Swish through the air would 

 swing the "go devil." When the reel 

 began to sing and the "go devil" 

 splash, a rush would come, and then a 

 strike. The work became on that day 

 simply murder. They came back with 

 fourteen bass that weighed in the 

 aggregate 37 pounds. Were they 

 handsome ? The writer can truly note 

 that they were. He saw them the next 

 day on their arrival from Swartzwood 

 in a box packed with ice and long fresh 

 grass, at the home of one of the young 

 fellows. But right on the top of the 

 fish lay that murderous device which 

 had proved so terribly destructive to 

 the big-mouth bass, the "go devil." 



A few days ago visitors to the beach 

 at Coney Island were treated to an 

 event out of the common, and one that 

 caused no end of excitement. At the 

 same time it was a source of profit as 

 well as of pleasure to those who hap- 

 pened to be present at the time. Every 

 one who knows anything about salt 

 water fishing is aware what a blood- 

 thirsty pirate is the bluefish. Not 

 being satisfied to eat to satiety, it will, 

 even after the appetite is satisfied, just 

 bite and bite at smaller fish, seemingly 

 to gratify simply the taste for blood. 

 The occasion referred to was one of this 

 kind where the fierce desires of the 

 murderous bluefish drove shoals of the 

 smaller ones right up to the sands, 



