﻿2G8 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [52] 
  

  

  strong 
  and 
  durable 
  and 
  will 
  last 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  unless, 
  of 
  course, 
  a 
  hook 
  

   may 
  be 
  lost 
  by 
  the 
  parting 
  of 
  a 
  line. 
  

  

  Hand-lines 
  for 
  ground 
  fish. 
  — 
  The 
  band-lines 
  used 
  by 
  tbe 
  boat 
  fishermen 
  

   who 
  catch 
  the 
  smaller 
  species 
  of 
  market 
  fishes 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  primi- 
  

   tive 
  in 
  their 
  character. 
  The 
  line 
  is 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  the 
  largest 
  

   kind 
  of 
  mackerel 
  lines, 
  made 
  of 
  white 
  cotton 
  and 
  usually 
  about 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  

   fathoms 
  long. 
  To 
  one 
  end 
  is 
  attached 
  a 
  small 
  kirbybeud 
  hook 
  (about 
  

   the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  No. 
  16 
  central- 
  draught 
  hook), 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  ganging 
  being 
  

   simply 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  clove-hitches 
  taken 
  with 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  around 
  

   the 
  shank 
  of 
  the 
  hook. 
  Some 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  hook 
  the 
  sinker 
  is 
  

   bent 
  on, 
  this 
  being 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  lead 
  without 
  any 
  special 
  shape 
  and 
  weigh- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  half 
  pound 
  or 
  more, 
  with 
  one 
  end 
  flattened 
  and 
  a 
  hole 
  bored 
  in 
  it 
  

   to 
  admit 
  a 
  short 
  becket, 
  the 
  other 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  bent 
  to 
  the 
  line. 
  Each 
  

   man 
  generally 
  uses 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  lines. 
  

  

  Bruiser. 
  — 
  Clubs 
  for 
  killing 
  the 
  larger 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  carried, 
  

   these 
  implements 
  being 
  locally 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  "bruisers." 
  

   Their 
  shape 
  and 
  function 
  are 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  kill- 
  

   ers" 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  cod 
  and 
  halibut 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  Bait. 
  — 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  baiting 
  the 
  hooks 
  for 
  kingfish 
  is 
  peculiar, 
  and 
  

   admirably 
  adapted 
  to 
  this 
  fishery. 
  It 
  may 
  first 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  

   boat 
  reaches 
  the 
  ground 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  pork 
  rind, 
  or 
  a 
  cotton 
  rag 
  — 
  anything 
  

   in 
  fact 
  that 
  looks 
  white 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  — 
  is 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  hooks 
  until 
  some 
  

   fish 
  are 
  caught, 
  and 
  it 
  occasionally 
  happens 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  lure 
  may 
  answer 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  tolerably 
  well. 
  The 
  devices 
  sometimes 
  resorted 
  to 
  for 
  pro- 
  

   viding 
  a 
  lure, 
  when 
  a 
  boat 
  first 
  reaches 
  the 
  fishing 
  ground, 
  were 
  rather 
  

   graphically 
  set 
  forth 
  by 
  a 
  boatman 
  of 
  whom 
  I 
  asked 
  the 
  question, 
  "What 
  

   bait 
  do 
  you 
  use 
  before 
  you 
  catch 
  any 
  fish 
  ?" 
  " 
  Oh, 
  anything 
  we 
  happen 
  

   to 
  have," 
  he 
  replied 
  ; 
  " 
  sometimes 
  pork 
  rind, 
  a 
  white 
  rag, 
  or 
  something 
  

   else 
  that 
  looks 
  white. 
  This 
  trip 
  I 
  took 
  his 
  stockings" 
  (pointing 
  to 
  his 
  

   shipmate, 
  a 
  lad 
  of 
  seventeen 
  or 
  eighteen 
  years), 
  " 
  and 
  first 
  rate 
  bait 
  

   they 
  made, 
  too. 
  The 
  fish 
  bit 
  fast, 
  and 
  we 
  caught 
  nearly 
  thirty 
  before 
  

   we 
  had 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  any 
  other 
  bait." 
  

  

  The 
  bait 
  commonly 
  used 
  after 
  fishing 
  has 
  begun 
  is 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  

   kingfish, 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  flayed 
  during 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  furnish 
  a 
  

   supply. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  fish 
  in 
  transverse 
  triangular 
  sections, 
  each 
  

   bait 
  being 
  6 
  or 
  7 
  inches 
  loug 
  and 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  inches 
  wide 
  at 
  its 
  broadest 
  end. 
  

   Two 
  slits 
  are 
  cut 
  in 
  each 
  bait, 
  one 
  near 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  triangle 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  nearly 
  in 
  the 
  middle. 
  The 
  hook 
  is 
  then 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  

   hole 
  nearest 
  the 
  end 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  — 
  the 
  upper 
  slit 
  is 
  pushed 
  up 
  

   tke^hank 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  the 
  hook 
  — 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  that 
  when 
  

   being 
  towed 
  the 
  bait 
  folds 
  together, 
  showing 
  only 
  the 
  silvery 
  iridescent 
  

   hues 
  of 
  the 
  outside 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  skin, 
  and 
  resembling 
  in 
  appearance 
  

   some 
  small 
  fish 
  as 
  it 
  goes 
  skipping 
  along 
  at 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  bait 
  most 
  generally 
  preferred 
  by 
  the 
  "single-day" 
  fishermen, 
  

   who 
  catch 
  the 
  small 
  bottom-feeding 
  species, 
  is 
  cray 
  fish. 
  Next 
  to 
  this 
  

  

  