﻿[53] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  2G9 
  

  

  minnows— 
  locally 
  called 
  "sardines" 
  — 
  are 
  deemed 
  the 
  most 
  attractive, 
  

   while 
  conchs 
  are 
  used 
  when 
  more 
  desirable 
  material 
  is 
  not 
  obtainable. 
  

  

  Methods 
  of 
  fishing. 
  — 
  When 
  a 
  boat 
  engaged 
  in 
  kingfishing 
  reaches 
  the 
  

   locality 
  where 
  operations 
  are 
  to 
  begin, 
  she 
  is 
  sailed 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  in 
  

   various 
  directions, 
  towing 
  two 
  lines 
  which 
  trail 
  behind, 
  the 
  baited 
  

   hooks 
  skipping 
  along 
  on 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  water's 
  surface. 
  The 
  inner 
  ends 
  

   of 
  these 
  lines 
  are 
  fastened 
  on 
  the 
  boat's 
  quarter, 
  nearly 
  abreast 
  of 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  cockpit, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  convenient 
  to 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishermen. 
  Two 
  other 
  drails, 
  baited 
  and 
  ready 
  to 
  be 
  thrown 
  out, 
  are 
  

   kept 
  in 
  the 
  boat, 
  and 
  the 
  moment 
  that 
  a 
  fish 
  is 
  pulled 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   "relief 
  lines" 
  (as 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  abetter 
  name) 
  is 
  thrown 
  

   out, 
  so 
  that 
  two 
  lines 
  are 
  always 
  kept 
  towing. 
  If 
  it 
  were 
  practicable 
  

   to 
  use 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  drails, 
  perhaps 
  many 
  more 
  fish 
  might 
  be 
  

   taken; 
  but 
  for 
  various 
  reasons 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  done. 
  The 
  kingfish 
  is 
  

   exceedingly 
  active, 
  and 
  when 
  hooked 
  will 
  dart 
  about 
  like 
  a 
  flash 
  in 
  va- 
  

   rious 
  directions, 
  unless 
  he 
  is 
  immediately 
  hauled 
  in. 
  Thus, 
  if 
  fish 
  should 
  

   strike 
  several 
  lines 
  that 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  pulled 
  in 
  at 
  the 
  moment, 
  the 
  re- 
  

   sult 
  would 
  be 
  their 
  almost 
  inextricable 
  entanglement, 
  a 
  consequent 
  

   waste 
  of 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  possible 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  gear. 
  Another 
  rea- 
  

   son 
  why 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  lines 
  cannot 
  be 
  used 
  is 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  school 
  

   of 
  kingfish 
  are 
  found 
  they 
  bite 
  very 
  fast 
  and 
  with 
  extreme 
  voracity, 
  and 
  

   at 
  such 
  times 
  all 
  the 
  boats 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  collect 
  together 
  and 
  sail 
  side 
  

   by 
  side, 
  at 
  very 
  short 
  distances 
  from 
  each 
  other. 
  One 
  untended 
  line 
  

   might 
  foul 
  the 
  gear 
  of 
  several 
  other 
  boats 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   fleet 
  might 
  be 
  thrown 
  into 
  confusion. 
  Whenever 
  kingfish 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  

   abundance 
  a 
  boat 
  stands 
  along, 
  and 
  the 
  men 
  keep 
  themselves 
  busily 
  en- 
  

   gaged 
  in 
  pulling 
  in 
  the 
  large, 
  vigorous, 
  and 
  gamy 
  fish, 
  until 
  the 
  latter 
  

   cease 
  biting, 
  when 
  the 
  smackee 
  is 
  tacked 
  and 
  returns 
  along 
  the 
  same 
  

   track 
  she 
  has 
  just 
  passed 
  over. 
  And 
  thus 
  she 
  continues 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  until 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  exhausted 
  or 
  cease 
  biting. 
  

  

  It 
  sometimes 
  happens 
  that 
  a 
  good 
  fare, 
  200 
  to 
  250 
  fish, 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  

   in 
  a 
  single 
  day, 
  and 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  often 
  large, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  unusual 
  for 
  

   the 
  boats 
  to 
  be 
  absent 
  several 
  days, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  a 
  w 
  T 
  eek. 
  

   It 
  will, 
  however, 
  be 
  readily 
  understood 
  that 
  other 
  causes 
  besides 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  offish 
  may 
  materially 
  influence 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  a 
  boat's 
  absence 
  

   from 
  port. 
  For 
  instance, 
  with 
  calm 
  weather, 
  or 
  with 
  a 
  heavy 
  head 
  

   wind 
  it 
  may 
  occasionally 
  take 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  fishing 
  ground 
  

   off 
  Sombrero 
  Key, 
  and 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  after 
  arriving 
  there 
  

   is 
  very 
  much 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  weather, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  

   strength 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  and 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  whether 
  clear 
  or 
  not. 
  

   Again, 
  the 
  kingfish 
  is 
  reputed 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  capricious 
  about 
  biting, 
  and 
  

   though 
  it 
  generally 
  takes 
  the 
  hook 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  eagerness, 
  there 
  

   are 
  times 
  when 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  bite 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  ; 
  at 
  least 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   caught 
  in 
  sufficient 
  numbers 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  profitable 
  to 
  fish 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  After 
  spending 
  the 
  day 
  in 
  fishing, 
  the 
  boat 
  heads 
  for 
  Key 
  West 
  to 
  

   market 
  its 
  catch, 
  or 
  runs 
  in 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  anchors 
  under 
  the 
  shelter 
  of 
  

  

  