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often take a white-fly fastened to the line above the bait, 

 and used in bait-fishing not fly-fishing. King-fish are 

 essentially bottom fish, and have a small sucker-like 

 mouth, which can only swallow a small hook and bait ; 

 they are found on oyster beds which they no doubt 

 explore for food. Once hooked, although they pull hard, 

 they can rarely escape on account of the leathery nature 

 of their lips unless the hooks break. They must be 

 tished tor close to the bottom. Many persons use a 

 sinker on the end of the line with the hook or gut leader 

 fastened six inches above, but we prefer a float and 

 sinker and two hooks on leaders below the latter. By 

 this rig, more space can be covered. Weak-fish, on the 

 other hand, are mid- water fish, and have large mouths 

 and soft jaws. For them, it is well to use a large 

 Carlyle hook of fine steel with a round bend, a float and 

 pinker, with but a short distance between them, and 

 fine leaders of gut. Both of these fish like shedder crab, 

 and at times will take the belly or soft part of the clam, 

 when they will refuse the tougher portion usually used. 

 The king-fish is always and everywhere rather scarce, 

 but the weak-fish, was once taken in New York harbor 

 in immense numbers and is so taken in Barnegat Bay. 

 The first of flood tide, is usually preferred as the time 

 for catching all salt water fish, but this is not a univer- 

 sal rule and often they will only bite on the first of the 

 ebb, but if they bite on neither, it is useless to fish 

 " between times." 



