FISHES OF NEW YORK 447 



This is one of the most destructive of all fishes. It feeds 

 ravenously, and, when gorged with food, continues to destroy 

 its victims for the sake of gratifying its killing propensity. It 

 follows the great schools of alewives, weakfish, mullets and 

 other valuable food fishes along our coast in summer, and the 

 young may be discovered in shallow bays and sounds pursuing 

 the silversides, young herring, anchovies and other fishes smaller 

 than themselves. According to De Kay bluefish were unknown 

 on the New York coast till about 1810, when a few appeared. 

 In 1815 Dr Mitchill wrote: ''Young ones are taken plentifully 

 with the hook at our wharves by the boys in August." The 

 largest mentioned by Mitchill was 13 inches long, 3 inches deep 

 and weighed about 14 ounces. The name bluefish was in use 

 at the time of Mitchill's report. 



De Kay noticed the gradual disappearance of the weakfish 

 with the increasing abundance of bluefish. 



The best known methods of taking bluefish are by trolling at 

 the surface with a squid of metal or bone and by heaving and 

 hauling in the surf near the mouths of streams into which ale- 

 wives are running. Artificial minnows are also used with a 

 light rod, when young bluefish are seen feeding near the surface. 

 The most recent method in use by anglers is that of chumming 

 in the manner usually employed in strijjed bass fishing. This 

 method, which involves the use of rod and reel, was in use near 

 the inlet at Fire Island early in October 1890. During the sum- 

 mer, in this bay, it was not an uncommon thing for anglers to 

 catch 150 or 200 small bluefish with hook and line in a single 

 day. The species is to be found in all parts of the bay visited 

 by us. It was taken at the following localities: Blue Point 

 cove, Oak Island and Fire Island. Large numbers of bluefish 

 were caught late in September by means of gill nets set in the 

 ocean near Blue Point Lifesaving station. A fisherman caught 

 450 at one time and 250 at another, the dates being Sep. 23 and 

 24, 1890. In August of that year bluefish drove immense schools 

 of round herring (E t r u m e u s teres) on the ocean beach, 

 near the Lifesaving station. September 24, while walking along 

 the beach of East Island, not far from the Blue Point station, in 



