STARTING FOK A DAY'S FISHING. 89 



ing a rod. I do not appreciate a repugnance to a rod because 

 a fish plays rapidly and with powerful demonstration. The 

 angler should use a heavy rod, about nine feet in length, and, 

 like the ordinary bass rod, the two lower joints should be of 

 ash, and the top of lancewood, or the whole rod should be of 

 Japan bamboo. I rather favor a bamboo rod for sheepshead 

 fishing. The angler should use the heaviest make of a steel 

 pivot bass reel, large enough to carry six hundred feet of 

 line, though there will probably never be more than half that 

 length carried off the reel ; but the fish doubles and turns so 

 rapidly that a large drum, or much line on a reel, is necessary 

 to wind the line in quickly and prevent the fish from getting 

 slack line, and to give him time to disgorge or break the 

 hook. 



To the angler who has never fished for sheepshead I would 

 say, " You have a rare treat in store, so enjoy it the first op- 

 portunity." If a resident of New York, you will find Canar- 

 sie, or the " Old Mill," near East New York, the most conve- 

 nient places to take sail-boat from, and bait is generally plen- 

 ty at either place. Sail down the channel above the inlet 

 toward Near Rockaway ; about a mile below Remsen'a Hotel, 

 feel by sounding for a mussel-bed : they are numerous for a 

 mile along shore, about 200 yards from it. When found, cast 

 anchor far enough away, so that when the boat toles round 

 by the tide toward the feeding-ground, the cast required for 

 dropping your sinker on it will be about fifty feet. The wa- 

 ter should be about seven feet deep at low tide, and it rises 

 there from four to six feet. The best tide to fish is during 

 high and low tides, when the water is slack, and until it runs 

 at the rate of five miles the hour, or one hour after it begins 

 to run ; for when the tide mns at its full strength, sheeps- 

 head seek some still-water ground, and wait for a moderate 

 motion of the waters. During the intermission I am in the 

 habit of taking up anchor and trolling for bluefish, or of 

 seeking some feeding-ground up a bayou, or some sunken 

 vessel, where I angle for sea bass, squeteague, striped bass, 



