Popular Salt=Water Game Fish 



the name in different ancient and modern dia- 

 lects. 



On the Pacific Coast it is known as the white 

 sea-bass; other sj)ecies, larger or smaller, are 

 known as the gulf bass, sea trout, blue-fish, and 

 . . . guaymas. The white sea-bass attains a 

 weight of 100 pounds on the California 

 coast in the vicinity of Santa Catalina. The 

 average weight of the Atlantic species is from 

 two to ten pounds, though specimens have been 

 taken up to thirty pounds. 



The name weakfish is not applied because it is 

 not a gamy fighter, but for the reason that the bony 

 processes of its mouth are unusually tender, so 

 that it requires some skill to land a large fish with- 

 out pulling the hook away. 



The Cape Cod fishermen call the weakfish 

 "drummer," because of the peculiar noise it pro- 

 duces when travelling in schools. 



Weakfish are erratic in temperament and move- 

 ments. To-day they are taken on a certain tide, 

 to-morrow they will bite on another; sometimes a 

 windy day is good, at others a calm day; thunder 

 drives them to the bottom, and perhaps two days 

 will intervene before they rise again to the sur- 

 face. If sharks are in the vicinity, the tackle may 

 be put up for the day; any loud noise in the boat, 

 splashing of oars in the water, even the dropping 

 of the anchor too forcefully, has a ten- 

 dency to drive them to pastures new. At 

 low tide they go into holes and sand bars and stay 

 there till the tide moves in; at night time they run 

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