Fish and Fishing 



blues feed outside the surf, hence the squid should 

 strike the water well beyond that point. The 

 heavy squid plays the part of sinker, and the way 

 it will carry out a line from a skilled hand is a 

 wonder to behold. The amateur squidder fre- 

 quently makes fast the home end of the line about 

 his waist, neatly coiling the line up on the sand. 

 Experts term this "lubberly," and hold the coils 

 in one hand, a thing which no novice should at- 

 tempt. For the heave, a right-handed 

 H^ve** expert holds the line in that hand, at a 

 point which he prefers above the squid 

 which is started slowly swinging around his 

 head; when nicely going, the speed is increased 

 till the whirling tackle fairly whistles; then at 

 precisely the right instant the final heave is given, 

 the squid hums seaward like an arrow, the line 

 hisses after, and when everything is as it should 

 be, the squid plunges into the water ahead of an 

 almost straight line. 



To pull a fighting blue-fish through the surf is 



no easy matter, and for this vigorous sport the 



best costume is an old bathing suit; 



and, as the feet have to take a tight 



grip on the sand as well as shells, old yachting or 



tennis shoes will be preferable to the naked feet. 



In both trolling and squidding, the blue-fish 

 generally hooks himself. In every instance the 

 main thing is to keep a taut line, yet never to hold 

 so fast that the fish can smash the tackle, which, 

 he will do in the fierce rushes if checked too hard 

 It makes a "smashing fight" from the minute it is 

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