Fish and Fishing 



and often caught weighing fifty pounds along 

 the Florida coast. This locality is also famous 

 for large sharks, strikes from this same 

 being about two to one for channel bass. 

 On the Jersey coast the bait used is clams, oys- 

 ters, or menhaden, the latter preferred. The 

 greater part of the fishing, however, is done with 

 hand lines, the fisherman heaving a heavy sinker, 

 with the menhaden bait tied securely to the hook, 

 far out over the rollers, and the fish is hauled in 

 through the waves. 



In south Barnegat Bay, at Harvey Cedars, some 

 of the finest fishing can be had at times, especially 

 in September, the catches ranging from fifteen 

 to fifty pounds. As a game fish, the channel bass 

 is similar to the striped bass. It lives upon 

 crustaceans, mollusks, and sea worms, 

 and has been seen to root up and tear the 

 weeds in shallow waters in its search for food. 

 This explains its presence along the line of surf 

 in the shallow waters of the great sandy beaches 

 of the coast, the home of numerous burrowing 

 crustaceans. Another species, called the black 



sea drum is a bottom feeder, and is caught 

 Drmn ^" ^^^ ^^^^ with skimmer clams, and soft 



clams, baited on heavy tackle, similar to that 

 used in surf casting for striped bass. It is caught 

 on the New Jersey shore, particularly at Angle- 

 sea, in the spring and summer; sometimes, though 

 rarely, farther North. It is most abundant in the 

 Gulf of Mexico and the Southern Atlantic coasts, 

 and is caught weighing up to seventy-five pounds. 

 74 



