Fish and Fishing 



sinker. Some use only one hook, others use two, 

 each having on a different bait. In baiting with 

 shrimps, place two or three together on the same 

 hook, for this fish is one of the few that go for the 

 largest bait and, as his mouth is so ample, he is 

 sure to be well hooked with a big bait. At the 

 turn of the tide the angler is sure to be busy for 

 the short time it lasts. The feeding ground ex- 

 tends along the coast from Delaware to Maine, 

 wherever the sea-weed grows from beds of mussels. 

 It is eminently a coast fish, seldom venturing far 

 above the bays and back waters ; as a food fish, the 

 meat of the sea-bass is excellent; as a game fish 

 it may be placed next in rank to its cousin the 

 striped bass. The sea-bass is known in various 

 places as the blackfish, black Will, black Harvey 

 hannahills, blue-fish, rock bass, black bass, and 

 by many other titles. 



TAUTOG OR BLACKFISH 



The tautog is one of the species of parrot fishes, 

 stockily built, with hard scales, and harder mouth: 

 it is slippery as an eel, and salt-water anglers like 

 to fish for it because of its strength and hard fight- 

 ing. Although not a large fish, only averaging 

 two to three pounds, individuals weighing ten 

 and even fourteen pounds are by no means un- 

 usual. The largest tautog on record was obtained 

 near New York and weighed nearly twenty-three 

 pounds. It is found in greater and lesser abun- 

 dance from St. Johns to Charleston, S. C, and is 

 lOU 



