Popular Bottom Sea Fish 



Immediately the Lafayettes arc running, it is 

 a sijrnal for hundreds of men and bovs to crowd 

 the North River piers so tliick that 

 on some occasions there is httle el- 

 bow room for comfort, and when these fish come in 

 with the new flood tide in large numbers, catches 

 of a hundred or more are not remarkable. They 

 may also be caught in great numbers at Rock- 

 away, on the Jersey shore, Cape May, Atlantic 

 City, and as far down as May port in Florida. The 

 most successful baits are small pieces of clam or 

 small-sized sand worms. At certain times they are 



. erratic and will only take shrimp or the leg 



of a shedder crab, so that the angler will 

 do well to supply himself with a variety of bait. 

 All bottom feeders are good biters at night, and the 

 Lafayette is no exception to this rule. They take 

 the hook with a sly, tentative nibble, sometimes 

 hardly felt by the angler; but on feeling the barb, 

 away they go, darting off, back and forth, with 

 remarkably bold breaks similar to those made by 

 brook trout. 



The main point in catching Lafayettes is to have 



small, very sharp hooks attached to the 



Ho^'ks leader about six inches from the sinker, 



which should be heavy enough to hold on 



the bottom. In such places as the docks and piers 



the tide does not affect the water, but when the 



tide runs heavy the sinker can be changed. The 



bait should be small, just enough to cover the barb. 



A large bait tempts them to nibble away small 



pieces without being caught. Hand lines are 



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