Striped Bass Fishing 



bones, and entrails, all full of oil, which 

 soon create on the surface of the water a 

 " slick ; " and as the tide sweeps these par- 

 ticles out, and the odor pervades the water 

 and air, the fish are attracted, and follow 

 up the " slick, " looking eagerly for the 

 food it promises. Our friend now exam- 

 ines his reel ; and, finding it is slack and 

 the line lying loosely on it, he unreels 

 quite a quantity, rewinding it with great 

 care tightly and very evenly, layer by layer, 

 until he has only an end of about two feet 

 from the tip, to which hangs his bait, 

 looking firm, fresh, and inviting. He 

 now walks to the end of the stand, steps 

 carefully in front of the chair, braces him- 

 self with his left foot on the strip clamp- 

 ing the two planks together, and with his 

 right inboard towards the chair, swings 

 the tip and bait back toward the plank. 

 His left hand grasps the butt, his right 

 has the thumb on the reel and fingers 

 around the handle then with a quick 

 wrist and forearm movement, largely par- 

 taking of a jerk, he impels the bait out- 

 ward at a slight elevation, his eyes fixed 

 on the flying bait, his thumb barely touch- 

 ing the face of the reel, until he sees its 

 flight decreasing and the bait falling; at 

 this instant, by his thumb's pressure, he 



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