Striped Bass Fishing 



that the utmost pull on the line could not 

 stir him after he had run to the bottom 

 and " sulked," and finally how the line 

 parted, by being chafed off against a rock. 

 A third tells you how his fish sulked, and 

 then pounded his head on the bottom to 

 "spring" the hook out, and succeeded. 

 A fourth tells triumphantly how, when 

 having seen his fish, and knowing him to 

 be a " good one," on his taking to the 

 game of sulking, he had sent his " chum- 

 mer " back to the house, obtained a boat 

 and another man, rowed outside to the 

 stand, carefully followed the line out until 

 over the fish, and thus secured him. The 

 scarcity of fish is discussed ; and every ima- 

 ginable cause is carefully weighed, steam 

 menhaden fishing, " night seiners," scarcity 

 of "fry," change of feeding-grounds, etc. 

 I was once favored with a scene that in- 

 delibly printed itself on my memory, and 

 furnished a yarn for one of these councils. 

 A strong northwest wind had been blow- 

 ing all night, and a lively, brisk sea was 

 setting on the North Shore. I had been 

 fishing for some hours without success ; and 

 as the now large waves rolled in, my eye 

 followed them in, commenting on their 

 remarkable clearness and transparency. I 

 made a new cast, and sat down, when on 

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