Striped Bass Fishing 



my left, heading for the bait which I had 

 just thrown out, was a beautiful bass, his 

 stripes and silver side plainly visible, his 

 brilliant eyes staring at me, precisely as 

 mine were fixed on him. The wave rolled 

 him up until he was in bold relief against 

 its green depths ; and had he been arti- 

 ficially held there, the picture could not 

 have been more perfect nor animated. His 

 impetus and intention both carried him as 

 far as the bait ; and he took it into his 

 mouth, but only held it for an instant. 

 His terror was too vivid to admit of for- 

 getfulness ; and I in vain reeled in, and 

 threw again and again. 



Another time, I had hooked and suc- 

 cessfully sustained the run of a large fish, 

 had turned him, and had warped him in, 

 until he was within fifty feet of me; quite 

 a heavy surf was running, of which I was 

 availing myself to aid in bringing him in, 

 when my " chummqr " called attention 

 to the seaweed which was running in on 

 the line and threatened to choke up the 

 tip. Hardly had he spoken, when it 

 jammed the line so that I no longer had the 

 slightest control over the fish. The next 

 wave moved him about ten feet inshore, 

 and on the other side of a huge sunken 

 bowlder ; and as the line became taut, al- 



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