THE BLACK FISH. 59 



sport in the running tide. The color is a deep bluish 

 black on the back and sides, with light belly. The 

 usual size of the black fish varies from one to three 

 pounds, though larger ones have been caught. Eight 

 and ten pounders are reported to have been taken in 

 Rhode Island. 



Black fish are usually caught with hand lines from 

 a boat, though your true sportsman prefers his rod 

 a stiff one some twelve or fifteen feet long. A flax 

 line of ten to thirty yards in length, with slide sinker, 

 and triple gut snells, is all that you want. You can 

 dispense with the gut if you wish, as the fish is not 

 timid or wary, and a plain flax leader of ten to fifteen 

 inches in length, will answer. You can catch them 

 with almost any kind of a hook from No. 10 down- 

 wards. They frequent eddies made by the running 

 tide, and there watch for shrimps or small crabs. 

 By dropping your line back, and letting it run with 

 the tide through an eddy, you are generally success- 

 ful. As soon as the fish bites in earnest, pull up, 

 starting your pull by a quick motion to fasten the 

 hook in his mouth, which is tough and hard. The 

 baits used are shrimp, soft crab, shedder lobster, soft 

 clam, ordinary clam, &c. The crabs and lobsters 

 are the best. If a thunder storm comes up while 

 you are fishing for black fish, you may as well go 

 home, as you will not be apt to catch any more that 

 day. A school of porpoises will frighten them so 

 that they will leave for the day. There is a good 

 deal of sport in catching black fish, his bite is so 



