154: THE BLUE-FISH. 



He seems to have superseded another and larger fish of 

 the same name, and as his numbers augment, those of 

 the weak-fish, otolithus regalis, diminish. The blue-fish 

 has singular vagaries, sometimes crowding every inlet 

 in swarms, and then deserting us altogether, visiting in 

 one season one locality and in the next another, but ordi- 

 narily frequenting our entire coast north to Massachusetts. 



They afford excellent sport on a rod and line, being 

 among the strongest and boldest of their kind, taking 

 the fly readily, and making fierce and well-sustained 

 rushes ; but from the localities they usually frequent, 

 they are mostly taken with a hand-line from a sailboat. 

 An artificial squid of bone, ivory or lead, is trailed along 

 at the end of forty yards of stout line, from a boat 

 dancing merrily over the waves under the influence of a 

 fresh mackerel breeze. The boatman's business is to 

 watch for a shoal, which can be seen by their breaking, 

 and when he has found it, by repeated tacks to keep the 

 boat in or near it ; the fisherman's duty is to haul in 

 steadily and regularly immediately on feeling a bite, 

 and to get out his line again as soon as possible. The 

 fish dart forward, and throwing themselves out of water, 

 turn a complete somersault, when, if the line is not taught, 

 they will throw the hook out of their mouths. The dash- 

 ing of the waves and flying of the spray, the rapid exhi- 

 larating motion of the vessel, the fresh sea-breeze, the 

 rapid biting and fine play of the fish, make a day pass 

 pleasantly if they do not afford scientific sport. 



Blue-fish attain a weight of thirty pounds, and the 

 largest being usually taken outside the bars, beyond the 

 breakers, are a source of much amusement to our yachts- 



