COD FISHING. 11 



the jigger up and down and hooking the fish on any part of the body. 

 Instead of the dory remaining at anchor, it is permitted to drift. 



In hand-line fishing, the boats usually go out at sunrise and come 

 in about 10 o'clock, though some may carry a " grub basket " and stay 

 out later, depending on the luck. A boat load before noon and an- 

 other one after noon make a good day's work. A dory will carry 

 1,000 pounds in fair weather, but not so much when there is a rough 

 sea. The fish are counted as they are pitched on deck. Those below 

 22 inches from tip to tip are not counted, neither are the shack, that 

 is, the pollock, haddock, cusk, and hake, as a general rule, although 

 on some trips these shack fish are counted separately. 



The dressing of the fish and handling in the boat is the same as in 

 trawl fishing. 



RIP FISHING. 



The branch of cod fishing known as rip fishing is followed off 

 Nantucket on the fishing ground known as " the rips." The fishing 

 begins about the first of April and continues until the end of October, 

 or until the weather gets too rough to carry on the work. The fish 

 on these trips are sometimes salted and sometimes landed fresh. The 

 salt trips continue for three or four weeks and the fresh trip from a 

 week to twelve days. The crew consists of twelve to twenty men. 

 In rip fishing the work is all done from the deck of the vessel while 

 the boat is drifting. 



The bait used in rip fishing consists of cockles from the mud and 

 sand flats, which are put in bags and iced, where they will remain 

 alive for four weeks. This bait is rather expensive, sometimes cost- 

 ing as much as 90 cents to a dollar per bucket ; on an iced trip it will 

 require an average of 50 buckets and on a salt trip 200 buckets. 

 Each man uses a hammer and flat rock or iron to break open the 

 shells. In the rip fishing, the positions on the deck are followed in 

 rotation by the crew, with the exception of the cook and the captain. 

 The stern positions are regarded as being the best, and the rotation 

 is for the purpose of giving all an equal chance. Only one line with 

 two hooks is used, the sinker weighing from 3J to 4 pounds. The 

 count is kept by cutting out the tongues and keeping them in 

 individual buckets. 



GEORGES HAND-LINE FISHING. 



Hand-line fishing is followed on the Georges Bank southeast of 

 Gloucester. The fishing is usually started during the latter part of 

 February and continues until late in the season, or nearly the year 

 round. The trip usually requires from three to four weeks. This is 

 one of the favorite spots and from a dozen to two hundred and fifty 

 vessels may be found here. In the Georges fishing the work is done 



