182 



THE BLACK-FISH. 



you present the bait to his expecting eye in the most natural 

 way and this should always be the study of the angler who 

 wishes to succeed. His bite is much more powerful than 

 that of the rock-fish, though both are bold biting fish, and to 

 the experienced angler, with good tackle, rarely missed. 



"The rock-fish lie under the overhanging rock-weed, on 

 the watch for live bait, shrimp, or crabs, dart out and seize 

 their prey, and retire to their harbor, drawing the line from 

 the perpendicular to a slanting position, and that without the 

 angler feeling him ; and I have taken many a dark-sided fel- 

 low, merely from watching the slant of the line. Both kinds 

 are very powerful, and although they rarely run far from the 

 rock when hooked, their extraordinary vigor, and stubborn 

 resistance, make them a capital subject for the rod. The 

 largest I have ever taken with the rod, weighed five and a 

 half pounds. This was at Oyster-Pond Point, at the Sound 

 end of Long Island. This is one of the best places which I 

 know, of easy access from New-York, for taking these fine 

 fish. An excellent temperance hotel is kept by Mr. Latham, 

 and good boats and guides are to be had. 



" The best mode of arranging rod tackle for black-fish is 

 this : Attach two plaited gut snells, one of twelve inches and 

 one of eight, to a small brass ring, the size of those used on 

 the second joint of the rod from the hand ; put a slide sinker 

 on the line, and tie to the ring, and all is ready. The slide 

 sinker is by far the best, as it is frequently desirable to throw 

 from your boat to a sunken rock, and as the sinker lies on 

 the bottom, the smallest action of the fish at the bait is readily 

 felt. 



" For hand-line fishing I prefer the same mode of arranging 

 the hooks to any other : the usual way is to have a loop at 

 the end of the line ; attach the loop to the eye of the sinker, 

 and fasten the snells on the line just above the latter, so that 

 they will hang about twelve and eight inches below." 



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