THE BONITO. 



" In all the warmer waters of the world, 

 The skip-jack swarming shoals are seen, 

 Where the Sardinian Island rest, 

 In Mediterranean tides serene. 

 And where the tumbling billows pour, 

 Along America's southern shore; 

 While dense by rocky northern coast 

 Wanders the countless host." 



From his general resemblance to the mackerel family, th« 

 skip-jack, is often palmed off upon unwary purchasers as 

 Spanish mackerel, although the latter is far superior as a game i^sh tuid,-%s 

 a table delicacy. The bonito is coarser in every respect — in form, fiii^ai^^ 

 flavor, and the angler easily detects the difference in species. " ^^^^ 



Although heavier in proportion to its size than the Spanish mackerel, 



the bonito is still a symmetrical fish, swift in its movements, and a bold 



biter. In color it is of a dark lead tint on the head and sides, while under- 



neath it is an ashen gray. The fins are dark-blue, except the ventral fins, 



'which are white." Six or eight stripes, parallel, run along the sides of the 



fish. . . : 



The bonito usually reaches the northern shores in August and Sep- 

 tember, at the same time and frequently in company with the bluefish. 

 Anglers often take the bonito while fishing for bluefish, as it will snap at 

 the same bait, and in fact makes almost as desperate resistance when on 

 the line. 



Trolling is the principal, almost the only method of angling for the 

 skip-jack, and when time and tide, wind and weather, are favorable, the 

 sport is sufiiciently exciting. During the two summer months mentioned, 

 the bonito is quite abundant as far north as Cape Cod, and in no waters of 

 similar latitude is it more plentiful in season than in Massachusetts Bay. 



THE BLACKFISH. 



" Wherever by extended shore 

 The rough rocks sow the salty deep, 

 Wherever kelp and seaweed cling 

 And crab and starfish crawl and creep, 

 The blafckfish find a lurking place, 

 Deep in the waters at their base." 



.Although not highly prized as a game fish, by scientific anglers, the 

 blackfish or tautog is an important member of the finny tribe, an excellent 

 food fish, and a ready biter to reward the efforts of juvenile fishers along 

 the wharves. 



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