164 



With Rod and Gun in New England 



The striped bass is not a wanderer, like the bluefish and squeteague, 

 but is local in its habits, remaining permanently in a given neighborhood 

 through the year. In the winter it hibernates in bottoms of estuaries and 

 bays, and is rarely seen until the warm days of spring arouse it from its 

 torpidity. In May it begins to appear about the shore, where it industri- 

 ously forages for the small fish, crabs, and other crustaceans upon which it 

 principally subsists. In June it begins to get in good condition, and from 

 that month until October the angler may seek it with success. 



The Striped Bass, or Rock-Fish. 



It is unquestionably the most gamy of all our coast fishes. It has all 

 the dash and endurance of the salmon, and its strength and rapidity of 

 movement ; its long runs and fierce struggles when it feels the hook, require 

 in the angler the exercise of his best skill and greatest endurance and 

 patience. 



A ten or fifteen-pounder in the surf is a very powerful fish, and it is 

 conquered only after a long and stubborn fight. A successful battle with 

 such a fish, therefore, is an event well worth the attention of any angler, 

 and when it is stated that thirty and even forty-pound bass are taken with 

 rod and line, an idea may be formed of the fascination and excitement this 

 angling affords. 



There are several methods of fishing for this species. 



Trolling with squid bait is practised to some extent on the New Jersey 

 coast, and artificial as well as natural minnows are also used, the minnow 

 being arranged on a gang-hook so that it will spin like a trolling spoon. 



Still-fishing from the shore or from a boat anchored in a tide-way, or 

 over a reef or rocky shoal, is also practised in many localities. The bait 

 used is generally a piece of lobster or sheddar-crab, and if these are not 

 obtainable, a sand-eel, shrimp or small squid prove an acceptable lure. 



The tackle used in this method consists of a stout rod, a strong linen 

 line, one hundred or more yards in length, on a multiplying reel : in a rapid 



