SEA-FISHING. 471 



The tautog, or black fish, is an ugly, leather-mouthed, 

 spine-backed fish, but excellent in a barbecue, and a toler- 

 ably game fish on the hook. 



He comes into season early in spring, and it is said 

 that the flowering of the dogwoods may be regarded as a 

 sign that he is in condition. 



His favorite grounds are the vicinity of submerged 

 rocks, piles, or sunken wrecks, where there are strong 

 whirls and eddies. He is always taken on the bottom. 



A stout trolling-rod, with a strong flaxen line, a reel, 

 and two black-fish hooks of size to suit the angler's pleasure, 

 each armed on foot lengths of trebly twisted gut, the one 

 of twelve, the other of fifteen inches length, attached to a 

 ring which is appended to the line below the sinker, con- 

 stitute the best tackle. 



The most killing bait is the little fiddler, or soldier 

 crab ; but the black fish also bites freely at the large finny 

 worm of the salt-water beaches, Nereis, when baited on the 

 proper hook. 



He bites slowly, and likes to suck at the bait before 

 swallowing it, but, when struck, he pulls well and fights 

 hard, running for the most part downward. He runs in 

 weight from one to ten or twelve pounds, and is famous 

 for his tenacity of life. 



The sheep's-head is usually taken with drop-lines of 

 two hundred yards, a pound sinker, and a stout black-fish 

 hook ; but this is but a pull-baker, pull-devil kind of sport, 

 and the only real way to fish for him is with a capital stiff 

 trolling-rod, a large click reel, and a couple of hundred 

 yards of stout flaxen line. The hook, a large sized one 



