EASTERN COAST FISHES. 257 



near their mouths, one or more are apt to suffer. The best device 

 is a plain, round, white, bone squid for large fish, and for the first 

 run, when even small fish are ravenous, use a round bone squirl 

 five and a half inches long, and two and a half inches in circum- 

 ference at the thickest portion. For small or summer fish, favorite 

 squids are four and a half inches long and one and a half in cir- 

 cumference at the thickest point. Dr. Kenworthy says : 



"Hooks should be strong and reliable. For large fish, use first 

 quality Virginia hooks, (made by Job Johnson, of Brooklyn,) meas- 

 uring in width one and three-eighth inches at point ; and for small 

 or summer fish, a Chestertown hook seven-eighths wide at point. 



" A difficulty to be encountered in using a bone squid is the 

 tendency of the hook to slip — at one time leaving the bone in con- 

 tact with the bend of the hook, and at another the shaft of the 

 hook slipping entirely out of the squid. To render the hook im- 

 movable, attach a shoulder of solder to the shaft of the hook at a 

 point where it comes in contact with end of squid. To prevent the 

 hook from being moved out of the squid, use several tight-fitting 

 white pine wedges at side of shaft of hook as well as a long and 

 tightly-fitting plug where the line passes out of the base of squid. 

 When wet the pine swells, and generally renders the hook 

 immovable. 



"Another and more perfect method is to take, a piece of No. 12 

 iron wire, and bend it so as to form a loop to receive the line. 

 The wire is passed through the squid and cut off three-quarters of 

 an inch beyond the end of the same ; tin the shaft of the hook as 

 well as the wire, after which place them in position, and to prevent 

 movement, bind the end of wire and shaft of hook together with 

 fine copper or brass wire. Having some melted solder in a ladle, 

 pour it into the end of the squid so as to fill the entire cavity ; 

 then apply solder to end of wire and shaft of hook, at end of bone, 

 so as to make an angular shoulder about three-quarters of an inch 

 in length — base of angle in contact with bone. The solder is 

 dressed down by a file, and a useful and reliable squid is the result. 

 For a trifling charge any tinsmith will tinker the squids as de- 

 scribed, and the blue-fisher will find them more satisfactory than 

 the squids as usually sold." 



As a general rule, bluefish merely nip at the end of the squid, 



