THE STRIPED BASS. 123 
are known to run, or on serf beaches, and in sea bays, it 
will be worse than useless to use either, especially the 
latter. 
In surfs, striped Bass will take the artificial squid, 
mistaking it for the Spearling, Athernia Menidia, the 
Sand-lance, or other small fry on which they feed; and 
in tide ways, such as Hell-gate and the numerous pas- 
sages in that vicinity, they are frequently taken in great 
numbers, and of very large size, with that hideous ma- 
rine reptile, the living squid. 
In the early spring, and in general water, shrimp are 
probably the most killing bait, shad roe excepted, for 
rivers frequented by that fish. When crabs begin to 
shed they may be used indiscriminately with shrimp; 
the latter to be fished with from one to three feet from 
the bottom, with a float and light sliding sinker. In the 
early autumn, crab on the bottom is preferred by many 
anglers ; and in some water the soft clam is very suiccess- 
ful; but in swift streams, where the water is fresh, no 
bait, to my fancy, equals any bright, glittering fish, 
spearling, minnow, killy-fish, what you will, at the end 
of a hundred yards of clever trolling-line, with a bottom 
of good, round single gut, two swivels, a No. 1 Limerick 
through the tail, and a small perch hook through the 
lip, and askilful hand to keep him glancing through the 
ripples, life-like, till a ten-pounder strikes him with an 
arrowy rush, and whistles away some seventy yards of 
line off your ringing click-reel, before you know what 
