224 



and can strike at once, whereas if the sinker were the old- 

 fashioned deep sea lead, he would have to drag its weight 

 some distance before you were aware of his proceedings. 

 The angler, by fishing on the bottom, although justified 

 by a philosophy which establishes the fact that bass ought 

 to look for crabs there, and not dangling^bout in mid- 

 water, will surely catch three eels to one bass. The bait 

 except when on the bottom, should be kept in continual 

 motion; this is the first law of all bait fishing. It is 

 done by twitching the rod, and induces the fish to seize 

 the prey, which they imagine is about to escape. Every 

 angler has seen the fish time and again dart at a bait 

 when in motion, that they smelt round contemptuously 

 when still. Crab is generally regarded as the pre-eminent 

 bass bait in summer, although some anglers prefer that 

 wonderful product of the sea, the squid. 



As the days grow colder, and the crab re-assumes his 

 impenetrable coat and dangerous pincers, shrimp again 

 come into play, and on many occasions the belly of the 

 white soft clam will attract the bass even earlier in the 

 season. But in August excellent sport is had casting, if 

 we may use the word, for him with the spearing. Early 

 in the summer, a delicate little fish, an inch or two long, 

 pearly white and semi-transparent, with a black eye and 

 a white band along the lateral line, makes its appearance 

 on the shores of Long Island and elsewhere, and has 

 come to be called the spearing. It is a beautiful fish, 

 and properly dressed might rival in delicacy the English 

 white-bait, but it is never brought to market till later in 

 the season, when it has grown several inches long and is 

 comparatively tasteless. Being too small in the early 

 summer to take a hook, they are difficult to catch ; but a 

 good working net, both for these and killey-fish, can be 

 jnade of mosquito netting s^rftcjie^ d9t}bl^ Ijptweei^ twg 



