THE STRIPED BASS 



Casting with Menhaden Bait. — Casting in the 

 surf with menhaden bait is regarded as the highest 

 type of expert angling for striped bass on the 

 Atlantic coast. The most elaborate outfits and 

 most expensive estabhshments go with this style 

 of fishing. 



The character of the rod will differ according to 

 the tastes and means of the angler, but it must be 

 decidedly stiff er than one used for trout or sahnon. 

 The approved length is from eight to nine feet, and 

 the most expensive kinds are made from split bam- 

 boo, preferably with a butt piece of some hard 

 wood. Guides of the double beU-mouthed pattern 

 and tips of the funnel style, both tips and guides 

 lined with agate or adamant, are associated with 

 this form of rod. Some anglers use a rod made of 

 greenheart, bethabara, or lancewood about eight 

 and a half feet long. This wiU stand rough usage 

 better than the split-bamboo rod. Another style, 

 known as the " chum " rod, is made of natural 

 male Calcutta bamboo in two or three pieces. 



The reel is another important part in casting 

 with menhaden. Reels are made expressly for surf 

 fishing and must have bearings of agate or steel, 

 so that they may run noiselessly and with perfect 

 freedom. They should hold at least three hundred 

 yards of 12-18-thread Cuttyhunk line. 



Hooks intended for this mode of fishing have 

 already been described, also such accessories as 



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