THE GAME FISHES OF THE WOELD 



depositing its million or more eggs in fresh or partly fresh water ; 

 evidently being able to adapt itself to salt or fresh water, going 

 up large rivers in vast schools, apparently following the shad, 

 smelt or other fishes. AH summer it may be found ia the ocean, 

 and here it attains its most splendid development, five feet or 

 more in length, and a weight of one hundred or more pounds. 

 On the appearance of winter, it approaches the bayous, back 

 waters and tidal rivers ; and as I have said, can be taken through 

 the ice at FishMU and higher up, the water of the Hudson being 

 salt or very brackish here. 



A peculiarity of the striped-bass is that it is caught under so 

 many conditions. You may fish for it in the heaviest surf, or 

 in quiet bays, in the mouth of rivers, off rocky points where the 

 sea comes in with a sullen roar and leaps high in air, in brackish, 

 seemingly impossible waters ; on mud flats, as at the mouth of 

 the Sacramento, and again near sod-banks — ^a habit of certain 

 rainbow trout when they can find them. AH this requires 

 different tackle at different times, and the bait the bass will 

 take is legion. The largest fish are taken in salt water ; but the 

 habitu^ of the inland water rarely runs over ten or twelve pounds 

 and can be taken on an eight-ounce rod and a nine-line. 



In 1868 I found occasionally good striped-bass fishing at Old 

 Point Comfort, and especially off the Eip Eaps, the fish entering 

 the Chesapeake, the Potomac and other rivers, finding abundant 

 food in the swarm of crabs which in the spring and summer 

 covered the bottom and became ' shedders ' on the flats of 

 Hampton and Ifewport ITews. One of the delightful features 

 of the striped-bass is the fact that it will, when yoimg and found 

 far up the fresh water streams, take a fly : a Eoyal Coachman, 

 Ibis, St. Patrick, and Alexandra. On a black-bass rod the fish 

 will be a revelation to the angler. 



The striped-bass was formerly taken in great numbers on 

 the coast of Massachusetts south of Cape Cod, where on Pasque 

 Island, not far from New Bedford, one of the notable fishing 

 clubs of America has its grounds ; but there has been a great 

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