FISH AND FISHING. 



ALMANAC FOR SALT WATER FISHERMEN. 



The following will be found accurate and val- 

 uable for the vicinity of New York City: 



Kingfish— Barb, Sea-Mink, Whiting. June to 

 September. Haunts: The surf and deep channels 

 of strong tide streams. Baits: Blood worms, 

 shedder crabs and beach crustaceans. Time and 

 tide: Flood, early morning. 



Plaice — Fluke, Turbot, Flounder. May 15 to 

 November 30. Haunts: The surf, mouth of tidal 

 streams. Baits: Shedder crabs, killi-fish, sand 

 laut. Time and tide: Ebb, daytime exclusively. 



Spanish Mackerel. Haunts: The open sea, July 

 to September. Baits: Menhaden, trolling— metal 

 and cedar squids. 



Striped Bass — Rock Fish, Green Head, April to 

 November. Haunts: The surf, bays, estuaries and 

 tidal streams. Baits: Blood worms, shedder crabs, 

 calico crabs, small eels, menhaden. Time and tide: 

 Night, half-flood to flood, to half ebb. 



The Drums, Red and Black, June to November. 

 Haunts: The surf and mouths of large bays. 

 Bait: Skinner crab. Time and tide: Day, flood. 



Blackfish — Tautog, April to November. Haunts: 

 Surf, vicinity of piling and old wrecks in bays. 

 Baits: Sand worm, blood worm, shedder crabs, 

 clams. Time and tide: Daytime flood. 



Lafayette — Spot, Goody, Cape May Goody. 

 August to October. Haunts: Channels of tidal 

 streams. Baits: Shedder crabs sand worms clams. 

 Tide and tide: Day and night flood. 



Croaker. July to October. Haunts: Deep chan- 

 nels of bays. Baits: Shedder crabs, mussels. Time 

 and tide: Day flood. 



Snapper — Young of Blue Fish. August to No- 

 vember. Haunts: Rivers and all tide ways. Baits: 

 Spearing and menhaden; trolling pearl squid. 

 Time and tide: Day all tides. 



Sheepshead. June to October. Haunts: Surf 

 and bays, vicinity of old wrecks. Baits: Clams, 

 mussels, shedder crabs. Time and tide: Day, flood 

 only. 



New England Whiting — Winter Weak-fish, 

 Frost-fish. November to May. Haunts: The 

 surf. Baits: Sand laut, spearing. Time and tide: 

 Night, flood. 



Hake — Ling. October to June. Haunts: Open 

 sea surf, large bays. Baits: Clams, mussels, fish. 

 Time and tide: Day and night, flood. 



Weak-fish — Squeteague, Squit. June to October. 

 Haunts: Surf, all tideways. Baits: Shedder crabs, 

 surf mullet, menhaden, ledge mussels, sand laut, 

 shrimp. Time and tide: Day and night, flood 

 preferred. 



Blue Fish — Horse Mackerel. June to November 

 1 st. Haunts: Surf, open sea and large bays. 

 Baits: Menhaden, surf mullet and trolling squid. 

 Time and time: Daytime; not affected bv tides. 



HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL. 



Titusville, Pa. 

 Dear old Friend: Your letter was to 

 me a whiff of the forest, the strike of a 

 grayling, the rush of a deer, and the whirr 

 of a grouse ; for it revivified memories of 

 all these and made me almost smell the 

 smouldering embers of a camp fire and the 

 roasting venison from Billv's camp stove. 

 I assuredly recall our Au Sable trips, and 

 rate them as the most enjoyable of my 

 many outings. I would exert myself to 

 the limit stimulated by the hope of again 



having my blood stirred by a duplication of 

 past experiences. 



Possibly I have told you of an old man 

 I met in Castile. He was a man who cast 

 long shadows toward the East, and whose 

 joints were creaky with the weight of 

 years. We spent an hour or so discuss- 

 ing rods, lines, guns, fish and game, and 

 finally he said, 



"Well, I ain't so young as I used to be. 

 I can't climb and wade with the boys, but 

 in camp, when we light our pipes and lie 

 about the experiences of the day, I am as 

 young and vigorous as ever." 



Like this veteran of the rod and gun, we 

 could sit around the camp fire and ro- 

 mance, and thus fill up the gaps made nec- 

 essary in our exertions by reason of stiff- 

 ened joints. 



I have 3 neighbors who have, through 

 the seductive influence of my narrations of 

 experience on the Au Sable, made up their 

 minds that they, too, would like to take 

 such a trip. I am not at all averse to 

 canvassing the question of spending a few 

 weeks with you and them on the old fa- 

 miliar grounds where we have so many 

 times pitched our tents. 



Such a trip would lack much were we 

 unable to secure the services of Billy. I 

 hope he is still able to handle the pole and 

 select good camping grounds. I have been 

 in camp with all kinds of guides. I have 

 had the professional in the Adirondacks, 

 the cowboys of the plains, and the Indians 

 around Lake Superior ; but none of them 

 filled the kitchen and the boat equal to 

 Billy. In fact, the last trip I made was a 

 dead failure because we had so poor a 

 guide and the memory of Billy was so 

 fresh. There may be others as good, but I 

 doubt if better ones can be found. 



I distinctly remember the stop we made 

 at Bamfield's. If my memory is not play- 

 ing me tricks, we saw there the skin of a 

 bear which Bamfield had killed with bird 

 shot while hunting grouse. 



Bamfield's has been the headquarters of 

 some Cleveland sportsmen ever since John 

 Irwin assumed leadership more than 30 

 years ago. I knew Irwin well. He was an 

 old man in '68, and must have gone long 

 since to the happy hunting grounds. Bam- 

 field's would be a good place for our out- 

 ing, but I rather incline to the Grayling 

 route. A trip down the river ; camps at 

 convenient places as the spirit moved ; fish- 

 ing and hunting when we were inclined to 

 those diversions; and a windup at Bam- 

 field's or some other point where we could 

 get out without coming in contact with the 

 log jams, if such still exist. 



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