FISH AND FISHING. 



ALMANAC FOR SALT WATER FISHERMEN. 



The following will be found accurate and val- 

 uable for the vicinity of New York City: 



Kingrish — 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 Novem- 

 ber. 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. 

 Time and Tide : Day and night flood. 



Croker — 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: P.ivers 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: C 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 Hackerel. June to November 

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

 Baits: Menhaden, surf mullet and trolling squid. 

 Time and tide: Daytime; not affected by tides. 



JOSH BILLINGS ON TROUT FISHING. 

 (From an old newspaper.) 



Brook trout are a spekled institooshun. 



They are more delikate, more nervous, 

 and more intrinsik than ennything that 

 wears fins or feathers. They are az sudden 

 and gamy az a perkushion match, and a 

 trout that weighs one ounce will bight hiz 

 whole weight, and will bight az fearless 

 and sartin az a rattlesnaik. 



A brook trout that weighs 5 ounces will 

 pull out ov the water more unwilling than 

 a sucker that weighs 2 pound an 3 quarters. 



I don't believe a square orthodox brook 

 trout ever weighs more than 2 pound. 



All trout that beat this weight are mon- 



grels, crosst on sum other breed ov a simi- 

 lar natur. Scientifick men will teil yu dif- 

 ferent from this, but they aint to blame for 

 what they don't kno. 



Take a trout out of a mountain brook 

 in Nu Hampshire that weighs one ounce, 

 and feed him 16 years and yer kant miikj 

 him weigh 4 pound and a haff. 



A man who don't hanker hard for the 

 sport kant larn to ketch the darling kritters, 

 unless it iz in sum far off water, where it 

 aint safe to stick yure fingers into the brook 

 for fear ov gettin bit bi a trout. \ 



Trout ketchin in the old and well fisht 

 streams iz a natral takt, and a man haz got 1 

 to be born the right time ov the moon or ' 

 he kan never do it hansome. 



Expensive riggin' won't ketch trout enny 

 more sertain than a hi priced phiddle will 

 play well with the wrong man hold of the 

 bow. 



Fly fishin' is konsidered the most poetick 

 and at sum seazons ov the year iz the most 

 fatal, but the poorist fishermen i have ever 

 seen could talk fly fishin' the most numer- 

 ously. 



It iz az diffcult to pik out a ded sure day 

 to ketch trout az it iz to name a good pik- 

 nik day 24 hours in advance. 



I hav seen trout bight az krazy as a mus- 

 keto to-day, and to-morrow (the same kind 

 ov a day exacly) bight just out ov compli- 

 ment to a good fisherman. 



The wind haz more to do with the humor 

 ov a trout than enny other outside thing. 



I would az soon think ov goin' to meetin' 

 barefoot az to go trout fishin' with a strong 

 East wind. 



A bright day, with a clever West wind, 

 with plenty of sunshine and shaddo, iz the 

 day i bet on. 



The bait on yure hook, and the way it iz 

 put on, iz of more consequentz than the 

 German silver on yure fishpole. 



The smaller the hook the better for all 

 sized trout. 



The quick fishermen are the best ones. 

 It iz hard work to outstay a trout or argy 

 him out of his opinyun. 



When a trout haz the wonts he haz 'em 

 bad, and when he haz the wills yu kant 

 stop him. 



The fust drop ov the bate into the hole iz 

 the important one. A trout iz the most 

 natral ov all fishes, and the more natral the 

 bate strikes the riff, or the pool, the better 

 understanding at once between yu and the 

 fish. 



It allmost spiles a man to ketch one ov 

 theze 5 pound lake trout. He kant talk 

 well about ennything else afterward less 

 than a whale, and he expekts ov course that 



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