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ALMANAC FOR SALT WATER FISHERMEN. 
The following will be found accurate and val- 
table 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: Fldod, 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, ais 
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. aunts: Deep chan- 
nels of bays. Baits: Shedder crabs, mussels. 
Time and tide: Day; flood. i 
Snapper—Young of Blue Fish August to No- 
vember. Haunts: Pivers and all tide ways. Baits: 
Spearing and menhaden; trolling pearl squid. 
Time and tide: Day, all tides. 
Sheepshead—June to October 
and bays, vicinity of old wrecks. 
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 
1st. Haunts: Surf, open sea and large bays. 
Baits: Menhaden, surf mullet ard trolling squid. 
Time and tide: Daytime; not affected by tides. 
Haunts: Surf 
Baits: Clams,’ 

A DAY WITH THE BLUE FISHERMEN. 
CHESAPEAKE, 
How few persons who enjoy eating the 
delicious bluefish know how they are 
caught by the market fishermen! For the 
benefit of those who do not I will tell of a 
day’s fishing I had in Chesapeake bay early 
in September last. 
The fishermen go out for business and 
their boats are built to accommodate 2 men. 
If a third man goes along, a city dude, 
without experience in such a boat, he is 
an incubus; an undesirable and unwelcome 
piece of ballast. I know several of the 
fishermen, and as a boat has been -one of 
369 
FISH AND FISHING. 
my hobbies for years an invitation was ex- 
tended to me. l-accepted eagerly and as 
we left the beach in our skiff another fish- 
erman was offered $5 by a hotel boarder to 
take him out; but the offer was refused. 
Our craft was the ideal round bottom 
sea skiff, fitted with a light sail which could 
be quickly furled on the mast. The oars 
were laid across the bow of the boat when 
fishing, so as to be out of the way. You 
want a free hand and a clear field when the 
business begins. 
After an hour’s sail we reached the fish- 
ing grounds, where a fleet of probably 4o 
boats were already at work. Running 
through and beyond them we dropped an- 
chor on the outer edge of the fleet, where 
our skipper thought the tide would be more 
favorable for good fishing. The sail was 
taken in and across the boat was laid a sau- 
sage grinder with which to grind our 2% 
bushels of alewives, which we had taken in 
before starting. 
One man of our crew sat by the grinder 
and ground out bait as fine as sausage meat, 
This was thrown over the side a handful at 
a time, and floated away with the tide, to 
attract the bluefish. The man who grinds 
also keeps the fisherman supplied with bait 
for his hook by cutting from the back of 
the alewives 2 baits, each about 2 inches 
long. . 
Presently our lines went over, being 
thrown in the wash bait and allowed to 
drift with it on the tide. In a few 
minutes after our wash bait had begun to 
go over we had a school of fish after it and 
the fun, or rather. work, commenced. 
Catching bluefish with a troll line, from 
a yacht, is fun; but pulling them into a 
skiff with a short line, 16 to 20 feet long, is 
the greatest sport I ever experienced. One 
of the necessaries in a bluefish skiff is 
called a bootjack. -It is a board shaped like 
that old fashioned article, and stands up- 
right in the boat, close to the fisherman. 
Bent across the jaws is a heavy iron wire, 
nearly as large in diameter as a lead pen- 
cil. As the fish is pulled into the boat he 
is swung over the bootjack and the hook is 
caught under the wire. Then with a down- 
ward turn of your hand holding the line, 
the point of the hook is brought down 
around the wire, when the fish slips off and 
falls into the after end of the boat. 
The barbs are always broken off the 
hooks by the fishermen, to allow of unhook- 
ing the fish quickly. 
We fished about 3 hours and were never 
under the necessity of putting our hands 
on the fish to take them from the hook. Our 
‘fish varied in weight from 1 to 3 pounds. 
