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 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: 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 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. 



DUCK-LOVING PICKEREL. 



While stopping at a farm house on the 

 shores of a lake famous for its large bass 

 and pickerel, I remarked to my intelligent 

 and educated host on the absence of ducks 

 and ducklings among his barnyard fowls. 

 The laconic answer was, "Pickerel bait ; 

 too expensive ; gave up trying." When the 

 chores connected with the horses, cows, 

 pigs and chickens were off his mind, he 

 became less brief and opened up in about 

 this way: 



"Confound the pickerel, they have 

 cost me many a duckling. I have seen 

 brood after brood of fine, plump, young 

 ducklings float gayly out on the lake, the 



proud mother gently cackling to her downy 

 brood, and I have seen the mother many a 

 time return with but one corporal's guard. 

 One spring a mother duck lost her whole 

 family before she could get them into shal- 

 low water and up on the beach. The pick- 

 erel were lean and hungry and the way 

 those poor, little downy balls of feathers, 

 legs and heads disappeared was alarming. 

 When you reflect that pickerel weighing 

 2 5 to 35 pounds have been taken from this 

 lake, and realize what a stretch of jaw is 

 granted a 34 pound pickerel, you can well 

 accept the statement as truth. A hungry 

 pickerel is no fool when it comes to a 

 question of ducklings or bass. Ducklings 

 come first every time. 



"Why should not a young duck make 

 good pickerel bait? The best in the world! 

 I've seen pickerel attack the mother duck 

 more than once, and in one case they suc- 

 ceeded in drowning the plucky bird, whose 

 dead body floated ashore shortly after the 

 fight commenced, the legs of the duck look- 

 ing as if they had run foul of a buzz saw. 

 I have seen pickerel attack an old gander, 

 unsuccessfully of course ; but the gander 

 enjoyed what the French would call a 'bad 

 quarter hour.' Once the old bird was 

 fairly ducked, but only for a second. The 

 wide sweep of his powerful wings and the 

 free webbed foot made it nip and tuck with 

 the heavy fish. The fight did not last long, 

 but while the trouble was on the cry of the 

 gander and the churning of the water made 

 by the fish in his struggles, coupled with the 

 thrashing of the wings on the water made 

 the battle exciting. The fish held on pluck- 

 ily, and I imagine one let go because of 

 sundry clawings administered in the vicin- 

 ity of his eyes by the infuriated gander. It 

 was many days before that gander had the 

 full use of his wounded leg. That is why 

 I do not keep ducks, although living on 

 the lake shore." 



Some months later, while seated on the 

 bank of a small mill pond in Connecticut, 

 enjoying the gambols of some young ducks 

 on the water, I noticed that one of them 

 was acting queerly and making a plaintive 

 outcry. The others swam away, leaving 

 the duck alone to fight her battle as best 

 she could. Very human in its action that 

 flock of ducks ! Something was wrong, for 

 the duck spasmodically dipped her body 

 deep in the water. Jumping into a boat, I 

 rowed out on the pond and, taking -the 

 duck by the body, I lifted her, only to find 

 a dead weight fastened to one of her legs. 

 As I lifted harder a snapping turtle's jaws 

 appeared. I kept lifting until I had the 

 turtle, weighing 15 to 20 pounds, clear of 



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