FISH AND FISHING. 



ALMANAC FOR SALT WATER FISHERMEN. 



The following will be found accurate and val* 

 ttable 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 — rduke, 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 Mackerel. June to November 

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

 Baits: Menhaden, surf mullet and trolling squid. 

 Time and tide: Daytime; not affected by tides. 



CAN A FISH LINE THINK? 



C. C. HASKINS. 



Jacques Nadeau was the best of company, 

 and the best guide and boatman it was ever 

 my good fortune le employ. Rain or shine, 

 hot or cold, in good or poor luck, Jock 

 was always good matured, jovial, hard 

 working, ready and willing, regardless of 

 the task or the hour. In short, if there is 

 any especially laudable quality which the 

 reader remembers as peculiarly the virtue of 

 some one guide he has known, I doubt if 

 Jock would not equal, if not surpass, him 

 in that particular ; and, for that reason, in 

 all my summer vacations I invariablv se- 

 cured Jock's prospective services before 



buying my transportation for the trip. 



The lake where for years I cast my lines 

 each summer, lies back from the railroad 

 some 15 miles and was comparatively little 

 fished, up to 3 or 4 years ago. Jock always 

 met me at the flag station, with a buckboard 

 of his own contriving, and we arrived at the 

 lake in time for a substantial meal, cooked 

 by Mrs. Nadeau. Usually we had the lake 

 to ourselves, dur'ng my stay. 



Jock was not without some school educa- 

 tion. He had attended a parochial institu- 

 tion in his native town, but he did not like 

 the restrictions of civilization. Moreover, 

 he had fallen in love with his Julie, thereby 

 angering the parents of both. By the aid 

 of the good father in the church, Julie and 

 Jock were married, and set up for them- 

 selves, where I tound them with a nest of 

 little ones, all as good natured as their 

 father, black eyed, and wild as young part- 

 ridges, until acquainted. 



Jock and I had had a hard, irritating 

 day's work ; poor luck, a rain storm, a 

 broken oar 10 miles from home, all con- 

 spired to desperation. A muskalonge had 

 tipped over our luncheon basket, in his mus- 

 cular protests, before a severe concussion 

 of the brain quieted him, and the water in 

 the boat materially injured our edibles, so 

 that not until late at night did we get either 

 luncheon, dinner or supper. 



Jock was a philosopher, and our misfor- 

 tunes never ruffled a hair. He paddled the 

 boat home as good naturedly as if he had 

 been a tow behind an electric launch. 



During the day I had made an unfortu- 

 nate cast, and my line overran badly on 

 the reel. While recovering my line, a lare^e 

 fish took the bait, and called for line. He 

 was too strong to refuse, and the conse- 

 quences were obvious. When the fish had 

 claimed all the line down to what Jock 

 called the "slob," the tension on the line 

 drew it down into the under turns of the 

 spool, rendering the reel useless, tempo- 

 rarily. In the meantime, the fish made a 

 final surge, broke the line, and got away. 



"An revoir," said Jock, and quietly pro- 

 ceeded to affix a second reel to the rod. As 

 he put away the disabled spool he broke out 

 into, 



"Malbrook he vent down to Nia-ga-ry, 

 to drive de French avay," and added : 



" Apres diner — ve fix dem slob." 



Fifty yards of No. 5 silk line make a 

 tangled slob when a heavy fish helps. While 

 Jock was patiently unsnarling the tangle, he 

 suddenly aired what was to me a new the- 

 ory, thus : 



"Missieu Askin, I believe me, dat string 



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