312 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 8, 1890. 



THE WEAKFISH. 



ONE of the best known of our marine fishes, because 

 so frequently fished for with success, is the subject 

 of our present sketch. Whether or not you will asso- 

 ciate the name with the species to which it belongs will 

 depend on your locality. This name is attributed to the 

 Dutch colonists, of Manhattan, and is current in New 

 York and the adjacent region. In New England the 

 Narragansett Indians bestowed upon it the name sque- 

 teague, which has undergone modifications into squettee, 

 scuteeg and squit. The Mohegans called it checouts. 

 Chickwick has been applied to it in Connecticut. On 

 Cape Cod the term drummers is given, in reference to 

 the sound produced by the fish. In Buzzard's Bay large 

 weakfish are known to some persons as yellow-fins. 

 Great Egg Harbor Bay, true to its reputation for con- 

 founding names, has transferred the term bluefish from 

 the rightful owner to its weak victim. Along the coast 

 of the Southern States we have the appellation trout with 

 its variations, sea trout, gray trout, sun trout and shad 

 trout. 



De Kay tells us that the species is called weakfish 

 "from the feeble resistance it makes on the hook and the 

 facility with which it breaks away from ic, by reason of 

 its delicate structure." The angler who has to deal with 

 a fish of 3 or 41bs. will not complain of the amount of re- 

 sistance it offers, but he must use skill in handling his 

 line. 



Distribution.— The weakfish is occasionally taken in the 

 Bay of Fundy; but its normal range is from Cape Cod to 

 East Florida. The supply has fluctuated greatly in North- 

 ern waters. In 1803 weakfish were abundant in southern 

 Massachusetts and Rhode Island. About 1816 they disap- 

 peared from Provincetown and did not return until 1847. 

 In 1832 they left Yineyard Sound and were rarely seen 

 until 1867 or 186S, when they increased in numbers, and in 

 1871 hundreds of them were taken at a time in the weirs. 

 In the latter year millions of weakfish appeared in Nar- 

 ragansett Bay, showing up in great shoals between Point 

 Judith and Providence. In 1845, according to the late 

 Capt. N. E. Atwood, the weekly supply in New York 

 market did not exceed l,0001bs. 'There seems to be a re- 



common shrimp of the coast (Crangon vulgaris), varying 

 their diet in July with rock crabs and squids. 



Game Qualities. — For snap and vim the weakfish 

 takes high rank among our game fishes and its beautiful 

 colors make it a favorite with the angler. It is a bold 

 and very free biter, swift as an arrow in its movements, 

 and makes desperate efforts to escape from the hook, but 

 lacks the endurance of the striped bass and the bluefish. 

 The tender tissues around the jaws of the fish are liable 

 to give way during the struggle and permit its escape. 

 Our Northern weakfish has not the vigor of its relative, 

 the spotted weakfish or "sea trout," of the South, and 

 it has not yet, like its Southern congener, developed a 

 susceptibility to the artificial fly. 



Capture. — In many of the New^ Jersey bays a float and 

 light sinker are attached to the line and the hooks are 

 kept within 2 or 3ft. of the surface. In Great Egg Har- 

 bor Bay this rig is in use on flood tide when 6 to 10ft. of 

 water cover the flats on which the fish are feeding. As a 

 rule only small fish are taken in this way. The rod should 

 be "t \ to 8ft. long and supplied with a multiplying reel of 

 medium size and a drag. A bass bait rod will answer 

 admirably if sport be the chief object. The reel should 

 hold 100yds. of braided linen or silk line of the desired 

 size. Some advise "E" line for fish averaging 2 or 31bs. 

 The hooks vary in size according to the taste of the ang- 

 ler, from 1 0 or 2-0 to 3-0 or 4-0. The lower hook should 

 be the smaller of the two and kept near the bottom, at- 

 tached to the line by a single snell at a snelPs hngth 

 above the sinker. The upper hook is placed several feet 

 above the lower on a 2 or 3ft. leader or a single-length gut, 

 as preferred by the angler. The sinker may be hollow and 

 weigh loz., or solid and increase in weight with the depth 

 of the water and the strength of the tide. If you are 

 fishing for count a short, heavy rod, with a reel that will 

 handle the line rapidly, and a sinker heavy enough to 

 find the bottom promptly, are prime requisites. At all 

 times remember that the weakfish has a tender mouth 

 and will almost invariably escape from a slack line. 



Baits. — For April and May fishing there is no better 

 bait than the common shrimp. Soft or shedder crab is 

 an irresistible morsel, and is used wherever it can be had. 

 The white skin of the throat of the weakfish proves very 



he sometimes attains to a length of 6ft. and a weight of 

 751bs. 



In the books he figures as Cynoscion nobile and is re- 

 ferred to the subgenus Atractoscion — a formidable name 

 for a mammoth weakfish. To the fishermen and anglers he 

 is the sea bass, white sea bass, corvina or caravina, and 

 the banded young are sea trout. The color is dull sil- 

 very, the upper parts bluish, and the whole fish finely 

 spotted. The general resemblance to our common north- 

 ern species is very striking. 



In California this fish ranges southward from San 

 Francisco to the southern boundary of the State and is 

 most abundant in spring and summer, coming: from deep 

 water as the spawning season approaches. Early in Oc- 

 tober we have seen hundreds of very large size (above 

 301bs.) in the markets of San Francisco, clay after day, 

 and the price often fell as low as one cent per pound, or 

 below the actual cost of placing them on the stalls. 



It occurs in small schools and is erratic in its move- 

 ments. Crustaceans and fish constitute its food. An- 

 chovies are especially included among its favorites. 



The smaller weakfish of California is commonly called 

 corvina or caravina and sometimes bluefish, from the 

 steel blue color of its upper parts. This handsome fish 

 reaches a length of 30in. and weighs up to 81bs. Its food 

 is about the same as that of the larger weakfish and its 

 flesh is very fine when first taken, but deteriorates rapidly 

 as in the case of our own well-known species. 



Anglers of the west coast may begin their angling for 

 weakfish a little later than those of the east, but in fish- 

 ing for weight the east must give them the front rank. 

 "What a royal battle a weakfish of 751bs. would wage. 



STRIPED BASS IN CALIFORNIA. 



I HAVE been accustomed to visit the fish markets with 

 more or less rtgulaiity when in port, and have seen 

 striped bass almost every day since my return from 

 Washington. They were noticed increasing in these 

 waters for several seasons, but now they are to be seen 

 in the markets regularly. On Fridays, when the fisher- 

 men make their best displays, there are usually thirty or 

 forty specimens to be found scattered over the city, but 



THE WEAKFISH, OB, SQUETEA6UE. 



lation between the variations of the weakfish and the 

 bluefish; when the latter are rare weakfish are abundant. 



Movements. — During flood tide they are to be found in 

 the channels feeding on shrimp, crabs and small fish. 

 Near Longport, New Jersey, we have taken them in 

 large numbers in the inlet preying upon anchovies, which, 

 at that season, were unusually large and fine. In run- 

 ning up the channels they enter the mouths of rivers 

 falling into salt bays, and make frequent side excursions 

 over the flats. When the tide begins to ebb, they seek 

 deep water. In Great Egg Harbor Bay, as the spawning 

 season draws near, the fish cease biting, and the gravid 

 fish disappear until this period is ended. 



Season.— Females nearly ready to spawn will take the 

 hook at Cape May early in May. The earliest arrival 

 known in the vicinity of New York appeared May 12 

 1889, at Great Kills, Gifford's, Staten Island. In the 

 Chincoteague waters they begin bifing in June, but take 

 the hook more freely later in the season. During the 

 latter part of August, 1889, great numbers of weakfish 

 were caught in the West Channel of Great South Bay. 

 The fish are in their best condition and furnish the greatest 

 sport in their fall migration late in September and con- 

 tinuing into November. On Sept. 21, 1887, two men 

 caught 200, many of them very large, in the ocean not far 

 from Ocean City, N. J., on a single tide. 



Where to Go.— The thoroughfares about Cape May are 

 recommended for early fishing, say near the middle of 

 May. Sometimes large fish are caught about the same 

 date, or even earlier, in Great Egg Harbor Bay. Mr. 

 Spangler mentions Slaughter Beach, in Delaware Bayj 

 Fortescue Beach and the "Shell Beds" opposite Fishing 

 Creek for later fishing. Aug. 15, 1887, the catch in Great 

 Egg Harbor Bay was very large, some boats taking 150 

 on a tide, the fish scarcely averaging lib. in weight. 

 Tuckerton and Barnegat are favorite fishing places. All 

 of the bays north to Cape Cod yield a goodly supplv of 

 these fish during the summer months. 



Tide.— The flood is usually considered the most favor- 

 able tide, or the latter half of the flood and first half of 

 the ebb. At Tuckerton the ebb is preferred, and at West 

 Bergen, N. J., half ebb to half flood. Weakfish bite 

 freely at night. At this time they run up the creeks in 

 the salt meadows to feed. 



Hob its.— Weakfish swim in large schools near the 

 surface, pursuing smaller fishes, on which they prey. In 

 their movements and manner of biting they are very 

 capricious, frequently appearing and taking; the hook at 

 the most unexpected times and places. When caught 

 they often make a loud croaking noise like some other 

 members of their family. In dry seasons they are to be 

 found m brackish water, near the mouths of streams. In 

 the months of April and May they feed largely on the 



attractive, and pieces of the silvery harvest fish, or but- 

 ter fish, answer equally well. The eye of the weakfish 

 is often used successfully. Pieces of clam and even the 

 common mussel are frequently effective. Small shiners 

 make good bait, and the anchovy is one of the best 

 natural baits for (his fish. 



Edible Qualities.— Small weakfish are not worth much 

 for eating; but in the larger ones the flesh is white, flaky 

 and well flavored. It should be bled as soon as caught 

 and used while fresh; transportation is difficult because 

 the fish deteriorates rapidly. A fresh weakfish, either 

 boiled, baked or broiled is* delicious and easy to assim- 

 ilate. 



Precautious.— Weakfish are favorites with many per- 

 son because of the ease of making a good catch. Do not, 

 however, rush off for a few hours' fishing without learn- 

 ing beforehand whether the fish are present and biting. 

 We have seen much bitter disappointment among anglers 

 on the coast who seemed to think that it is possible to 

 drop a line into any bay from Cape Cod to Virginia at 

 any time of the day and tide and pull out weakfish until 

 their arms ache. Drop a line if you will, but let it be 

 addressed first to some friend who is posted about the 

 fishing, and you will save yourself much w^aste of time 

 and money and preserve your serenity of disposition— a 

 prime requisite for the successful angler. 



THE WEAKFISHES. 



The fishes of the genus Cynoscion, popularly known as 

 weakfish, sea trout, sea bass and by various other names, 

 are found principally in North and South America. Our 

 east coast has four species, one or more of which extend 

 into the West Indies; ihe Pacific coast has five, two of 

 them ranging north to California ; there are three on the 

 east coast of South America and one in Peru. All of 

 these are noted for their large size and many are beauti- 

 fully colored. They are esteemed for food and renowned 

 for their swift and graceful movements and their game 

 qualities. The young in most cases are vertically banded 

 and differ so much in appearance from the adults as to 

 lead inexperienced persons to consider them as distinct 

 species. The mouth is always large and well supplied 

 with sharp strong teeth of formidable size; but the flesh 

 of the jaws is tender and does not hold the hook securely. 



The giant among these fishes is a distinguished inhabit- 

 ant of California waters. It is true that the doctors of 

 science, because of certain differences in the teeth of this 

 animal, have set it apart from its near relatives in a little 

 section of its own, but you and I care little about this 

 method of dealing with our favorites. To us he is a weak- 

 fish and almost equal to a tarpum in fighting ability, for 



one would have to visit several markets to see that num- 

 ber. They are generally of 2 or 3lbs. in weight. A very 

 few of half a pound are to be seen. A few days ago a 

 20-pounder was taken at Vallejo, and one of 301bs. is re- 

 ported from further up the river: but fish of that size are 

 very rare. The Albatross took one at Monterey last week, 

 which is, I believe, the first reported from south of San 

 Francisco. We got it by seining along shore; this was a 

 half-pound specimen. 



Carp are now very abundant in the Sacramento. 

 Hundreds of them are to be seen in the Chinese district 

 of San Francisco every day; most of the catch goes to 

 "Chinatown." I have seen none but the scale carp in 

 California, but, if I remember rightly, it was one of the 

 other varieties that I saw in the Willamette, at Portland. 



CllAg. H. Towjssend. 



U. P. Steamer Albatross, Saa Franciscc, April 14. 



SCARCITY OF CONNECTICUT SHAD. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In reading your article of the 24th inst. in relation to 

 the depletion of shad in the Connecticut River by the 

 pounds at and near the mouth of the river. I was re- 

 minded of another cause for the scarcity of shad in the 

 river, given me by an old gill-net fisherman a few days 

 ago. He said he had used the gill net for about eighteen 

 years at the mouth of the river and at other points along 

 up the same for twenty miles, and while he knew the 

 pounds to be a great and continual barrier against the 

 entrance of shad into the river, he said, in his opinion, 

 this was not the only one; he thought the breakwater ex- 

 tending out into the Sound was a serious obstruction to 

 the entrance of shad to the river, for as the fish followed 

 east along the north shore of the Sound they met this 

 obstruction, turning them south out into the Sound, and 

 when having reached its limit so that they could again 

 take their eastern course, the circle of their turn carried 

 them beyond the mouth of the river. While this, if true, 

 perhaps cannot be well averted, it may be worthy of 

 mention in assigning reasons for the growing scarcity to 

 almost annihilation of shad in the Connecticut River. 

 The writer remembers when it was no uncommon thing 

 for one haul of a seine to take 500 shad, and has known 

 of twice that number being taken. It seemed strange to 

 him while spending three weeks of the present month in 

 that section to find those fisheries abandoned and not to 

 be able to get a single shad during that time. Truly the 

 Connecticut River has lost the glory of her shad. A. 

 Brooklyn, April 2L 



To Salmon Anglers.— T. J. Conroy, 65 Fulton street, N. Y., 

 has a lot of fine salmon rods, assorted kinds, which he will sell at 

 a sacrifice until stock is reduced. Don't miss the opportunity,— 

 Adv. 



