Mat 26, 18 J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



449 



SURF FISHING ON THE JERSEY COAST 



And Other Things. 



Four years have passed since "Big Eeel" published his 

 notable article on "Surf Fishing for Striped Bass on the 

 Jers.y Coast," in the issue of Forest and Stream of April 

 3, lb90. I am one of the many who owe him a debt of 

 gratitude for that article. I have just re-read it. and 

 with the experience of four years surf fishing with a big 

 reel. I find it as interesting and instructive as I did when 

 it first reached me. Prior to the publication of that 

 article a number of fishermen in the neighborhood of 

 Belmar and Asbury Park, New Jersey, had done good 

 work with rod and reel in the surf, and it is possible that 

 Harry Quick, Cy, Detre and their friends at Asbury Park 

 could even in 1&90 have exchanged points on even ground 

 with "Big Reel" at Belmar; but we dwellers south of 

 Barnegat Inlet knew little of the art of surf fishing, and 

 "Big Reel's - ' article, perfect in its concise summary of all 



BLACK DRUM, WEIGHT 80LBS. 



points, was a revelation to us; it stands as a fishing 

 classic, a summary as complete as any article from Frank 

 Forrester in his best days. On reading it, I immediately 

 sought out "Big Reel" in the spring of 1890, and found 

 him the genial companion and good fisherman that his 

 article bespoke him. Thanks to his instructions, I was 

 soon provided with an outfit, and in the four summers of 

 fishing since then I have cottoned more and more firmly 

 to his theory that for our latitude the Sin. big reel, of the 

 best workmanship, is the best and only reel to use for all 



HARRY'S TARPON. 



Length of fish. lift. 3'iiu. Length of boy, 5ft. 2in. Weight of fish, 1401bs. 

 Weight; of boy, S5«10a. lime, i hours and 35 minutes. 



around fishing in the surf, or from surf boat or yacht in 

 the ocean. In the bays undoubtedly smaller reels and 

 lighter lines meet the situation better. 



My fishing has been done at Anglesea, New Jersey, in 

 the spring, and at Beach Haven, New Jersey, in the 

 summer. At Beach Haven, I am satisfied that the con- 

 ditions are so far different from those prevailing on the 

 beach further north that surf fishing for striped bass is 

 not a profitable amusement. I tried for them faithfully, 

 under all conditions of weather and tide, and with all 

 obtainable kinds of bait through the summers of 1890, 

 1891 and 1892, without success; but on the other hand, I 



have had such pleasure and such good results from cast- 

 ing in the surf for blue-fish with this rig, that my two 

 oldest boys and I look forward to it annually as our chief 

 slimmer pleasure. 



My oldest son (setat 13£ years) and I both use No. 5 Vom 

 Hof e reels, the younger boy (setat 1 1£ years) a No. 3. Up to 

 this spring, we have used steadily the Belmar line men- 

 tioned by ' 'Big Reel" in his article. While, however, this 

 is unquestionably the strongest line for its weight, and 

 amply strong for drumfish and striped bass— I incline a 

 little since my recent Florida experience to Hall's No, 15 

 for squid-casting, as less liable to snap in the inevitable 

 over-runs that are certain from time to time to occur with 

 the most careful fisherman, in the hurry incident to rapid 

 casting as a school of bluefish pass along the shore. 



As to drumfish, though a somewhat logy fish, it is 

 great fun in May or even in the latter part of April, to go 

 down to Mrs. Blakemore's cottage at Anglesea (no more 

 comfortable fishing rendezvous was ever found), and 

 spend a couple of days with Capt. C. Ludlam fishing in 

 the surf with rod and reel alongside of the native fish- 

 ermen with their heavy hand-lines. The light line and 

 rod and reel generally make the best record. The fish 

 run from 10 to 40lbs.— sometimes up to 60. They are 

 caught on clam or razor bait, and give good fun and 

 healthful exercise. 



In the spring of 1890 I remember taking at Anglesea a 

 3|-pound striped bass on a second hook, baited with shed- 

 der ocean crab, that I fastened on just to see what it 

 would bring out. 



For the information of fellow readers of Forest and 

 Stream I would say that Anglesea is about ten miles 

 north of Cape May on the West Jersey Division of the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad, easily accessible from either New 

 York or Philadelphia, and it is probably the best all-round 

 fishing resort on the Jersey coast. I have had the pleasure 

 of meeting "Big Reel" there, and fishing that is game for 

 him is good enough for me. 



I have had great pleasure in reading from time to time 

 letters and articles during the last few years in Forest 

 and Stream anent the development of sporting instinct 

 and training in our children. My boys and I have put this 

 into practice. My oldest boy has had a Greener No. 16 

 since his ninth birthday, and in the four years since then 

 he has managed with bis greater opportunities for prac- 

 tice to become a great deal better shot than his father. 

 Both boys are good surf fishermen and the elder-took a 

 tarpon in Florida last March of which he has cause to be 

 proud. 



This fish was taken off Nigger Head on the Caloosa- 

 hatchee River, below Fort Myers; and, by the way, our 

 experience ia a short tarpon trip in that country accorded 

 so closely as to localities with the suggestions given by 

 "F. S. J. C."in your columns some time ago, that I would 

 like to make my bow to "C." in passing and thank him. 

 May I say to him, however, that my son and I take issue 

 decidedly with him in his preference for a smaller reel. Let 

 "C " fish a season for any large fish with a No. 5 Vom Hofe 

 reel and he will want no other — certainly none under No. 

 4. As to line, I see he recommends Hall's 18. I know 

 that Mr. C. A. Dean, of Boston, one of the most experi- 

 enced tarpon fishermen, favors the same number; yet I 

 am emboldened by my recent experience to advocate the 

 lighter No. 15 for tarpon. As to snells, they use nothing 

 at Fort Myers now but the rawhide snell T which you can 

 get from the local dealer, Mr. W. R. Washburn, and with 

 which you will be well satisfied. You cannot give away 

 any other kind, and the rawhide undoubtedly are the best. 

 I went down equipped with three dozen of the strong cot- 

 ton snells with a wire wrap, so much used last year, and 

 discarded them. 



What do you think of this Kodak? I took it myself, of 

 my boy, his fish and his guide, and I don't know whether 

 boy, guide or father was proudest of that fish. Mind, this 

 was an honestly caught fish, no guide work. The boy 

 played and saved it himself, but he never could have done 

 it but for his experience in surf fishing during the last few 

 years on the Jersey coast. 



And apropos of that let me tell you of an interesting 

 experience the boys and I had last summer on the New 

 Jersey coast. When the weather is fair and the wind 

 west so you can go outside, the chances are good, that in 

 the last part of August, or any time in September, you 

 will get big fish of some kind at Beach Haven if you sail 

 down to the Inlet and cruise out to sea for a day. And 

 yet many a day have I done this with no result in the way 

 of fish, but with ample reward in fresh air, sunny sky 

 and dancing waves. Well, one day the boys and I thought 

 we would try outside for big weakfish, and as a measure 

 of precaution we took along our big reels and surf rods. 

 After getting outside we cruised about for several hours 

 trying for bluefish with squids and anon for weakfish 

 with bait, with no result, until suddenly Capt. Abe Price* 

 our faithful companion of many a fishing and hunting 

 bout, sighted a yellow streak in the water about a half a 

 mile off — "Them's fish!" And we went for them then 

 and there. Another boat containing native fishermen 

 got to the school first, but could do nothing with their 

 aand-lines. As we approached they shouted to us to 

 come on, knowing we had rods and reels. To our aston- 

 ishment the school consisted of several acres of large 

 (black) drumfish (not the red drum) swimming steadily 

 in a southerly direction and keeping at the surface. The 

 fish were all large, running apparently from 4 to 5ft. long. 

 They moved slowly and apparently did not take fright at 

 the approach of our yacht, which was a cat-rigged boat, 

 22|ft. long. I baited with clam but they would not bite. 

 1 then tried drawing the hook through the school, and 

 could feel the sinker strike the fish, and the hook catch 

 and then slip. I succeeded in hooking one on the outside 

 •of his head, near the eye. I played that fish for one hour 

 and ten minutes. At first he kept steadily after the 

 school and fortunately the wind was so that we could 

 follow him. In time I tired him so that he lagged behind 

 and then took to the bottom in about 20ft. of water and 

 sulked. He was so big and so heavy I had to wait on 

 him, but after many runs, at last I got him within 10ft. 

 of the boat, when he made the one roll that he apparently 

 had reserved until that time, the proper one to disengage 

 the hook (which you remember was not in his mouth) and 

 off he went. My boys were with me, and I don't approve 

 of strong language anyway — so I simply sat down and 

 rested, after my seventy minutes' work. 



Then it was Harry's turn. We sailed after the school 

 and caught up with them within a mile or so, as they 

 were swimming very slowly. Harry cast into the school 

 and speedily hooked another, and a lively time he had of 



it. The wind had come up fresher; we were about two 

 miles from land, and the sea was getting up. That 

 blessed fish wouldn't keep on one side of the boat, but re- 

 volved continually. Harry had to dodge back and forth, 

 around the mast, under the boom, pass his rod under the 

 sheet, and keep awake generally. Affpr a long fight the 

 end came, happily, and more successfully than in my 

 case. We resolved when the fish was brought near the 

 boat after fifty-five minutes' play, to take no chances, so 

 Capt. Abe took Harry's gun loaded with small shot, and 

 firing down at the fish when it was near the surface, so 

 stunned it that we were able to get it on board with a 

 weak little gaff we had. Not expecting any such experi- 

 ence, we had no suitable gaff with us. 



That fish was hooked through the dorsal fin I If any of 

 you know what it is to hook a small black bass through 

 the back or tail, you can judge what it means to hook a 

 fish weighing 80lbs. (for that was his weight) in the back. 

 It gave him absolute freedom of motion, and the contest 



RED DRUM (CHANNEL BASS). 



resolved itself into a question of endurance as between 

 boy and fish. However, the boy came out ahead, and 

 that drum now hangs in our hall beautifully mounted on 

 an oak board by John Krider. The illustration shows the 

 fish. Contrast the heavy build of the drum with the 

 clipper lines of the tarpon above. 



Let me see, where was I? Oh, yes— talking of our 

 recent tarpon trip to Florida. The above drumfish inci- 

 dent was by the way — as indicating that if fathers and 



JAMIE'S STRING OF FISH. 



LaUyfish, snapper, cavalli, sea trout and Spanish mackerel. 



mothers encourage small boys to fish for big tarpon in 

 Florida, we mustn't send them out on such quests without 

 preliminary training on large fish in our own latitudes. 



By the way, I note that "F. S. J. C." says in his above 

 article, "I assume the fisherman wishes to give four weeks 

 to tarpon." A safe assumption, friend C, but how many 

 of us can do it? My boys and I had just three days on 

 the Caloosahatchee, and only one of them a good day, as 

 we were there in the cold snap in tho latter part of March, 

 yet I had two runs, and my boy had a run and then got a 

 fish. I am satisfied that one week's fishing with good 

 tackle at Fort Myers in the last of March or preferably 

 later, is certain of good results, if the trip is carefully 



