July 12, 1902.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
29 
they have good cause to envy the abundance which their 
New York brethren enjoy. 
ConcgfntDg Weakfisfa, 
Among our seacoast game fishes, the weakfish or 
squeteague is undoubtedly the favorite in this latitude, 
for it gives more real sport to those who use the rod 
alid feel than atly other s;^ecies, the striped bass, per- 
haps, alone excepted, and it is followed by vastly more 
anglers than is either of the others. 
Indeed, so numerous are those who depend on weak- 
fishing for their summer sport, if a census of them 
wotdd be taken, its numbers would surprise the un- 
initiated. There are four species of weakfish on the At- 
lantie coast, but the squeteague whose range extends 
from Cap€ Cod to the Delaware Bay, and the spotted 
weakfish, commonly but improperly called the sea trout 
in the South, which is found along the coast froni South- 
ern New jetsey to Florida, are the two species best 
khfciwn to anglers. 
My first acqtiaintanee with these last-named fish was 
made a number of yeafs ago Under father peculiar cir- 
cuinStanceS. 1 had accepted an invitation to enjoy a 
fishing exciifsibn dn a steamer Which earfied parties 
from Philadelphia to the "Banks," which afe situated 
ten or a dozen miles to the eastward of the Delaware 
Breakwater, and had been promised that I should have 
some good sea trout fishing, they being very abundant 
at that time. 
I thought I was pretty familiar with the habits of the 
fish I had heretofore known as the sea trout, and while 
I was incredulous that any of the silvery beauties that 
I had known for many years were to be found so far 
south, I was anxious to know what the species was that 
went by so inviting a name. 
As tfie steamer passed down the river that night I 
heard, of course, a great deal of "fish talk" from the 
excursionist anglers who Were aboard, and this chieify 
related to the gamy sea trout and the black sea bass, 
both of which wereio be taken at the Banks. 
i listened and tried to get all the information I could, 
but I obtained no facts about the alleged sea trout, ex- 
cept that they were silvery bright with numerous black 
spots, were very gamy and their weight was all the w-ay 
from two to five pounds. 
A little before sunrise the steamer approached the 
wharves near the Breakwater, and here a short stop was 
made befoi-e passing out upon the bay. A number of 
fish ef men were pointed out to me on the wharf to which 
We Were moored; each of whom had a fine string of 
what I at first supposed to be squeteague, but which, 
by reason of their numerous black spots, I discovered 
w"cre the spotted weakfish of the South, Cynoscion 
cafvlin-eiisis. 
1 gave them as close an examination as I could in 
the short time in which the steamer lay at the wharf, 
and found them to be more round and stocky than the 
Squeteague, and apparently with much greater strength, 
but in most respects they dif¥ered but little from the 
others. 
We reached the Banks early in the forenoon, and as 
soon as the anchors were dropped the hooks on the 
hand lines were baited and dropped into the water. 
There were, perhaps, fifty fishermen aboard and they all 
kept busy. 
While hand-line fishing has no charms for me, I like 
to see others enjoy it, and to say that the sport "waxed 
fast and furious" is to put it very mildly. 
Deep-sea flounders, black sea bass, scuppaug — called 
"porgies" in the tidal waters of the Middle States— and 
weakfish were pulled up and sent flopping all over the 
steamer deck. I found that in addition to the squeteague, 
the spotted weakfish was being taken, and was told that 
along that section of the coast both species mingled and 
were so equally abundant that in a day's catch about 
half would be of each kind. 
Further north, however, along the Jersey shore, the 
spotted weakfish becomes more rare and, finally, is en- 
tirely displaced by the squeteague. The bait that was 
used" by the fishermen consisted chiefly of pieces of qua- 
hogs or hard-shell clams, although fresh herring had 
been provided for those who preferred to use them. 
I watched the varying success of the fishermen for sev- 
eral hours and noted tSe proportionate catch of the dif- 
ferent species. The black sea bass were far and away 
the most abundant of all, but the "porgies" were by no 
means scarce. The weakfish were rather plentiful, also, 
the total catch being upward of thirty. They seemed to 
take the clam bait with avidity, although the hooks and 
tackle were quite coarse, very different in fact from 
that which anglers who use the rod and reel are accus- 
tomed to use. I saw none that would scale over three 
pounds, and the average weight could not have been more 
than two pounds. 
They were as beautiful fish as one might ask to see, 
in fact, they seemed to be of more brilliant coloration 
than those which are taken on the flats and in the small 
bavs along the coast. 
Everyone who has caught these fish knows how beau- 
tifully iridescent their color is when they are first 
taken from the water. The green and purple and gold 
added to and blended with the silvery sheen of their 
armor, make them one of the handsomest of fishes, but 
the bright colors soon fade, and in a short time they be- 
come dull and unattractive. 
How they are Cacght. 
Weakfish are among the most abundant of our coastal 
fishes, and the methods employed in their capture are 
varied. Market fishermen who desire to make the lar- 
gest '"possible catch familiarize themselves with the best 
localities, and, disdaining to waste time with rod, reel 
and fine tackle, anchor their boats in tideways or on the 
edge of a channel and pull in the fish as expeditiously 
as possible. A favorite method with both market fisher- 
men and sportsmen is by "drifting," in which either a 
hand line or stout rod is employed. The boat is allowed 
to drift with the tide and breeze, keeping as closely as 
possible to the silvery beauties, care being taken not to 
drift so rapidly as to go by then nor so slowly as to per- 
mit them to pass beyond the reach of the anglers. 
The weakfish are continually on the move in pur.suit 
pf the minnows, shrimp, etc., on which they feed, ^nd as 
they often gather in large schools and swim near the 
surface, their movements may be easily followed and a 
good catch made. The bait used in drifting consists 
usually of white worms, sand worms and shrimp, shedder 
crabs are also a favorite with most anglers. Sportstnen 
anglers who use finer tackle get their sport chiefly from 
still-fishing. 
Their boat is anchored "just off the edge of the tide," 
and "chumming" with shrimp is resorted to to draw 
the fish about them. A stout rod is employed with about 
75 yards of line (oil-boiled is preferred by most anglers). 
The leader is of good single gut— a salmon leader is none 
too good, and the hook that I think is most used, is 
about a No. 3 Sproat. 
The reel may be either a multiplier or an ordinary 
trout or .salmon reel. My preference is for a click reel, 
such as I use in salmon fishing, but of a smaller size. 
In Vineyard Sound and Buzzards and Narragansett 
bays, practically the northern limits of the squeteague, 
they are much less abmidant than they are along the 
coast of Long Island and New Jersey. A catch of ten 
or a dozen fish in the first-named waters being regarded 
as "high line," while in the others a take of fifty or sixty 
in & day's fishing of a single boat is ijot at all uncom- 
mon. 
In the files of Forest and Stream such statements 
as the following appear: 
"The fishing in Jamaica Bay is at its best; catches of 
fifty weakfish in three or four liotffs' fishing are not 
rare." 
"At Gifford's Station, Staten Island, weakfish are now 
numerous. On Sunday and Monday the ebb tide yielded 
from eight to twelve fish to a boat; all being of good 
size." 
"Weakfishing at The Raunt, Jamaica Bay, is very good 
at present. Mr. George Schwind, of that place, reports 
that on Friday of last week one boat got sixty-two and 
another forty-five, while catches of from twelve to twenty- 
five are of daily occurrence." 
"The catch in Great Egg Harbor was very large, some 
boats taking ISO on a tide." 
"Two men caught 200, many of them very large, m 
the ocean not far from Ocean City, N. J., on a single 
tide." • ^ 
In fishing for squeteague a small swivel sinker is used, 
one that is only heavy enough to carry the bait to the 
proper depth, and many anglers use a float to keep the 
line in proper place. The squeteague is a sharp, fear- 
less biter, and the instant the hook is felt the fish gives 
a vigorous run, sometimes taking out fifteen or more 
yards of fine and causing the reel to ring right merrily. 
The first run is always the strongest, but the fight is 
sure to be an interesting one as long as it continues. 
With almost electric speed the fish rushes about in every 
direction, now with a quick run it dives deep in the 
water, and tries to entangle the line in the weeds and 
rocks at the bottom. 
Failing in this, it darts to the surface and leaps high m 
the air with all the agility the grilse displays, shaking 
its head like a bass and making every effort to dislodge 
the hook. 
It is. while it lasts, as exciting a struggle as one' can 
wish, but the fish soon becomes exhausted, and, lying 
on its side; permits the angler to draw it nearer and 
nearer, until finally the landing net is employed and the 
captive is lifted into the boat. 
The squeteague is, like the bluefish, exceedingly vora- 
cious, the number of small fish that it destroys being 
very great; but it kills only for food, while the other 
continues its attacks long after its appetite is gratified. 
I have watched them while feeding in the great taflks 
in the New York Aquarium and could see no dift'erence 
in their movements in capturing the minnows which are 
thrown to them from those of the large trout in adja- 
cent tanks; they rushed for their prey just as the others 
did and gorged themselves to repletion. 
In fact, if one did not know the difference_ between 
the species he would believe them to be identical. 
Edward A. Samuels, 
[to be continued.] 
Black Bass in Woodcock Cover. 
Ottawa, Ont., June 20. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
As we happened to be in this city at the opening of the 
black bass season, we were given an opportunity to 
indulge in a rare kind of sport that our old-time friend 
Throop had so often talked about to us— "gunning for 
black bass with a fly over good woodcock grounds." 
Hitherto, whenever he would become over enthusiastic 
in discoursing about this sport, which could only be had 
at a certain season of the year — the middle of June — we 
Avould quietly touch the bell and order in the refresh- 
ments—and change the subject to something that we 
had enjoyed or might at some future time be Ukely to 
be in a position to enjoy. So when he gave us an in- 
vitation to accompany him with a couple of other friends 
— who were thoroughly good fellows — to the locality 
where the wary black bass "used" during the period of 
high water in the Grand River — as the lumbermen call 
the Ottawa — of course we could not resist the tempta- 
tion — and we joyfully accepted his invitation. 
The next morning at the station of the Ottawa and 
Aylmer trolley line, we found awaiting us the well- 
known trap shots— Messrs. A. W. Throop, W. Slaney, 
also Mr. Sissons Throop and Master Norman Throop — 
a chip and true son of his father — the redoubtable A, W. 
Our destination was the club house at Aylmer Park, 
where we met for a few moments the Province of Que- 
bec Fish and Game Inspector, N. E. Carnier, who was 
on his way to some more northern fishing grounds. At 
the club house we took a couple of skiffs for a three- 
mile row across the lake to the bass-woodcock grounds. 
Among A. W.'s outfit was a mammoth fish basket 
about the size of an ordinary clothes basket. In reply 
to our little fun regarding the size of this basket, we 
were gravely and soberly assured that it would be none 
too large for our catch. We had a quiet pull over across 
the lake, as the enlargement of the river is here called. 
On the south shore we passed around a point into a 
large back bay that contained several low islands whose 
shores in many places were fringed with thick cripple 
brush. The yfd.\tT \r\ the river being at its high tide, the 
low flat shores of these islands were covered to the 
depth of several feet, and the smallraouth bass were 
congregated in among the flooded bushes. By keeping 
outside in the boats, so that with a long cast we could 
drop our flies close up under the bushes, we would often 
be rewarded with a vicious strike. While we lost many 
a fine fish, with easy fishing we safely landed fifty-five 
good size bass — all smallmouth. We also took one 
small maskinonge, and a small pike, several perch and 
rock bass. 
The smallmouths were instinctively "cute;" for in- 
variably, when they felt the prick of the hook, they 
would dart toward the boat and out of the water, and 
too often with a spiteful shake of the head, would send 
the fly ayay flying. 
Individually, we at first lost every fish that we raised, 
but we soon learned to circumvent their wily tricks. As 
soon as they struck, by giving a sharp twist of the 
wrist, settling the hook well home, then throwing the 
tip of the rod well back and rapidly reeling in the line, 
thus keeping a stiff strain all the time on the fish, we 
soon had them well under control, but they were gamy — 
true grit to the backbone — first out of the water, then 
down grubbing along the bottom to find a snag to snub 
the leader around; failing in this, whiz-z-z would go 
the reel, as they would make a rush out for the open 
water, to double back under the boat. It was a steady 
fight, until at last they broke away or became tangled 
up in the landing net; then only we had them safe. 
Our catch, while not large in point of numbers, was 
large enough for us, as we took things easy, and had 
keen appetites to satisfy, which caused us to make re- 
peated calls for lunch. We ate under the shady canopy 
of some wide spreading branches of scrub oak — on a 
clean carpet of green grass surrounded by wild flowers 
and woodland song birds — which included our North 
American mocking bird, libelously named catbird, and 
with not a mosquito nor blackfly to give us annoyance. 
We ate, we drank, smoked and related truthful anec- 
dotes, some of them old enough to be historical; in fact, 
we enjoyed ourselves in a decorous and rational manner. 
We took all of our fish with the fly. The most kill- 
ing fly was the Parmachene-belle, which, to be properly 
offered so as to excite the smallmouths' cupidity, should 
be dropped on the overhanging bushes, then with a 
quiet movement of the rod dropped off into the water. 
As it sinks below the surface, give it a Httle motion, 
then look out for trouble. Our experience with arti- 
ficial baits when after voracious fish has taught us to 
make our lures appear like a thing of life struggling to 
escape. Fish take artificial baits from one of the fol- 
lowing motives: Some kinds of fish take them for 
food; others from curiosity, or playfidness, and tinder 
certain conditions some regard the baits as a nuisance 
to be removed from their vicinity. We see an illustra- 
tion of this when we drop a bait down where a bass is 
guarding her spawning bed. It would take many pages 
to fully cover the above subjects, so we will leave them 
for some future article. 
Master Throop was taken along partly for his com- 
pany and partly to row one of the boats whUe one of us 
older ones fished. This latter part of the programme was 
not at all to his liking. While he did not break out into 
actual open rebellion, he would when a fish was lost 
make cutting observations and indulge in sarcastic re- 
flections about our lack of skill in handling a bass. We 
remembered his tender age and tried to remain undis- 
turbed, which was at times a hard task, one that re- 
quired strong self-controlling efforts. After our first 
lunch, while we were enjoying a restful smoke, we be- 
came aware of the fact that the young gentleman had 
disappeared with one of the boats. We found him around 
the point of the island playing a large bass, which he 
successfully landed single-handed. The way that he held 
the rod in one hand and worked the boat away from 
the brush with the other, then used the landing net, was 
an object lesson and an illustration of youthful pre- 
cocity belonging to the present age. When he returned 
to the landing he had added several more fish to the 
score. 
At first we were of the opinion that the bass were m 
among those bushes for the purpose of protecting their 
young, but we soon became convinced that this was a 
mistake, that thev were in there where there was an 
abundance of feed and also cover. In some places they 
were in perfect schools. As the high waters go down 
they gradually retire to the deep waters, where they are 
then taken with live bait down-fishing. Though while 
returning in the evening, we were thoroughly drenched 
in a heavy shower, we put in one of the red-letter days 
of our life. We also had learned something new about 
the habits of the smallmouth bass. With the excep- 
tion of the evening shower, the day was a beautiful one. 
All of our fish were taken with a fly, our companions 
were of the right sort, genial, whole-souled gentlemen. 
And the boy— "God bless them"— he gave the spice with 
an interesting flavor to the outing. 
At the club house landing we found some waiting 
friends, among whom was Thos. A. Duff, Esq., the 
president of the Dominion Trap Shooters' League; Geo. 
Ketchum and others. Of course, we had to exhibit our 
full basket of fish, and received their congratulations 
with due and becoming modesty. Stanstead. 
Big Catches Mean ¥utute Dearth. 
The piece under the title of "The Schoodics," where 
one of your subscribers writes that he and a friend took 
200 trout, which he says is a common occurrence there, 
attracted my attention. ' Further, he says that he saw one 
man bring in 120 trout up to three-quarters of a pound, 
and recommends anglers to come there to fish. I will 
simply say that if they expect to get anything, they had 
better get there soon, or the fish will be all cleaned out, 
and I cannot understand the satisfaction of killing so 
manv fish unless a man is a fish hog or running a fish 
market. I often meet good fellows that are fish hogs 
and do not know it, and I feel sorry for them. But a 
good many of them are getting educated of late years, 
and learn that they cannot kill them all and have the 
sport last from year to year, and they realize after a 
while that in order to keep up the supply they must kill 
only a few and return the rest to breed and make sport 
later, on; . V' 
