August, 1922 
347 
Two years ago a new cut was made 
by the sea across the beach only two 
miles from Beach Haven and promises 
to be all that the fisherman might desire, 
as it is rapidly cutting a good depth, and 
in anticipation of good fishing a fine auto 
road has been built to the water’s edge. 
Should this ground prove to be as good 
as the more distant one it will be a boon 
to the hundreds who go annually to that 
region, as accomodations can be had at 
any time at Beach Haven. 
F or the benefit of those who do not 
care to withstand the strenuous work 
of surf-fishing it is safe to say that 
there are but few places along the New 
Jersey coast that furnish better inland 
fishing than the channel about one mile 
west of Beach Haven. This is known as 
the Twenty-foot Channel, and may be 
safely fished from any good rowboat. 
For several years past the writer, with 
Joseph Cawthorn, has enjoyed the very 
finest of fishing at that point. There is 
but little danger of missing the spot as 
the black and white buoy may be seen 
from the dock and by rowing to a point 
about fifty feet west and about the same 
distance to the north of the buoy it is 
safe to say there are few better places 
to be located for quiet fishing. Here the 
largest of weakfish and croakers may be 
taken, particularly at night, when motor- 
boats are not churning up and down the 
channel and the sport is of a high order 
when light tackle is employed. 
For the benefit of the fraternity of 
anglers it is but just to say that in this 
day of the high cost of living and, inci- 
dentally, of dying as well, it is best to 
make positive arrangements with your 
boatman as to the cost of the contem- 
plated trip. It is surprising how many 
“extras” can be thought of by these “in- 
nocents” who are abroad. Ice at a dollar 
a chunk, insufficiently large to cool your 
{Continued on page 371) 
THE CARP AS A GAMY FOOD-FISH 
THIS MUCH MALIGNED FISH POSSESSES SPORTING QUALITIES 
WHICH ANGLERS HAVE HITHERTO BEEN SLOW TO RECOGNIZE 
By LOUIS RHEAD 
M y purpose in this article is to 
prove that most anglers have an 
erroneous impression that the 
common carp is not a decent food- 
fish nor a gamy one. Abundant now in 
nearly all sections of the United States, 
and attaining to a considerable size, this 
Asiatic carp will soon be a much-sought- 
after fish. Eight million pounds weight 
of this particular species are annually 
consumed in New York City, mostly by 
Hebrews and residents of foreign birth. 
In France, Holland, Denmark and Ger- 
many the carp is a 
staple food, where 
it is exposed for 
sale alive, hung up 
in nets wet with 
moss, also in huge 
tanks of water. 
The fish described 
in the New Testa- 
ment as caught in 
the Sea of Gallilee 
by the Apostles 
was this same 
species of carp, 
though misnamed 
here, the German 
carp, because it 
was introduced in 
America by a Ger- 
man scientist. Dr. 
Von Baer. 
Aly intimate ac- 
quaintance with 
the carp is of re- 
cent date; while 
testing lures for 
bass in the lakes 
of our city parks 
I saw many large 
carp floundering about, leaping avove the 
surface, many of fifteen or more pounds 
in weight. At intervals, when bass were 
unresponsive, I made efforts to capture 
them after preparing a rig to fish in the 
approved English method, viz., a long bait 
rod, thin line and fine gut leader, to which 
was attached a light porcupine quill float, 
a very small No. 8 hook baited with 
dough and sunk to the bottom with tiny 
split shot. With that rig my fishing was 
spoiled by a lot of little robber sunfish, 
redfins, roach and dace, all of which are 
abundant in the same water. When I 
changed the bait to worms the robbery 
continued, this time by young perch and 
catfish, though several times I hooked 
carp from six to eight pounds weight, 
every one of which got away by reason 
of a sudden, heavy plunge to tear off the 
small hook from its leathery mouth. After 
numerous trials of different unsuccessful 
methods to capture this wary fish, at last 
I developed a rig and bait which I can 
thoroughly recommend to capture this 
shy yet vigorous fish. 
'"PHE characteristic habit of the carp is 
to be ever on the move, nosing in 
the mud bed of river or lake after food — 
almost entirely of a vegetable substance, 
though at intervals’ they will eat both 
surface and bottom creepers. The baits 
with which I succeeded best to catch carp 
are shelled peanuts, pieces of raw pota- 
toes cut and shaped like the peanut, and 
dough paste made of flour with a little 
cheese into which I mix some cotton- 
wood to make it stay well on the hook. 
Doughbait is the least desirable, being 
the only one that smaller fish nibble off 
the hook. 
Regarding the rig— I discarded the 
English style of fishing, replacing the 
long rod with the 
short bass bait- 
casting rod, reel, 
line, and bass 
leader, the length 
of the latter made 
according to the 
average d e p t h of 
water. 
Before tying gut 
to the line I thread 
it through a metal 
tube in the middle 
of a round or 
square adjustable 
float, which rises 
to the surface 
through the line 
after the cast. Be- 
low the float is 
placed a half-ounce 
egg - shaped sinker 
with a hole big 
enough for the 
line to easily run 
through it while it 
rests on the bot- 
tom. This last 
feature of the rig 
is most important, for carp at once reject 
bait that gives the slightest resistance. 
The mouth of a large carp looks small, 
but the fish can stretch it wide enough 
to easily take in a No. 3 sproat hook, of 
which two should be fastened on the 
leader six inches apart — each with dif- 
ferent bait. 
{Continued on page 366) 
