182 
THE BLACK-FISH. 
you present the bait to his expecting eye in the most natural 
way — and this should always be the study of the angler who 
wishes to succeed. His bite is much more powerful than 
that of the rock-fish, though both are bold biting fish, and tp 
the experienced angler, with good tackle, rarely missed. 
“ The rock-fish lie under the overhanging rock-weed, on 
the watch for live bait, shrimp, or crabs, dart out and seize 
their prey, and retire to their harbor, drawing the line from 
the perpendicular to a slanting position, and that without the 
angler feeling him ; and I have taken many a dark-sided fel- 
low, merely from watching the slant of the line. Both kinds 
are very powerful, and although they rarely run far from the 
rock when hooked, their extraordinary vigor, and stubborn 
resistance, make them a capital subject for the rod. The 
largest I have ever taken with the rod, weighed five and a 
half pounds. This was at Oyster-Pond Point, at the Sound 
end of Long Island. This is one of the best places which I 
know, of easy access from New-York, for taking these fine 
fish. An excellent temperance hotel is kept by Mr. Latham, 
and good boats and guides are to be had. 
“ The best mode of arranging rod tackle for black-fish is 
this : Attach two plaited gut snells, one of twelve inches and 
one of eight, to a small brass ring, the size of those used on 
the second joint of the rod from the hand ; put a slide sinker 
on the line, and tie to the ring, and all is ready. The slide 
sinker is by far the best, as it is frequently desirable to throw 
from your boat to a sunken rock, and as the sinker lies on 
the bottom, the smallest action of the fish at the bait is readily 
felt. 
“ For hand-line fishing I prefer the same mode of arranging 
the hooks to any other : the usual way is to have a loop at 
the end of the line ; attach the loop to the eye of the sinker, 
and fasten the snells on the line just above the latter, so that 
they will hang about twelve and eight inches below.” 
