FOREST AND STREAM 
651 
The Surf-Fishing Outlook 
By B. C. Clapp. 
Photos by ‘poberl Corson 
I F it were possible for us to know the condi¬ 
tions prevailing along the coast from the 
Gulf of Mexico to the St. Lawrence, if we 
understood the baffling problems of food supply, 
trend of littoral currents, and the thousand-and- 
one influences which determine the movements of 
our migratory salt water fishes, we might venture 
a fairly accurate prophesy as to the outcome of 
the fishing season of 191T But, lacking his data, 
we are forced to draw upon the past for our prog¬ 
nostications of the future, and this method even 
is not without value, for the spring and fall mi¬ 
grations of these fishes are as regular as the 
flights of the birds or the recurrence of the 
seasons. 
The game fishes taken in the surf on the New 
Jersey coast are: The striped bass, channel bass, 
kingfish, bluefish, and weakfish; and of these five 
species, the striped bass alone is not migratory— 
the others come to us in the spring and depart 
in the fall. 
A few years ago it was made illegal, in New 
Jersey, to seine for striped bass from the shore 
from April i to November i, and so rapid is the 
growth of this fish that beneficial results of this 
law are already seen in increased catches with 
rod and reel, especially of small fish—from three 
to ten pounds. Of course the sensational run on 
the North Jersey coast, in 1913, attracts the most 
attention because of the very large size of many 
of the fish caught, but to my mind the most sig¬ 
nificant fact in the striped bass situation is the 
evident increase in number of smaller fish. 
The records of the Asbury Park Fishing Club 
show that since 1910 the catch of this fish, with 
rod and reel, from the North Jersey beaches has 
annually increased, and this fact alone augurs 
well for the future. The significance of this in¬ 
creased catch becomes all the more apparent, 
when it is understood that the rules of the club 
stipulate that these fish shall be taken from the 
shore or from some structure directly connected 
with the shore, in other words by surf casting; 
and, where striped bass are concerned, this method 
has marked limitations. I have not space to take 
up that subject here, but may do so at a later 
date. 
The first striped bass weighed in at the Asbury 
Park Fishing Club last year was taken on May 
24; and the last, on October 26. June is gener¬ 
ally considered the best month, but in 1913 the 
number of fish taken in August was greater than 
in June, while the catches of July and September 
were almost as great. The run of very large 
fish, already referred to, occurred in June, but the 
record bass—58 lbs. 8 ozs.—was caught in July. 
On the South Jersey coast, channel bass are 
taken in the surf in June, but north of Beach 
Haven very few surf anglers go after this prince 
of surf fishes before September. Premising a 
northward migration of channel bass, there seems 
to be no reason why they should not be taken in 
June in the same localities as in September. The 
writer and a friend made a tentative trial at Sea¬ 
side Park one night last June without success, 
but I was informed by the captain of the life 
saving station there, a few days later, that sev¬ 
eral of these fish had been taken in the pound 
nets off Island Beach. On the North Carolina 
coast this fish is taken in the surf in May; on the 
South Jersey coast, in June; and it would seem 
that they should be captured around Barnegat 
Inlet, Seaside Park, and northward to Long 
Beach, Long Island, in June and July—especially 
if one fished nights. 
There was an unusually large catch of very 
small channel bass, or puppy drum, on the North 
Carolina coast last season; and as far north as 
Asbury Park these little fish—one to three 
pounds—put in an appearance. This would seem 
to augur a liberal supply this coming season; and 
while the flesh of the large channel bass is coarse, 
that of the small is delicious. I am in receipt of 
a letter from a friend who fishes Topsail Inlet, 
North Carolina, for large channel bass, in which 
he says that he fears May on account of the full 
moon coming so early in the month after this un¬ 
usually severe winter, but confidently expects 
fishing to be good in that locality in June. 
The kingfish usually make their appearance, in 
abundance, in the North Jersey surf about the 
second week in June, but last year the first one 
weighed in at the Asbury Park Fishing Club was 
taken on May 3, and the second one on May 20. 
This little fish is generally caught, by surf casting, 
until next to the last week in July, when he dis¬ 
appears from the surf, and does not reappear 
there until the second week in August, returning 
with the weakfish. Then he may be taken until 
the last of September. 
The commercial fishermen have a saying that 
good and poor years run alternately. Now last 
year was an exceedingly poor year for king¬ 
fish, as was the year previous, so if any faith can 
be had in the maxims of the mossbaeks, 1914 
should be a doubly good year for this tooth¬ 
some delicacy. 
Our surf fishing for weakfish comes much 
later than the boat fishing for this species in the 
bays. We do not expect this fish in the surf be¬ 
fore August, while large catches are made in the 
bays—from Narragansett southward—all through 
June and July. On the North Jersey coast the 
best month for weakfish is September, and they 
are taken into October. The season of 1912 was 
a good year for weakfish; 1913 was a poor year; 
and 1914—What? That’s the best I can do. 
A boy of my acquaintance started up a big 
windmill and couldn’t stop it. The windmill was 
pumping water into the tank in the boy’s house 
at the rate of several gallons a minute. Soon the 
tank would overflow and the boy feared his 
father. In desperation the lad appealed to an old 
fisherman to know when the wind would stop 
blowing. 
“My son,” gravely replied the old shellback, 
“you go up to the Catholic church here and see 
Father Scully. He’s nearer to God than the rest 
of us, and perhaps he can tell you.” 
If we consult Father Scully he may be able to 
tell us about the prospects for weakfish. 
The most noteworthy feature of bluefishing in 
the surf in recent years has been the capture of 
very large specimens near the mouth of the Ma- 
nasquan River. Every one interested in the sub¬ 
ject knows of the 17 lb. 14 oz. fish taken at Point 
