FOREST AND STREAM 
941 
ning, provided with a throw-off attachment so 
that in casting, the gear mesh is not engaged. 
This adds greatly to the life of the reel and to 
the pleasure of the user. In passing, I should 
have mentioned that the rod should be provided 
with agate guides and end tips; and German sli¬ 
ver mountings throughout. 
Of lines there are many makes and many quali¬ 
ties, but nothing but the best Irish flax, twisted 
or hand laid, should be used; see that the line is 
hand laid or twisted and contains no sizing or 
glue. The latter, to the novice’s eye, would seem 
to have merit, but such lines contain a multitude 
of sins which these preparations are designed to 
hide. 
Two-foot 6-ply cable laid leader attached to 
the line by a three way swivel and four ounce 
pyramid casting sinker, carries us down to the 
last but truly important item of the outfit—the 
proper hook. 
While I and many others have taken the 
striped bass on varied types of hooks I think 
I will be sustained by the great majority of men 
who know, that there is but one hook made 
which thoroughly fills the bill or, to give it a 
different wording, the hand forged O’Shaugh- 
nessy hook is the one paramount. Just why it 
should be so is difficult to explain but this much 
is certain—when once well imbedded in the 
mouth, if the angler fulfills his part, the quarry 
is almost sure of capture. 
Alas! again the counterfeit is to the front, and 
hooks are offered everywhere “just as good,” 
even claiming the merit of being hand wrought. 
I would say beware! When such are offered 
at 50 cents per dozen, or about one-half the 
price that the genuine hook can be bought for 
if the gut snells are of Ai quality. As a pointer, 
will also say, each genuine hook bears the mak¬ 
er’s name. So much for equipment! 
Along o'ur coast the best season for taking 
the bass are the months of June and July. While 
they are taken from May to November still the 
months first mentioned are the more prolific, and 
a rising tide, ordinarily the best period, albeit 
there are more striped bass taken between the 
hours of 4 and g o’clock P. M. than during the 
remainder of the twenty-four. The correspond¬ 
ing morning hours, however, are just as favor¬ 
able, but fewer men are on foot and hence the 
smaller number of fish recorded. While the 
striped bass will, at times, take any one of nu¬ 
merous baits, there are with us but four stand¬ 
ard ones; the bloodworm or whiteworm as it 
usually is termed is by all odds the bait prefer¬ 
able in the early months; the shedder crab and 
squid or ink fish as well as the skimmer clam, 
are all killing baits and at times any of the four 
above named may be the one and only kind which 
will give results. 
Late in the season or during the months of 
September and October when the surf mullet is 
abundant, and particularly during heavy weather 
a bluefish squid rapidly trolled over the flats is 
frequently successful, but this method rarely 
produces the larger fish. 
With the reader’s permission we will accom¬ 
pany the man of experience and watch his en¬ 
deavor. It will at least be instructive. Although 
success may not crown his efforts on this par¬ 
ticular occasion the hour is early, the stars are 
yet shining as he goes forth equipped with tackle 
as described, and wearing rubber sporting boots. 
He has thought out the proper conditions. There 
has been a sharp easterly blow and the water is 
yet churned up. The wind veering to the west 
will make sharp cuts on the bars and the tide, 
too, is favorable. 
We are at the beach just as the first grey 
streaks of dawn break in the East, and we watch 
the carefully prepared bait as it is put on the 
hook in liberal quantity. We have noted that 
the deep cuts along the beach have been avoided 
and his eye is on the flats where the water is 
A Magnificent Prize Fairly Won. 
tumbling in. The long line of greenish white 
water tells his practiced eye that just there is 
where the finish of bar lies and the agitated 
water surging back and forth is cutting out the 
Crustacea on which the bass love to feed. Before 
making the real cast our friend steps to the 
water’s edge, and switching his rod, drops the 
sinker possibly 50 feet away. This is to wet 
down his line, as if this precaution were not 
taken the real cast with a dry line would mean 
a blistered thumb. The line is reeled in, and, 
with a rapid motion almost indiscernible, the 
rod butt is brought well to the front and the tip 
thrown backward over the right shoulder. Then 
with a vigorous snap the lead and bait is shot 
forward, straight as an arrow from a bow. Out! 
Out!! it goes and drops where his fancy directs. 
The slack line is reeled in until the line is just 
taut—no more! The rod butt is placed in the 
leather holder and our friend seats himself to 
await results, knowing that the restless waters 
are swinging his bait back and forth, yet held 
to one general position by the square-headed 
sinker he is using. After many minutes of wait¬ 
ing the incoming tide has gradually worked his 
bait into the deep waters of the basin. This is 
not to his liking; the line is reeled in and bait 
carefully examined. We are informed there are 
bass working over the flats, else the spider crabs 
would long since have torn the bait to shreds. 
Again the bait is placed, this time a little more 
on the flats, but still where the water is strongly 
agitated. While we do not, our man realizes that 
many mornings such as this may pass without 
a strike. Still he is now keenly alert; he has 
not sat down since his last cast. His line is 
kept tight against the drag of the sinker—he is 
a statue of expectancy. And just as the sun is 
breaking the horizon’s rim he makes one rapid 
step backward, at the same time bringing the 
rod sharply up. And its arching contour and 
the line cutting the water tell us that a bass 
has struck. Away he goes to the north, his 
beautiful silver sides plainly discernible as he 
cuts through the waves; 200, 300 and 400 feet of 
line are out and still going, but the drag is telling 
and the fish circles around through the basin and 
back to the edge of the flat, where he first struck, 
unable to release himself from his strange bond¬ 
age. He tries a ruse; he sulks; but the hand 
of many battles at the rod knows this will not 
do, as such a manouever gives the quarry rest; 
so he is prodded into action by a swing of the 
rod and again the long run seaward is made. 
There is no haste in the actions of the fisher¬ 
man, no endeavor to beach the fish. Line is 
given at each run, but it is at all times kept 
taut, just enough to keep the hook securely set 
and well he knows that the drowning process is 
going on until the game, as he is gradually worked 
shoreward, begins swimming in complete circles. 
This is always the sign of waning strength. We 
watch now the dorsal fin of the beauty cutting 
through the water and we wonder how much 
the weight—twenty?—possibly forty pounds of 
animation controlled by that thread-like line. 
Now the crucial moment has come. The ex¬ 
hausted fish is swimming feebly in ever narrow¬ 
ing circles close in to the beach. Well the man 
knows that ,one false move now on his part 
means the loss of his prize, but as his part has 
been well played throughout the battle, so it is 
maintained to the end. The line is kept exactly 
taut as the fish rolls through the bulging ground 
swell and permits no opportunity for the hook 
to drop away at this critical time, as so often 
in the hands of incompetents it occurs. 
We rush down to the water’s edge and con¬ 
gratulate the man whose years of study and 
patience have taught him how and where to lure 
it to its destruction one of the most thoroughly 
beautiful as well as the gamest fish of our con¬ 
tinent. We have taken our first lesson on striped 
bass fishing from a master of the art. And as 
we admire the richness of the prize we become 
lost in emotion; whether to glorify the conquest 
or pity the beauty, whose life is ebbing away 
on the sands. 
