24 FORESTANI) STREAM JANUARY, 1918 
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A ROYAL GOOD FELLOW—THE WEAKFISH 
THE FIRST WHITE SETTLERS FOUND HIM HERE AND HE HAS REMAINED EVER 
SINCE TO COMFORT AND CHEER THE ANGLER WITH TRULY DELIGHTFUL SPORT 
By LEONARD HULIT, Associate Editor of FOREST AND STREAM 
O F the numerous tribes of ocean fishes 
which visit our shores annually per¬ 
haps none is more familiar to us 
than is the Weakfish and none has given 
more pleasure to the angler, as it is found 
in so many waters which are easy of ac¬ 
cess to the average man. It has ever been 
an object of interest as its usual great 
abundance furnishes a vast amount of 
nourishing food as well as a high class 
sport to thousands of devotees of the rod. 
We have but few fishes, if any, which 
have a more interesting history. The 
white man on his arrival in this country 
found it here and it has remained ever 
since to comfort him with food and give 
cheer to many thousands who love the 
anglers’ art. 
While in the early days it was known by 
a variety of names and is in some localities 
still a little mixed in title, yet it has to 
a great extent outlived many confusing 
cognomens and the term Weakfish is the 
generally accepted title throughout all the 
eastern and middle Atlantic states. 
There are three well defined species of 
this fish on the Atlantic seaboard, two of 
which are important, our own familiar 
species and the one which is known as the 
Sea Trout of southern -waters. There is 
the third one which has been but sparingly 
observed and which does not take an im¬ 
portant part either as a food fish, or of in¬ 
terest to the angler. 
The name “Squeteague” which still holds 
with our own species in some localities is 
of Indian origin, and like the names 
“Chickwit” and “Squitee” is gradually dy¬ 
ing out and fast becoming obsolete. For 
memory’s sake, however, it would be pleas¬ 
ant to have the name “Squeteague” re¬ 
tained as it has a musical sound when pro¬ 
nounced by the few descendants of the 
Shinnecock tribe which still survive. 
The time of arrival of the Weakfish on 
our coast is usually in May and it remains 
with us until well into October. During all 
these months it is to be met with in the 
bays and rivers and affords an enormous 
amount of good food as well as the 
pastime which is so familiar to all. 
Twenty years ago it was perhaps the 
most abundant fish on our coast with the 
possible exception of the Menhaden which 
has never been a strictly food fish. But 
the introduction of the pound net and its 
persistent slaughter has had its effect, and 
the numbers of this most important mem¬ 
ber of ocean tribes are fast disappearing 
and unless some restraint is placed on this 
system of fishing, future generations will 
mourn the loss of that which we have 
known in such abundance. 
As this system has had such a marked 
effect on this valuable fish it may not be 
out of place to dilate a little on past and 
present conditions. Before the pound net 
system became so universal it was a sight 
never to be forgotten to see the large 
schools of Weakfish in the Autumn months 
when they were preparing for their annual 
leavetaking. At this time of the year they 
swim much at the surface, eagerly feeding 
on the young of Menhaden which at the 
period mentioned swarmed the waters in 
countless myriads. Immense schools of the 
large Weakfish, miles in extent, could be 
seen from fishing boats, the radiance from 
their well colored bodies turning the water 
into a deep violet. No such sight may be 
seen to-day as these fish have been slaugh¬ 
tered without mercy or sense. 
I have personally seen as much as sixty 
tons of these beautiful fish, ranging in 
weight from four to twelve pounds, in a 
net at one time, and the great majority of 
this immense number went to Barren 
Island to be used as “fish scrap” as the 
markets were glutted and no price could 
be obtained for them as food. Had proper 
legislation been applied at that time the 
supply could have been maintained, estab¬ 
lishing a never-ending source of profit to 
net men as well as the markets, not to 
mention the inestimable blessing to the peo¬ 
ple of to-day who are in need of this very 
supply. It would require a volume to de¬ 
scribe in detail all that system has accom¬ 
plished in the way of waste in fish food. 
A S vast as were the numbers of this 
fish it seems most peculiar that it is 
absolutely unknown in European 
waters. Temperature is in many parts 
identical with our own waters; they feed 
greedily on the young of the Herring, when 
possible, which fish fairly swarms in all 
the waters of northern Europe. It would 
seem that such an abundance of food would 
call them there, but such is not the case, 
and the subject remains one of the inscrut¬ 
able ways of fish life. 
The range of the Weakfish is from about 
Cape Cod in Massachusetts to the northern 
coast of Florida, and under normal condi¬ 
tions it is abundant. It is a great inshore 
ranger, • visiting all our bays and rivers 
often passing entirely to headwaters; and 
if depth permits it will run into fresh 
water above where the tide flows. 
Its time and place of spawning have 
never been clearly established. This sure¬ 
ly must be prior to the time of their ar¬ 
rival on our coast, or at least before they 
are willing to take the hook as specimens 
so caught rarely or never contain ova in 
anything like mature condition. It is said 
the large sea-ranging individuals do at 
times have spawn when taken, still, so far 
as I can learn, it is exceptional. I have 
never seen any of the fingerling or fry 
taken in the bait nets in any of the rivers 
or bays along the coast, as is the case with 
many of our fishes whose spawning habits 
are well known. While Weakfish are fre¬ 
quently taken along with the Bluefish it is 
a well established fact that when the latter 
are scarce Weakfish are more abundant, in¬ 
dicating that the swifter swimming and 
more voracious Bluefish interferes some¬ 
what with the food supply. 
I T would be most interesting to the ob¬ 
servant if it were possible to get p 
glimpse into pre-historic times and learn 
a little of the origin of some species which 
have not been scientifically threaded out. 
While I do not make any claim as to cor¬ 
rectness on the following thought, still the 
relationship of the Lake Trout and the 
Weakfish has been thought possible by 
many laymen of late years. The contour 
of body and fin formation, as well as their 
feeding habits, together with their beauti¬ 
ful coloring in cool water, all go to make 
a picture of such close resemblance that 
the thought is inevitable. No matter, how¬ 
ever, as to the relationship of our favor¬ 
ite friend, nor when the family jar occurred 
which separated the family (if such were 
the case), he is a royal good fellow in 
angling circles and as such is welcome at 
all times to the fraternity. 
In beach fishing for this species much 
the same method is employed as in Striped 
Bass fishing, except that deeper water is 
sought out, as they often avoid the bars. 
They will take the hook at any condition 
of the tide. Ordinarily the flood tide is 
the one to be preferred, as then all sea life 
is more active and food in greater abund¬ 
ance can be obtained. Shedder crab is a 
favorite bait for these fish and during the 
months of September and October it is a 
(continued on page 50) 
