Most writers say, fish with crab on the bottom, because there it is naturally found; I say, fish with it near the top, because no sensible fish can imagine that a quarter of a crab long since dead and dismembered has any control over its own motions. In fact there is no unbending rule for fishing; the only way is to try all plans, and if the fish will not notice your crab suspended in mid-water, take off your float and swivel sinker, put on a running sinker, as it is called, made like a piece of lead pipe with a small hole in the centre, tie a knot in the line to prevent its going down on the hook; use a single bait of a good-sized piece of crab and cast well out from you, and the first eel that comes along will astonish, not to say disgust you. The line being free, though the lead lies on the bottom, you can feel the first touch of a fish, and strike at once; whereas if the sinker were the old-fashioned deep sea lead he would have to drag its weight some distance before the fisherman would be aware of his proceedings. A man, by fishing on the bottom, although justified by a philosophy which establishes the fact that bass ought to look for crabs there, and not dangling about in mid-water, will surely catch three eels to one bass. The truth is, crabs are not found on the bottom in such places, generally strong foaming currents, which they never frequent unless carried away by the force of the water, and soft crabs are by their natural enemies, and many other causes, often torn into pieces and borne about by the tide.
The bait should be kept in continual motion: this is the first law of all bait fishing. It is done by twitching the rod, and induces the fish to seize the prey, which they imagine is about to escape. I have seen them time and again dart at a bait when in motion, that they had smelt round contemptuously when still. Crab is universally regarded as the preëminent bass-bait in Summer, although its reputation is disputed by that wonderful production of the sea, the squid. This horrible monster, of which sailors tell such astounding stories, has illuminated the tales of olden time, and been a pet forecastle yarn with ancient and modern mariners. There are accounts of ships seized by its arms, that reached to the mastheads, and sunk or only saved by prayers to the Virgin Mary and the vigorous use of axes on its many muscular and boneless limbs; of grateful mariners presenting pictures of the dreadful encounter to the shrine of Our Lady; of huge pieces of the arms of this fish, indicating that they must have been sixty or more feet long, found in the maw of the whale, whose food they are; and horrible stories whispered with bated breath, of men in bathing drawn down by even the smaller of the monsters. Though there must be something in it, I doubt if this is all true, notwithstanding the squid is ugly enough for anything. With us the squid or cuttle-fish is harmless except to the sight, and in his native element is glad to hide himself in the obscurity of a dark liquid that he has the power of emitting, when pursued. The only bone in his body is in the middle of his stomach, and what it is put there for unless to give him an accurate idea of indigestion, no one knows. For the present it is enough to say he is good bait, although not handsome, and may be used either in trolling or still fishing.
Another excellent bait early in the Fall, although nowhere mentioned in the books, and, I believe, my own discovery, is the scollop. My attention was first called to it by some men opening them for the table and throwing the many-eyed skins into the water. The bass collected at once and rushed eagerly to the very dock, almost springing out of water to seize the coveted morsel. Upon this hint I acted, and by great care, for the scollop is extremely tender, and by passing the hook several times through the skin, I succeeded in keeping the bait on while I cast very gently. My success was astonishing, and then and afterward I took the largest fish under the most unfavorable circumstances with it, when they would not touch the most tempting crab. The heart of the scollop is pearly white, and is attractive and so good that no wonder the bass should be crazy for it. It is difficult to manage and easily washed off the hook, but if any fisherman shall see bass, as I have often, lying in a deep pool, occasionally leaping out or sluggishly showing their back fins on the surface and refusing all allurements, let him try scollops, and he will think of me in his dying hour.
As the days grow colder and the crab reassumes his impenetrable coat and dangerous pincers, shrimp again come into play, and on many occasions the belly of the white soft clam will attract the bass even earlier in the season. But in August I have had excellent sport casting, if I may use the word, for him with the spearing. Early in Summer a delicate little fish an inch or two long, pearly white and semi-transparent, with a black eye and a white band along the lateral line, makes its appearance on the shores of Long Island Sound and elsewhere, and has come to be called the spearing. It is a beautiful fish, and properly dressed might rival in delicacy the far-famed English white-bait; but it is never brought to market till later in the season, when it has grown several inches long and is comparatively tasteless. Being too small in the early summer to take a hook, they are difficult to catch; but an excellent net, both for them and killey-fish, can be made of mosquito netting stretched double between two hoop-poles, with a stout cord run along the top and bottom to receive the leads and floats respectively. The netting being of extra width, can be doubled together with the lead line laid in the bag, or, as sailors would say of a rope, in the bight, and the leads being small pipe, fastened at short intervals, will keep the net close to the bottom—an important particular. It should be five to six yards long; and two men, taking each a handle, can sweep a considerable part of the shore, and often fill a pail with minnows or spearing at one haul.
The killey-fish, so called by our ancestors from being caught in the kills or creeks, and which, by the by, are at least of three kinds without counting sticklebacks, will rush about and try to creep under the net; but spearing, which always go in shoals, when once in the net do not seem to be able to escape, and will stay there as long as it is kept in motion. No fisherman living near the water should be without this contrivance, as nothing is so annoying as to be unable to get bait; he will soon acquire considerable skill in its use, and if he is as boyish as a fisherman ought always, though grey-headed, to be, he will experience much excitement in the pursuit even of his bait. If spearing cannot be had, though that is rare, the barred killey, vulgarly called the bass killey, is the next in beauty and attractiveness; it is the Fundulus fasciatus, or striped killey-fish of De Kay, and if it cannot be had, the ugly green killey-fish, Fundulus viridescens, may be used, but with doubtful success.
To cast with spearing in the manner here suggested successfully, a stout long salmon rod will be requisite. A small hook is run through the spearing’s mouth and out at his side, for he is long since dead, and a cast is made into the foaming torrent of a mill-tail or rushing tide. The bait is drawn irregularly over the surface of the water, and again cast and played like the fly. The bass strike it as trout or salmon take the latter, and there is the same skill and uncertainty in the pursuit.
I was once fishing in this manner for snapping mackerel, the young of the blue-fish, Temnodon saltator, with single gut half worn through, and the lightest tackle. I had been quite successful, much to the disgust of older men who were fishing in the usual manner with live killey and no luck, and finally made a cast right among a number of their floats. Suddenly, from the turbid depths, shot a huge bass, gleamed for a moment in the sunlight, and disappeared beneath the surface carrying my spearing in his mouth. It was a splendid fish, and my skill was tried to the utmost; many a run I was forced to give to, and only the great length of line I had on the reel saved him; after a good half hour’s excellent sport I brought him to the net, and my companions were still more disgusted at their want of luck. I again made a few casts, catching several snappers, when another bass, full as large as the first, struck me and was landed after an equally spirited contest. This was early in September, and before the fish were taken by trolling in that neighborhood.
In June and October, bass of great size are captured off Point Judith with half a mossbunker, otherwise menhaden, hard-head or bony-fish, the Alosa menhaden, thrown from the rocks by rod or hand into the surf. The bait is ordinarily tied on the hook, which is large, and thrown without float or sinker as far into the sea as its weight will enable the fisherman to cast, and then slowly reeled or drawn in. Similar fishing is pursued at Newport, and bass are frequently taken of over forty pounds.
A favorite mode of catching these fish is by trolling from a boat either with rod and line or hand-line and with the natural squid, or the imitation made of pewter, tin or bone. In this mode very large fish were once taken at Hell Gate, but the glory thereof has departed. Where squid cannot be obtained, the large spearing or barred killey will answer well.
There is this redeeming quality about taking striped bass with the float and sinker, that the fishing generally being done in a rapid, and at times, boisterous current, the bait has to be kept in motion, and it is necessary to reel in and cast out every few minutes. As great skill in casting can be obtained, and there is an immense advantage in throwing into the exact spot, it is truly a sportsmanlike mode of procedure. A good fisherman can cast thirty to forty yards, or even more, into the size of a hat, without tangling the line or jerking the bait, while the tyro will generally fail reaching half the distance, and will frequently leave his baits on the way. I can cast better and further from the left side, and have heard many old fishermen say the same, but you must be able to use the rod on either side.