Evening Star Newspaper, July 12, 1931, Page 67

THE ‘SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, P. C,- JULY 12, 1931 - = — B — Sport Fishing iz CHE There’s a Fisherman’s Paradise Near Wash= ingt&h Where Game Fish Abound and Where Real Thrills Await the Angler. Here Are Some Valuable Hints and Sug- gestions on Where to Find and How to Catch the “Big Fellows.” BY PERRY MILLER. HE romantic charm of Chesapeake Bay has spread its favor over the cen- turies. Three hundred and twenty- four years ago Capt. John Smith first tasted the now famous Chesapeake Bay oysters brought to him by the Indians. The Indians feasted on both the oysters and fish they caught in the waters of the bay. Today hundreds of thousands of sport fishermen from all sections of the country visit its waters each year in quest of their favorite fish. The sport fishing season in Chesapeake Bay extends from May to the last of October. If Wweather conditions are good the game rockfish is caught, principally by trolling, until the weather gets too cold for comfort. The fish most sought by anglers in the bay and its tributaries are the croakers, commonly called hardheads; trout (gray and spotted sea trout), bluefish or taylors, rockfish, drum, channel bass, cabio or black bonito, spot, flounders, hog- fish, King William perch and the white perch. John C. Pearson, assistant aquatic biologist of the United Stat>s Bureau of Fisheries, in his report on “Sport Fishing in Chesapeake Bay” says that inter2st and participation in sport fish- ing in the bay as well as throughout the United States are of much greater extent today than ever before. Facilities for reaching fishing grounds are now as nearly perfect as they can be. The possibility that a four-foot shark of a 50-pound channel bass may suddenly grab the hook while one is awaiting a gentle nibble from a spot or crcaker gives salt-water angling in Chesapeaks Bay a thrill all its own and repays for the extra trouble and expense in reaching the fishing grounds. There is hardly a wharf, bridge or jetty throughout tidewater Maryland or Virginia that does not offer the angler an opportunity to tiy his luck and skill. However, the best sport fish- fng in the bay is had some distance from land or from the nearest town. In some sections of the bay the most popular and productive fishing grounds lie several miles off shore, and can only be reached by power boat, but there are many other fine fishing grdunds where only a rowboat is required. HE last session of the Maryiand Legislature passed a bill prohibiting the purse netters from operating after November 1 of this year in Chesapeake Bay. This ended a struggle by sport fishermen after a fight lasting over 20 years. Just as regularly as the purse net bill was introduced in the Maryland Legislature, just as regularly was it defeated. The purse nets were slowly but surely robbing the bay of its game fish. Hauls of as many as 10 and 12 tons of rockfish, trout and blues were taken from the waters at one time, and the boats making - these big catches were not properly equipped to handle so many fish, and the ice houses not able to pack them on ice. The consequence was that thousands of these fine game fish were thrown away to be used as fertilizer. These methods were scon made known to the Mary- land Conservation Department and the Izaak Walton League of America, and its many chap- ters in Maryland, together with the many sportsmen’s organizations, put up a strenuous fight, which only ended in victory this year. This year Commissioner Swepson Earle of the Maryland Conservation Department says that reports have reached his office of large schools of rockfish, trout and blues being sighted in the bay. This argues well for the anglers during July, August, September and October this year, with brighter prospects next year. The purse nettors are being legislated out of ex- istence this year. PORT firhing throughout Chesapeake Bay is conducted by means of hook and line, rod and reel or trolling. The striped bass or “rock- fish” and the bluefish are often taken by troll- ing, but all other game fishes in the bay are taken with a baited hcok. Rod and reel provides the best all-around tackle. A light rod with a reel to carry about 200 yards of line is suitable for sea trout and the smaller species, while for channel bass a heavier rod and reel with a good strong line is necessary. The sizes and types of hooks to be used depend largely on the fish desired and must be determined by the indi- vidual angler. The best fishing is obtained during the Sum- mer and Fall months, although many species may be more plentiful at certain times than at others during the season. The croaker is more abundant in the Spring of the year than in the © Fall, while bluefish are found to be more nu- merous during the late Summer and Fall months. The rockfish are to be found through- out the year, but are more plantiful during the late Summer and Fall months. Anglers visiting salt water fishing grounds frequently ask what is the best bait to use. In the upper part of the bay local anglers use one one or more of the following baits: Soft crabs, peelers, bloodworms, shrimp and small eels. The small eels are particularly attractive to the rockfish. Around the mouth of the bay squid is used for bait by a larg: percentage of anglers. The artificial lure generally used in Chesa- peake Bay in trolling is the Huntington spoon or “drone” or something similar. This lure may be used either on the surface when the different schools of fish are feeding and driving the smaller fish to the top of the water, or near the bottom, as fishing conditions warrant. The lure is taken to different desired depths by attaching sinkers to the end of your line just ahead of the leader. These sinkers range in weight from six ounces to 22 ounces and over. ‘When bluefishing it is customary to cut up the oily menhaden, or “bunker,” into fine pieces called ‘“‘chum” and cast it over the surface of the water to attract the fish. Large meat grinders are standard fishing equipment on many power boats that troll for blue fish in the lower bay. Trolling for blues, rockfish or trout, the anglers are guided to their fishing grounds by the ever-present sea gulls wh2n schools of fish are feeding. There is no particular place where the fish may rise to the surface. One day: they may rise over on the Eastern Shore and the next day miles away in a different direction. Hence, anglers trolling go out on the bay and watch the sea gulls. They may not see any gulls for several hours, when one of the party will exclaim, “There they are!” and the boat captain will give his engine all the gas it will Surf fishing along the sandy beaches of the bay is thrilling sport. Trout landed by Washington anglers at Wachapreague, Va. take and race madly toward the flying gulls. As the boat nears the gulls they will be heard screaming and screeching, dipping into the water and coming up each time with a small fish, maimed or injured in some manner by the larger fish feeding upon them. The surface of the water will be churned up by the schools of fish. Sometimes acres and acres of water will resemble riffles, although the depth at the particular place the fish are feeding may be anywhere from 20 to 50 or 60 feet. As the boat approaches the schooling fish the captain slows down his motor and starts to circle them. At the same time the anglers put their lures in the water and allow them to drift back at various distances. If the fish are really hungry the trollers will commence to get strikes immediately, but if the fish are just playing and sort of taking their daily dozen, despite the fact there may be thousands and thousands of fish in the school, strikes will be few and far between. If they are hungry the sport starts. N angler experienced in the art of trolling can tell pr\etty accurately what kind of a fish he has on the end of his line when he gets his strike. The habits of fish are just as dif- ferent as those of human beings. Take, for ex- ample, the bluefish. It makes no difference how he is caught, still-fishing or trollling, when he is hooked he immediately comes to the -surface and tries to get the hook loose from his mouth by jumping out of the water. They are very strong, fast swimmers and dart first in one direction, then in another, and always right on the surface, jumping and trying to get free. Scientists claim they swim at the rate of 60 or 70 miles an hour. You can easily imagine what sport it is to get a bluefish weighing four or five pounds on your line and finally land him in the boat. The bluefish is a voracious feeder, being highly predatory on other fishes, and known to follow schools of menhaden and other fishes for miles, ravenously attacking them. The bluefish is built for strength, speed and endurance, and is armed with teeth of razor sharpness and whetted by an appetite that seems insatiable. They con- tinue their fight after being landed safely in the bottom of the boat, and many an angler has had his finger bitten to the bone when not careful in-removing the hook from his mouth, The rockfish and trout are harder to dis- tinguish when the strike occurs. The rockfish perhaps is the fastest swimmer, although there is nothing particularly slow about the movements of the trout. The rockfish may be said to strike harder than the trout. When still fishing, that is, with the boat anchcred, the angler with a rockfish on his line will see his line straighten out, rising slowly through the water, but swiftly from one side to the other of the place where the strike occurred. Occasionally the rockfish will break water, but not nearly as often as the bluefish. The rock or striped bass, as they are sometimes called, are also a voracious fish, preying largely upon smaller fish, such as shad and river herring. Its meat is firm, flaky and of excellent flavor. The largest rockfish on record weighed 125 pounds, but the record caught on rod and reel tipped the scales at 73 pounds. At this time of the year, when the trout are caught still-fishing, the angler hardly knows when he gets his strike. These fish sort of suck the bait into their large and soft mouths. The angler will notice a little movement at the end of his line, and if he moves his bait in all likelihood will lose his fish. The best way is to give him plenty of time to take the bait. ‘When he gets it into his mouth he will start to run; then is the time to hook him. Later in the season the .trout bite quite differently, and take the bait with a vicious lunge. A four or five pound trout puts up a good fight, and i$ delicious when placed in the frying pan or stuffed and baked. Chesapeake Bay offers the angler two kind‘ of trout, the gray sea trout and the spotted sea trout. While the gray trout is saild to reach a weight of 30 pounds, the largest ever taken by rod and reel weighed 16 pounds 8 ounces and was captured off New York in 1924, The spotted sea trout, or ‘“salmon” trout as it is called in Chesapeake Bay, is, unfortue nately, not so abundant in the bay as the gray trout. This fish is more highly prized than the gray trout and is more active, wary and more difficult to catch. The largest spotted sea trout recorded weighed 16 pounds and was captured off Ocean View, Va., in April, 1922, ‘The channel bass, or “red drum,” is perhaps the most prized game fish along the Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey coasts. It is essen- tially a fish of the sandy beaches and is us- ually caught by surf fishing. Needless to say, its reputation among anglers is high. But, unfortunately, few, if any, of these game fish are actually caught in the waters of Chesa- peake Bay. Anglers not knowing the difference between a channel bass and a black drum often say after landing a drum that they have caught a channel bass. The largest channel bass caught on rod and reel weighed 65 pounds and was landed off the New Jersey coast in 1919. The black drum is a frequent visitor to Chesapeake Bay waters, occuring with vary- ing abundance, Several years ago large schools of this species visited the waters around Solomons Island, doing great damage to the oyster beds. The black drum as a food fish does not hold a high rank, as the flesh of larger specimens is apt to be coarse and un- jalatable. The drum often reaches a weight Continued on Eighteenth Page