Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others Part 18

It is usually taken by the market fishermen on the same tackle as the grunts, snappers, porgies, etc., among the rocks of the channels, in rather deep water, with fish bait. It is well worth catching, if only to admire its graceful shape and brilliant coloration.

For the coney, black-ba.s.s rods, braided linen line, size F, with Sproat hooks, No. 2-0 or 3-0, on gimp snells, and sinker adapted to the strength of the tide, with the smallest fish for bait, will answer admirably. The little whirligig mullet, or spiny crawfish, or even cut-fish bait, are all good baits to use as occasion may demand.

THE n.i.g.g.e.r-FISH

(_Bodia.n.u.s fulvus_)

It is difficult to account for names, we know; but just why this handsome fish should be called "n.i.g.g.e.r-fish" is hard to imagine. It is sometimes called yellow-fish, a better and more descriptive name, but no doubt n.i.g.g.e.r-fish it always will be. It differs from the other groupers in the less number of spiny rays in the dorsal fin; otherwise it is much the same. It was described by Linnaeus, in 1758, from the account of the "yellow-fish" by Catesby, in 1743, from the Bahamas.

Linnaeus named it _fulvus_, or "tawny," from its coloration. This is also a fish belonging to the West Indian fauna, its range extending from the Bahamas and the Florida Keys to South America.

[Ill.u.s.tration CATCHING SPANISH MACKEREL ON THE EDGE OF THE GULF STREAM]

The outline of body of the n.i.g.g.e.r-fish is similar to that of the hinds, being nearly elliptical, and with a depth of a third of its length, and moderately compressed. The head is long and pointed, longer than the depth of the body, with an evenly curved profile from the snout to the dorsal fin; the lower jaw projects very much; the mouth is large, with narrow bands of teeth, and small canines. Its general color is yellow, darker or orange-red on the back, with two black spots on the tail; there are a few violet spots about the eye, and some blue spots on the head and anterior half of the body, those on the head with dark margins; the head, and pectoral and dorsal fins, are reddish.

The n.i.g.g.e.r-fish is found in the deeper channels in rocky situations. It feeds on small fishes princ.i.p.ally. It is not very common, and is much prized as a food-fish by the people of Key West. The common varieties are the red and brown n.i.g.g.e.r-fishes, which differ only in coloration from the yellow ones. It is taken with the other channel fishes, and with the same baits and similar tackle, by the market fishermen; but the angler should utilize his black-ba.s.s rod, with braided linen line, size F, and hooks No. 2-0 on gimp snells. As it is a bottom feeder a sinker must be used to keep the bait at the proper depth. For baits, any small fish or sea-crawfish or prawns or shrimps will answer.

I was once fishing for channel fishes in sight of Key West, and having just landed a n.i.g.g.e.r-fish. I asked my boatman, a Bahama negro, why it was so called. He answered in the lingo peculiar to both white and black Bahamians:--

"Vell, maybe it's along of its yaller and red color, for n.i.g.g.e.rs is right fond of yaller and red; but vether that's the horigin of its fust name is 'ard to tell. Now, Hamericans calls us Bahama people conchs 'cause we eats conchs, but n.i.g.g.e.r-fish don't eat n.i.g.g.e.rs, no more does jellyfish eat jelly. I think they are called n.i.g.g.e.r-fish 'cause they is so 'andsome."

THE SAND-FISH

(_Diplectrum formosum_)

The sand-fish, or, as it is sometimes called, the squirrel-fish, also belongs to the family _Serranidae_. It was first described by Linnaeus, in 1766, from Dr. Garden's specimens from South Carolina; he named it _formosa_, or "handsome," from its pretty form and coloration. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from South Carolina to South America, and is common to both coasts of Florida, and especially about the keys. It has a rather elliptical body in outline; its depth is less than a third of its length, being elongate and rather slender as compared with other allied species. The head is as long as the depth of the body, with an arched profile above the eyes; the mouth is large, the lower jaw projecting a little; the upper border of the cheek-bone is serrated, with two cl.u.s.ters of small, sharp spines; the teeth are in narrow bands; the canine teeth are small.

Its color is light brown above, silvery white below; there are several dark and broad vertical bars across the body, and a dark blotch at the base of the caudal fin; the body has eight narrow bright blue longitudinal stripes, which are more distinct above, and paler below; the head is yellow, with several wavy blue stripes below the eye and several between the eyes; the upper fins have blue and yellow stripes, and the caudal fin has yellow spots surrounded by bluish markings.

It frequents sandy shoals, and also rocky sh.o.r.es, feeding on small fishes and crustaceans. It is a good pan-fish, growing to about a foot in length, but usually to six or eight inches. The same tackle and baits used for the hinds, coney, and n.i.g.g.e.r-fish will also answer well for the sand-fish, which consists of black-ba.s.s rod, braided linen line, size F, hooks No. 1 or 1-0, and suitable sinker and swivel. It is a good game-fish for its size on the light tackle just mentioned, and is well worth a trial on account of its beauty, and excellence for the table, even if its gameness is not considered.

While engaged in a scientific expedition to Florida many years ago, my vessel ran aground one afternoon in Barnes Sound, south-west of Biscayne Bay. The bottom was a sandy marl and quite soft, so that we were unable to use the setting poles to any advantage in moving the boat. I observed quite a school of fish surrounding the vessel, which proved to be sand-fish. I put out a stake to mark the stage of the tide, and while waiting for the flood tide I put in the time fishing, and soon had enough sand-fish for supper and breakfast. This was rather fortunate, as we were still aground the next morning, for strange to say the depth of the water had neither increased nor diminished for sixteen hours; there was no tide in that remote corner of the universe. We then took out the ballast of about a ton of pig-iron and put it in the dory we had intow.

This lightened up the vessel enough to enable us to shove her off into deeper water. I think we never enjoyed any fish quite so much as those delicious little sand-fish, and it has ever since been one of my favorite fishes.

CHAPTER XVI

THE CAVALLI FAMILY

(_Carangidae_)

The members of this family differ from the true mackerels by a less number of spines in the first dorsal fin, and in having but two spines in the a.n.a.l fin, and no detached finlets; also in having smaller teeth.

Some of the species are described in another volume of this series, to which the reader is referred.

_Carangus chrysos._ The Runner. Body oblong, moderately elevated, the dorsal and ventral outlines about equally arched; head 3-3/4; depth 3-1/4; eye 3-1/2; lateral line with 50 scutes; D. VIII-I, 24; A. II-I, 19; profile forms a uniform curve; snout rather sharp; mouth moderate, slightly oblique, maxillary reaching middle of orbit; teeth comparatively large; a single series in lower jaw; upper jaw with an inner series of smaller teeth; no canines; teeth on vomer, palatines, and tongue; gill-rakers long and numerous; pectoral fin not longer than head; scales moderate; cheeks and breast scaly; black opercular spot.

_Carangus latus._ The Horse-eye Jack. Moderately deep; head 3-3/4; depth 2-1/2; scutes 30; D. VIII-I, 20; A. II-I, 17; head bluntish; profile curved; mouth moderate; lower jaw prominent; villiform teeth on upper jaw, vomer, palatines, and tongue; weak canines in lower jaw; breast scaly; maxillary reaching posterior edge of pupil; pectoral fin about as long as head; cheeks and upper part of opercles scaly; gill-rakers rather long, about 12 below the angle.

_Trachinotus carolinus._ The Pompano. Body oblong, comparatively robust; head 4; depth 2-1/3; eye 4-1/2; scales small and smooth; D. VI-I, 25; A. II-I, 23; profile of head evenly convex; snout bluntly rounded; mouth small, maxillary reaching middle of eye; jaws without teeth in the adult; maxillary without supplemental bone; dorsal and a.n.a.l fins falcate, anterior rays nearly reaching middle of fins when depressed; dorsal lobe 4-1/2 in body; a.n.a.l 5-1/2; dorsal lobe pale.

THE RUNNER

(_Carangus chrysos_)

The runner was first described by Dr. S.L. Mitchill, in 1815, from the vicinity of New York. He named it _chrysos_, meaning "gold," from the golden sheen of its sides. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Brazil, but is most abundant on southern sh.o.r.es and in the Gulf of Mexico.

It has an oblong body, its depth a little less than a third of its length, with the dorsal and ventral curves about equal. The head is shorter than the depth of the body, with a uniformly curved profile and rather sharp snout. The mouth is moderate in size and low, with a single series of teeth in the lower jaw, and two in the upper one, but no canines; there are also small teeth on the roof of the mouth and tongue.

Its colour is greenish olive on the back, and golden yellow or silvery below; there is a black blotch on the border of the gill-cover; the fins are all plain.

The runner, as its name indicates, is a great forager, and is the swiftest and most graceful of all the jacks or cavallies. It ranges farther northward than the other species of the genus. It frequents the reefs and the sh.o.r.es of the keys and mainland of Florida in search of food, which consists of small fishes, as sardines, anchovies, mullets, etc., crustaceans, and other small organisms. It is the best of the jacks as a food-fish, and is in great favor at Key West. For its size it is also the gamest, but as it rarely exceeds a foot in length it is not so much sought, generally, as the larger jacks. It is, however, a great favorite with the juvenile anglers at Key West, as it can be taken from the wharves with almost any kind of bait. On account of its activity and gameness it furnishes fine sport on light tackle, and under these conditions is worthy the attention of the angler. A light black-ba.s.s rod, braided linen line, size G, hooks No. 1 or 1-0 on gimp snells, a light multiplying reel and sinker adapted to the tidal current, comprise a good outfit for the runner, which is also known as hard-tail and jurel in some localities. About Key West and the neighboring keys the best bait is the little whirligig mullet (_Querimana gyrans_), which whirls on the surface in large schools, or cut bait or shrimps may be used to advantage.

The author of a recently published book on the fishes of Florida makes the following queer statement, "It seems to me the runners are hybrids from the crevalle and bluefish species or families, as they certainly resemble both of those fishes." It would be strange did they not resemble the fishes named, as all are of the mackerel tribe, and all are distinguished by having falcate a.n.a.l and dorsal fins of about the same relative size, and placed about opposite each other, and also have swallow-shaped caudal fins with slender caudal pedicle; but there the greatest resemblance ends. I have never seen a hybrid among fishes in the natural state. They can be produced by the fishculturist between kindred species, but there is no especial benefit to be derived from such experiments. Hybrids, or so-called mules, are infertile, and incapable of reproducing their kind.

THE HORSE-EYE JACK

(_Carangus latus_)

The horse-eye jack was first described by Louis Aga.s.siz, in 1829, from Brazil, who named it _latus_, or "broad," owing to its short and deep form. It differs from the runner mostly in being deeper in body, and in its large eye. It has a few less soft rays in the dorsal and a.n.a.l fins, and but thirty-five bony scutes along the lateral line; otherwise it is very similar. Its color is bluish above and golden or silvery below, and it has a black spot on the margin of the gill-cover, but of less size than that of the runner. While it is similar in habits to the runner, it has a more extended range, inhabiting all warm seas.

The horse-eye jack grows to a larger size than the runner, but is not nearly so good a food-fish, though nearly its equal as a game-fish. Its flesh is reputed to be poisonous at certain seasons in the tropics, and whether true or not, it is not held in much favor, though it is caught by boys at the wharves of Key West, and I presume is eaten. The same tackle and baits recommended for the runner can be utilized for the horse-eye jack.

THE POMPANO

(_Trachinotus carolinus_)

The pompano was first described by Linnaeus, in 1766, from Dr. Garden's specimens from South Carolina, which accounts for its specific name. It is abundant on the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts, to which it is mostly confined, though it occasionally strays north to Cape Cod in summer, and rarely to the West Indies.

It has a short, deep body, being nearly half as deep as long, oblong and robust. Its head is short, about half as long as the depth of the body, with a small, low mouth, and with few or no teeth in the jaws; the snout is blunt, the profile from end of snout to the eye about vertical, and from thence to the dorsal fin is regularly arched. The color is bluish above and golden or silvery below; the pectoral and a.n.a.l fins are yellow, shaded with blue; caudal fin with bluish reflections.

The pompano frequents the sandy beaches of the keys and islands of the Gulf coast, mostly the outside sh.o.r.es, where it feeds on beach-fleas and the beautiful little mollusks known as "pompano-sh.e.l.ls," also on small shrimps and other sh.o.r.e-loving organisms. I consider the pompano to be the best food-fish in either salt or fresh water--the prince of food-fishes, it is incomparable. It is caught princ.i.p.ally in haul seines by the fishermen on the flood tide. On the Atlantic coast it is abundant at Jupiter inlet and at Lake Worth, but not so plentiful as about the outside and inside beaches of the islands about Charlotte Harbor on the Gulf coast. In the summer it strays northward to the Carolina coasts.

Its usual weight is a pound or two, rarely exceeding eighteen inches in length or four pounds in weight. It is often confounded with several other species, as the permit (_Trachinotus goodei_), which reaches three feet in length and twenty-five or thirty pounds in weight; also with the gaff top-sail pompano (_Trachinotus glaucus_), and the round pompano (_Trachinotus falcatus_), both of which grow larger than the true pompano and are often sold for the genuine article by dealers; but no one who has eaten a true pompano can be deceived by these other species.

It sp.a.w.ns in the summer.

It is difficult to take the pompano with the hook except on the flood tide, when it is running in schools, feeding along the sh.o.r.es, though it is occasionally caught by still-fishing in the bays with bait of beach-fleas or cut clam. The tackle should be very light and the hook small, Nos. 6 or 8, on fine gut snells. When hooked it is a game-fish of more than ordinary cunning and cleverness, and one of two pounds will tax the angler's skill on a six-ounce rod. They can be taken in the surf of the outside beaches of the islands, on the flood tide, with beach-flea bait, by casting it into the schools with a fly-rod; and this is the best form of fishing for this grand fish.

The hooked pompano frequently breaks water among its other manoeuvres to escape the angler, and as a leaper at other times has quite a reputation. I have often had them leap into my boat, both when anch.o.r.ed and moving, but usually when sailing near a school. The name pompano is probably derived from the Spanish word _pampana_, a "vine leaf," owing to its shape resembling somewhat a leaf of some kind of vine; the books say a "grape leaf," to which the pompano has a remote resemblance if the extended fins are taken into account. There is another Spanish word _pampano_, more nearly resembling pompano in sound and spelling. It means "a young vine branch or tendril," and if the aquatic capers and aerial saltations of the pompano when hooked are to be brought into the comparison, they cannot be exceeded by that most intricate dance, the "grape-vine twist," even when performed by the most agile plantation negro. But seriously, when its size is considered, one would have to go far afield, or rather search the waters under the earth, for a better fish for the angler or the epicure.

I have seen more pompano about the beaches of Big and Little Gasparilla Keys of Charlotte Harbor, on the Gulf coast, than elsewhere in Florida.

On their outside beaches, during the flood tide, the beach-fleas and pompano-sh.e.l.ls come rolling in on every wave. The little mollusks disappear beneath the sand in the twinkling of an eye, but the crustaceans are again carried out by the receding wave. And this continues during the first half of the flood tide, during which time schools of pompano are feeding on them. On one such occasion myself and a friend were "flea-fishing" for pompano; that is, we were using fly-rods and very small hooks baited with beach-fleas, which we cast in the same manner as artificial flies. My friend, fishing at the water's edge, often forgot in his eagerness to step back to avoid each "ninth wave," which would wet him to his knees. However, in that warm, sunny clime the involuntary bath did him no harm, and he had his compensation in a basket of fine pompano, which were duly planked for dinner and eaten, bones and all,--for their bones are very soft and semi-cartilaginous. The head of a broiled or planked pompano is a _bonne-bouche_ that once eaten will ever be held in grateful and gratified remembrance.