This section is from the "American Fish And How To Catch Them. A Hand-Book For Fishing" book, by W. C. Weidemeyer. Also from Amazon: American fish and how to catch them: A hand-book for fishing.
More correctly Black Sea-Bass. Come to New York in shoals from the South, and continue from May to August. Black Sea-Bass are deep-water bottom-feeders, fond of mussel-beds and sea-weed, They mostly feed between change of tides and rarely venture beyond bays and inlets. Are wild, ravenous, and bite freely. Habitat from Maine to Georgia. Ordinary weight from three to five pounds.
For tackle use strong flaxen line of from two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet. Herring's Sea-bass Hooks, Nos. 12T to 20T (or Kirby's Nos. 1 and 2), and sinker of one pound. Bait with shrimp, clam, soft-crab. Draw in with taut line. After their bite pull resolutely and quickly.
 
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