Fishing Grounds of the Gulf 1 08

A comparatively unknown and apparently as yet unnamed ridge lies E. by S. 15 a long way from thebuoy on Cashes Ledge, which is reported to be great fishing ground, especially for cod and cusk.With both kinds present right here the year close to, the cod is said to be most numerous in Apr andMay: along with the cusk, as is also the rule on these outlying ridges, appears in largest phonenumbers in April and March. Haddock seem to be relatively rare on this page.

This banking institution is now mainly an Italian boat floor and is utilized by small art from Bostonand Gloucester. Gill-netting here is particularly extensive in November and December, mostly forpollock. Netters operate about 22 miles SSE. from Eastern Part of 22 to 25 fathoms on a difficultbottom. Great pollock grabs are made in 25 to 40 fathoms around the eastern and southeasternslopes from the latter element of November and early December. Haddock are here from November1 to Mar 1 and from Apr 20 to May 15. Cod are present all the calendar year, the largest collegeoccurring throughout August, Sept . and October. It is a cusk floor from December to Mar in themuch deeper water. What seems a somewhat unusual occurrence over these later years was the lookof a considerable school of halibut on the northern slope of Stellwagen over the past half of Apr1926, a number of small craft getting from 2,000 to 3,000 kilos in their fares.

Eastern Shoal Water of Cape Ann. This is usually considered a part of Jeffreys and is also oftenspoken of as West Jeffreys by the fishermen. It runs In an ENE. direction from Cape Ann for a lengthof from 15 to 18 kilometers. It is, in reality, a southwest continuation of Jeffreys Ledge, the twoforming a virtually continuous ridge running NE. from Cape Ann a distance of around 42 a long way.Depths around the so-called Eastern Shoal Normal water vary from 20 to 45 fathoms, the bottombeing of rocks, pebbles, and coarse gravel over most of its extent. mud and Sand take place on thecorners. The eastern part of the soil is resorted to by the haddock fleet during the slip and early onwinter, as well as other parts are visited pretty much during the entire year forhaddock and cod, andpollock by vessels and boats from Cape Ann and by craft of various types from Portland and Boston-line trawlers, gill-netters, and a few of the new type of modest otter trawlers, this second option fleetof create constantly expanding in number.

It was considered one of the most beneficial minn kota maxxum grounds for cod and haddock in theGulf of Maine, but the haddock catch in this article has dropped off just recently. Hake are also veryample during the summer season and often while in October around the muddy bottom part near theedge. Inside 100 fathoms, on the "punkin" underside of stones and pea gravel, near the soil, haddockcan be found from December to March. Cod, pollock, and cusk occur from May to October, theformer on the difficult and gravelly portions, the latter on the deeply soundings, with all theNortheast Optimum the best summer season ground. This is an particularly good winter and fall soilfor haddock. Halibut are frequently found in 35 fathoms (modest fish) from September throughDecember; also In spring and early summer season. No gill netting of importance as yet, eventhough this ground is fished by vessels from Cape Cod, Mass., to Cutler, Me., mainly by trawling,some hand-lining.

A ridge being untruthful NW. of Cashes Financial institution and almost parallel with all the mainbank, only split up by a narrow deep funnel, is about 7 miles very long by 1? miles large. Thevarieties and the periods are the same in this article as on Cashes Lender.

This shore furnishes exceptional mackerel minn kota maxxum while in most of the period when thesefish are in northern waters. Almost no gill-netters operate here, the space to market being great and

the chance of hard weather and the lack of harmless harbor which makes it dangerous for smallcreate. From this stretch out of shore (mostly from off Chatham) there were landed at Boston in theyear 1923, 66 fares with a complete of 1,797,826 pounds worth $76,875.

John Dyers Ridge. This is 14 mls S. by E. from Toothakers Ridge, 40 miles S. by E. from MonheganIsle, and 7 miles NE. from Cashes Bank. It really is about 5 miles extended by 2 miles large, lying inan ENE. and WSW. path. The water is shoalest around the western edge, where are from 45 to 50fathoms over a distinct, pebbly bottom part; thence the floor slopes towards the NE. into 80 and 75fathoms spanning a hard, gravelly, and muddy bottom, in every other directions falling off sharply to90 and 100 fathom soundings over a dirty bottom.

Off N and Newburyport. and SW. of the Isle of Shoals are gill-netting grounds that are a lot used.Trawling and netting are carried on, beginning in 40 fathoms in February and March and workingoff and away to 70 fathoms off Salisbury Bench in May. Cod are on this ground about two weeks inOctober and then in March and Feb . are found in abundance away Boars Go. Hake can be foundhere all the fall and they are found all along the southeast side of those grounds in depths of 45 to60 fathoms. A certain amount of halibut may be taken in most yrs at different points on a bottom ofhard gravel in early spring and early summer in 35 to 65 fathoms. In most several years a largeamount of mackerel is adopted Jeffreys, particularly so in 1925. Herring, also, are often abundant in"herring years".

Maurice Lubee's Floor. This lies outside of New Ledge (Platts Bank) 47 miles SSE. from the lightshipat Portland. Extending in an ENE. and WSW. path, its boundaries are relatively indefinite. It isactually perhaps 8 miles long by 3 miles broad and has depths from 95 to 110 fathoms more than abottom consisting mostly of mud.

On and about each one of these shoals the sail fleet makes excellent catches, mainly consisting ofcod but with a fair proportion of pollock, also, and in the deeper h2o close to them, in spring andsummer, a considerable amount of haddock. An occasional huge halibut is taken, and in many casesgood attracts have been reported. There were noted in the day-to-day report of your Boston FishBureau between Could 15 and August1920 and 15, 10 trips manufactured by the smaller vessels ofthe halibut fleet that landed fares of from 2,000 to ten thousand pounds of this species from thisarea. Possibly more would be taken in the event the halibut fishery were to be followed here as inother locations. "Rip minn kota maxxum," as conducted here, is carried out "at a drift," movingacross the shoals and, as they shift off from their website, sailing back to repeat the process. Theminn kota maxxum are used by hand-lining with "cockle" lure or by "jigging" the minn kota maxxumwith a sparkly piece of metallic representing a herring or similar minn kota maxxum, below whichare established twin hooks, the minn kota maxxum simply being struck when it is felt analyzing thelure. This fishery generally is carried on during July, June and could and August. In the herring andmackerel seasons these reasons usually furnish good sport fishing of these species, the fish usuallyhitting here from May 15 to July 15.

On the inner areas of this ground, particularly, the gill-net fleet operates extensively, mainly fromthe full and spring, on northwest Jeffreys 8 to 12 miles E. and SE. from Thacher Tropical island,where the bottom part is yellow sand and stones. Other gill-netting grounds are 8 to 15 a long wayNE. by E. from Thacher Isle in 22 fathoms with a hard bottom of mud and mixed material of sandand gravel. The Cove of Jeffreys, NE. by E. 12 to 15 miles from Thacher Tropical isle, is a preferredhaddock ground in the spring (Apr 20 to May 15) in 45 to 70 or even 80 fathoms, despite the factthat gill nets are not usually fished in more than 50 fathoms because of the, weight of your nets fromthe deeper drinking water. In the spring (in April and might), the haddock can be found in onScantum, 10 a long way NNE. from Thacher Tropical island between Jeffreys Ledge and also the Isle

of Shoals, with a broken bottom part of rocks and glowing blue clay in 55 to 70 fathoms.

GEORGES Location

Jerry Yorks Ridge. This lies just inside and paralleling Jeffreys Ledge WNW. from its shoal watercontributing to 5 kilometers distant from the ledge contributing to 18 kilometers SE. by S. ? S. fromCape Porpoise. This ground has from 45 to 48 fathoms of water on a rocky broken underside. It isabout 5 miles long, NNE. and SSW., and averages 1? miles wide. This is an excellent cod andhaddock ground In the fall and up to Jan, these minn kota maxxum coming back here early in theyear months.

Morris Ledge. This lies eastward of Chatham and is also a favorite soil for certain cod fishermen inthe course of spring and early summer. Schooners and small craft operate right here.

Another major ridge, paralleling the 100-fathom curve of Georges Lender at about 20 mls N. of it,lies SE by S from the buoy on Cashes Ledge, 40 miles to the center; SE by S 110 mls from PortlandLightship; ESE 92 a long way from Cape Ann to the western finish, and E. by S. ? S. through the shipat Boston 100 miles. This ridge also is of fairly indefinite place, being probably 20 mls long inside anESE by WNW route by 1? to three a long way wide. Obviously depths are fairly uniform from 85 to95 fathoms, the bottom of the ridge being of coarse black colored sand and getting blue dirt in thegreater area around it. This is reported to be a good cod and cusk ground the year round.

Wild Pet cat Ridge. Very heavy tides sweep over this soil, making it tough to haul products in minnkota maxxum after it, whence, it is said, is available the name. It lies NNE from Highland Lighting,Cape Cod, 18 a long way to its the southern area of edge; SE ? S from Thacher Tropical island 31kilometers; and is about 7? miles long in a north and south direction by about 3? miles vast. Thebottom is challenging, of damaged shells and sand, and depths are from 45 to 60 fathoms. There are100 fathom depths inside of the ground and from 100 to 110 fathoms outside of it. But little fishedanytime other than the winter months seasons, even though apparently, it is really an all the seasonground for cod, cusk, and haddock.

The Cod Ridge (formerly Outer Harris Ground). This is NE. from the Northeast Peak of New Ledge,distant 7 miles. It extends within an ENE. and WSW. course, the ground thinning and the normalwater deepening to the eastward, the shoal floor having 45 fathoms on the bottom of small pebblesand fine black sand and gravel, depths increasing in all of the other recommendations to 100fathoms on the mud and sloping off somewhat steeply, especially about the southeast part, wherethe decrease is very razor-sharp. The length of the soil is about 5 miles, the width 1 mile. It is reallyan all-the-year cod ground, the season of greatest large quantity being from May 1 to November.The haddock are usually Within their greatest figures here from January 1 to Apr. Apparently nolarge number of cusk or hake are used here around the ridge, maybe because the normal water isnot serious enough to the former, aside from the small minn kota maxxum, that are of tiny value onthe fishermen; and also the ground is not muddy sufficient for the latter species. Both species,however, are located about the corners in the serious water, the cusk in the sharpest, mostchallenging part of the underside (perhaps most common in February and March), the hake, asusual, on the muddy elements about it.

East area of Cape Cod. The water bottom from the east part of Cape Cod is mainly sandy and slopesaway gradually from the beach, reaching depths of 30 to 40 fathoms at 5 to 7 miles from land.Beneath Chatham the slope is even more slow. Within these limits great catches of cod are takenfrom time to time, and to a less extent the same is true of haddock. Farther away from the shoreline,in from 40 to 80 fathoms and coming from a point 8 or 10 miles from the Highlands of Cape Cod to

another stage lying 20 miles or even more SSE. from Chatham Lamps, is a constant stretch ofexcellent haddock grounds for winter minn kota maxxum. The deep water off Chatham furnishesexcellent hake sportfishing in slip and summer.

Howard Nunans Ridge. Of similar the outdoors to the final, this goes up 4 miles inside of and parallelwith it, lying 14 miles from Cape Porpoise on the same bearings (SE. by S. ? S.). This looks to bemade up of two shoals, the northern soaring to 50 fathoms water over a rocky, broken bottom partabout 3 miles long by 1 mile vast, deepening southwesterly to a slim, muddy gully, where are 80fathoms, and increasing again to 60 fathoms over stones and broken ground. The full ground isabout 8 kilometers long with average widths of from 1 to 1? mls. This ground furnishes great codfishing and haddocking inside the fall and early winter months and again in the spring severalweeks.

Fippenies Bank. This consists of two shoals averaging 80 fathoms in depth by using a channel of 90fathoms between them. These run NE. and SW., the eastern shoal about 8 a long way long by 1distance wide, the western about 50 % as large. Fippenies bears E. 1/4 S. from Thacher Isle, distant61 miles; from Portland Lightship, SE. by S. ? S, 57 mls to the western point of the northern shoal in35 fathoms. Your budget is nearly 10 miles lengthy NE. and SW. and averages 4? miles large. Thebottom is ofgravel and pebbles, and clay, possessing depths above much of the shoal of around 30fathoms but also from 36 to 60 fathoms. It is fished by the shore fleet early in the year and earliersummer. The minn kota maxxum and months are as on Cashes Bank. This has changed recently,even though formerly twice as many haddock were taken on this page as on Cashes or on PlattsBank. Halibut are taken here in honest numbers in 45 to 55 fathom depths inJuly and June, andAugust on the "black pea gravel" of the southern and western edge. The "bright white gravel" on thenorthern shoal is of very little account being a fishing ground, because it is composed largely of theseashells of old scallops.

Pollock Rip Grounds. These rest between Pollock Rip Shovelful and Lightship Lightship and increasenorthward to Pollock Rip Shoal. These grounds are 3 kilometers long, E. and W., by 2 miles N. and S.The depths range from 4 to 12 fathoms. These are generally fished from Monomoy as well as instormy conditions from Chatham instead of visiting the Crab Ledge. Late early in the year and at thestart of the fall the cod move inshore. In winter the cod keep Pollock Rip for the deeper water.

About three-Dory Ridge. Outside of New Ledge and about midway between it and Harvey BlacksRidge is a small ridge about 3 mls long, running NE. and SW., and approximately ? mile large. This issituated SE. by S. from the Portland Lightship. 38 kilometers to the shoal of 55 fathoms, which isnear its center. From this the ground slopes away on all sides to 63 and 65 fathom depths overwhich area the base is made up of pea gravel, sand and mud and rocks. At these reduced depths canbe found "piping" (clay cylinders), the location where the fishing ends unexpectedly. All about theridge are depths of 80 to 100 fathoms on a bottom of mud. This is certainly almost fully a codground, good from Could to August.

Lying about SE. by S. ? 5. from the Isle of Shoals 20 a long way, 13 kilometers S. by W. from yourwhistling buoy on Jeffreys, and 43 miles S. by W. from Cape Elizabeth can be a broken bit of bottomgetting from 75 to 85 fathoms water over it, which is a haddock ground from January to April alongwith a hake and cusk ground every one of the year.

The Ridge (around the southern component of Fippenies). This is SSE. from the light-ship atPortland 75 miles and has a base of yellow pebbles and mudpebbles and depths of 75 to 95 fathoms.Cod are present within December and January; cusk the year around, but the majority numerous inFebruary and March; haddock in January and December; hake in September and October. The

length of this bank is produced by 4 to 5 a long way and the thickness somewhat under 2 a long way.It is in an ENE. and WSW. direction.

Jeffreys Ledge bears S. ? W. from the lightship off Portland, 19 kilometers to the northern edge and22 a long way S. from your buoy in the Cry and Color to the side of the shoal.

The gill-net fishery on these grounds is of great and progressively growing relevance, though earlierthis fishery was practically entirely carried on by trawlers and fingers-liners. Of late the larger partof the haddock catch is taken from the "otter-trawl" strategy, this items being operated by steamersof considerable size and upon the better distant reasons, such as Georges Bank, the South Funnel,and the Western Bank. The identical change to sport fishing reasons farther offshore has to a greatextent happened in the number of larger cruising vessels, therefore leaving Jeffreys and otherinshore banks on the smaller art; except that, using the high prices of haddock and cod in thewintertime, it is often lucrative for these bigger vessels to run off to around-by banks for just one setand return to harbour the same day.

Platt's Financial institution or New Ledge. This bears E. by N. ? N. from Thacher Tropical island,from which the shoal portion of the ledge is distant 53 miles. From Portland Lightship it is 30 milesSSE. to the center of the ground. Your budget is about 12 miles lengthy, NE. and SW.. andapproximately 8 a long way wide. The western shoal, which is of small degree and difficult andwhich has a considerable amount of dead shells upon it, is situated near the centre, its level being 29fathoms. With this shoal on the Southwest Optimum is about 11 miles SW. by S. Another shoal lies E.3 kilometers, having about 30 fathoms over beach sand and gravel, which is a very good fall soil forhaddock. East-northeast from your western shoal 3 mls brings us to a difficult ridge, with spots ofhard mud and pebbles between, in 65-fathom level, which is a okay winter cusk ground, these fishremaining on this page until April. Over a lot of the bank the depths cover anything from 30 to 35fathoms with a bottom of stones and gravel. From the edge of the shoaler region the bottom slopesgradually to 50 or 60 fathoms, beyond which it drops suddenly to 80 or 90 fathoms over a dirtybottom.

Southeast Jeffreys. Off the southeast edge of Jeffreys, about 24 miles SE. from Benefit Island, isplaced a piece of sportfishing floor having a hard bottom ofpea gravel and sand, and stones, wheredepths slope aside gradually from the 50-fathom soundings near the main body in the bank to the90-fathom tag farther out. This area is a good ground for cod and haddock in the winter season andspring plus a hake soil in March. This minn kota maxxum area is about 3 or 4 miles square and isbounded on all but the traditional western side by muddy bottom part, which is of little benefit as aminn kota maxxum floor. Usually there exists good haddocking in Mar on the outside of Jeffreys, onits southeastern edge as well as in the cove between it and Tillies in 70 and 60 fathom depths with abroken and muddy base. This area lies SE ? from the Isle of Shoals, 27 mls to the middle.

[Footnote 13: There has been some speculation as to the beginning of the relatively unusual title ofthis banking institution. The writer would note that there was an Edward Tillie from the Company ofCaptain John Smith as he explored this region in 1614 plus a Tilly (maybe the same person) whooperated a minn kota maxxum station at Cape Ann throughout the years 1624 and 1625.]

The Shoal Ground, stretching easterly from Thacher Tropical isle, has depths from twenty to thirtyfathoms more than a bottom of sand and gravel. This area is about 15 mls long by 5 mls wide and isan important pollock ground inside their spawning time as well as a great fall cod-angling ground. Itis about 12 miles E. by N. from Thacher Island to its center and 21 a long way SE. by S. from the Isleof Shoals. Flounder draggers also operate on this page on the shoal ground and all of aroundThacher Island but mostly to eastward & southeastward.

[Table 3--Outside Minn Kota Maxxum Grounds, showing the principle kinds taken upon them.]

Harvey Blacks Ridge. This is SE. ? S. from the lightship off Portland, distant 42 miles, and SE. fromNew Ledge, distant 8 miles. From Glovers Rock and roll, off Tiny Point, Me. this ridge lies SE. by S. ?S. 41 miles. It extends inside an ENE. and WSW. course about 4 miles lengthy by I mile broad.Depths regular 70 to. 100 fathoms over a bottom part of yellow gravel and clay. Cod are taken righthere all the calendar year. Haddock are found in the strong water in the spring: cusk all the year indeep water, together with hake in summer, also around the muddy base in deeply water. Pollock andother surface-schooling fish are found in their correct season.

Clay-based Ridge. At various points about the corners of Jeffreys Ledge are small detached ridges,which in their season are good sport fishing grounds. The present bit of ground lies 26 a long way S.by W. through the lightship at Portland, which course and distance provide us to the northernbenefit. There is a 50-fathom shoal of small sizing upon it, but in other places soundings regularfrom 65 to 70 fathoms across a bottom of hard clay-based. The length of the floor is about 4 milesNNE. and SSW., and the breadth about 1 mile. This furnishes very good haddocking in January, Feb.and March. the latter calendar month showing the very best minn kota maxxum.

Big Ridge (near Cashes Bank). It is a broken and rocky bit of bottom running from the suggestion ofthe southeastern part of the terrain, at about 10 miles S. from the buoy on Ammens Rock and about82 miles SE. ? S. in the lightship at Portland, to a degree about 20 miles S. by E. from the buoynamed. Its length is not really to be explained definitely, and is particularly probably greater thanhere demonstrated. The thickness averages about 1? to 2 mls. Depths are from 65 to 80 fathoms andmore, increasing gradually as it goes out of the main bank. The kinds and their periods of plethorahere are as on Cashes Bank. Probably this is much more of a cod and cusk ground than is the mainpart of Cashes Bank, the cusk becoming particularly numerous during Mar and April. Halibut arealso found here in May and June in from 50 to 60 fathoms of water. A considerable amount of thefish shown within the table from the catch from the area included in Cashes Lender may adequatelyhave come from this piece of terrain.

Nantucket Shoals. This extend of bars and further waters between, roughly triangular in type withits apex at the northern, lies over the western edge of the South Channel, extending S. and SE.through the southern end of Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. From Monomoy Point out Rogers Sportfishing Soil, on the eastern edge of Phelps Bank, it really is SSE. 80 miles. Its width from SoutheastRips to the american edge of New South Shoal is 40 miles. The location includes a variety of"sportfishing spots" and shoals, among which the following are the main: Pollock Rip Ground, Crownand Increased Shoal, Great Rip, Davis Bank, Minn Kota Maxxum Rip, Old and New South Shoal, andPhelps Bank.

Stellwagen Bank also called Center Bank. This separates Massachusetts Bay in the open h2o of theGulf of Maine and runs from around Cape Ann nearly to Cape Cod. The center of this ground bears Sby E ? E from Thacher Island and N by W ? W from Highland Light, Cape Cod. The The southern partof Part of the Banking institution is remote 5? kilometers from Competition Point Cape Cod, and itsnorthwest prong reaches to within 12 or 15 miles of Eastern Point Cape Cod. The shoaler portion,with depths from 9? to 19 fathoms, is 17? miles long in a N by S and W by E course and has a widthof 4 miles. This portion is soft sandy but the eastern slope, in depths of from 25 to 55 fathoms,contains coarse beach sand gravel and pebbles. On this gravelly slope haddock and cod have alreadybeen taken plentifully over a lasting of several years, the cod in the fall and spring and the haddockin the winter months. On the southern end of the lender and involving this and Race Position cod areplentiful in fall and wintertime. The full bank is another mackerel soil when the minn kota maxxumhappen to be in these seas, the best within the season averaging to be from July 15 through Sept.

Tillies Bank. [13] This bears E And S from Eastern Level Light just dropping Thacher IslandLighting, then 3 miles even farther for best minn kota maxxum: and E. by S. ? S. from ThacherIsland, Cape Ann, that the shoal on the center of the ground is distant 18 miles. This is a small rockyspot with depths of from 25 to 28 fathoms, beyond which the drinking water deepens to 40 fathomsover a considerable area. The duration of the entire ground is about 10 miles in a E. and W. courseand the width about 5 miles. At the edge it falls away rapidly to depths of 50 to 60 fathoms beforehitting the dirt at continue to greater depths but an area of shoal water joins this terrain with WestJeffreys. The base is rocky and hard within the greater part of the bank. Tillies was previouslyregarded among the best minn kota maxxum reasons off Cape Ann and it is still resorted to forhaddock and cod in the fall and spring; for hake from thesummer season and springtime, and slip,and for pollock in the early spring and drop. The minn kota maxxum is mainly by trawling, togetherwith the gillnetters working on the shoal grounds in under 50 fathoms.

Tobins. A name presented to a piece of soil about 20 miles rectangular lying S. by E. from theHighland Light. It runs from about 40 miles to about 60 a long way offshore, the depthsprogressively increasing as being the bottom slopes away equally from the shore from 75 to 95fathoms more than a bottom of clay, yellow sand, and pebbles. Cod are taken in thesummer andspring, and fall, and haddock inFebruary and March, and Apr. As opposed to the grounds offChatham, this is not to be considered a hake ground, though a few hake are used here in summerseason.

Cusk are plentiful on this page in the spring, with just a few in the slip. Cod are taken all of the yearclose to, the Spring season school simply being the largest. Hake are most numerous In the springand fall months, and haddock are certainly not common however are most numerous in winter.

A tiny shoal from the western part of the Cove of Jeffreys, getting 50 fathoms over a bottom of azureclay and rocks and rising through the 60 and 70 fathom soundings about it, is around 1? mls long byabout 3/4 mile large. This shoal is SSE. from Benefit Island 15 miles. It is actually a winter soil forhaddock and cod.

A small cove makes for a quick distance in to the western part of Jeffreys Ledge at about 20 milesfrom Boon Tropical island in a SE. by S. ? S. direction. The bottom from the cove is broken andmuddy, with depths around 60 fathoms. Thence, the soil slopes off to the oral cavity, where theedges about the entry are difficult and have 70 and 75 fathom depths. These rocky places are cuskgrounds inJanuary and February, and March, during which weeks the cove itself usually furnishesgreat haddock sportfishing. Outside these depths the water deepens westward over a muddy bottompart, where are from 80 to 90 as well as 100 fathoms of water. Minn Kota Maxxum here is mainly bytrawl and gill nets.

Fifty-five Fathom Bunch. To the west of Cashes Bank is a rocky ridge extending ENE. and WSW.about 4 miles and having a breadth of about 1 mile. This is mainly a cod floor, the conditions for thetypes being as on Cashes Bank.

Because of E. in the buoy on Ammens Rock and roll about 12 miles lies a ridge that soars from the100 to 120 fathom depths about it to a depth of around 80 fathoms over a base of brokensoil andground, and seashells. This shoaler piece is some 3 mls long. N. by E. and S. by NW., by 1 mile wide.It furnishes good minn kota maxxum for cod, hake, and cusk in the spring, Apr being the mosteffective season.

This ridge lies in a SE. and NW. course, extending fairly indefinitely but for at least 10 miles byabout 3 miles in width. In the ridge the base is broken--a hard bottom part of black colored gravel,

which usually means a good minn kota maxxum spot--the depths here being from 85 to 90 fathoms.There are numerous muddy spots between these more difficult pieces of ground where soundingsrun to 100 fathoms or slightly more. The surrounding bottom is generally of dirt, and the depthsaverage from 100 to 125 fathoms. There are a number of pieces of gravelly hard soil in the area,each of which probably would furnish just as good minn kota maxxum for cod and cusk with thesame periods as in the ridge.

Apparently the great quantity of cod on this terrain is due to the excellent quantity of shrimps anddelicate-shelled crabs located on the muddy base and on the rocks that compose this ground. Thereseem to be a number of these deep-water reasons about and between the shoaler grounds, as aroundCashes, Fippenies, and Jeffreys, which evidently serve as fairways over which the schools of hake,cod, and cusk, move from Georges Financial institution into the Gulf of Maine in the spring of year.

This is essentially a cod ground for the entire year, the kinds being most abundant from May 1 toDecember. It is a cusk ground each of the year about the hard bottom of the greater March, Apriland pieces showing the largest schools. Hake also are ample in 70 fathoms and deeper on the mud insummer and fall.

Jeffreys Ledge. Jeffreys Ledge could be considered among the best fishing grounds inside the Gulf ofMaine, although of relatively small dimensions. It appears to be an extension of the shoal groundthat makes off in an easterly direction from Cape Ann, it is about 20 miles long inside a NE. and SW.path and about 4 miles large. Its the southern part of limits is 42? 54' and its north limit 43? northlatitude; its eastern and american borders may be located at 69? 58' and 70? 18' western longitude.The bottom is rocky on the shoaler parts, with gravel and pebbles on the edges. Depths on thefinancial institution are from 27 to 35 fathoms, falling off to 40 or 50 on the corners. The shoalestwater is from 4 to 5 miles N. by E. from the buoy, where there is 22 fathoms. Ordinarily there is verylittle or no tide, with the occasional existing SW. There are actually, however, robust westerlycurrents with the large easterly winds, and often right after a period of moderate weather with nostrong tides there will all of a sudden develop a weighty SW. stream, indicating the approach of anystrong northwester. This would seem a general tip in the Gulf of Maine and is, possibly, prevalentover much of our North Atlantic coast.

Outer Crab Ledge. The center lies about 14 miles ESE from Chatham Lights. It extends about 5 or 6a long way in a N. and S. direction and it is about 1 mile vast. Depths manage from 19 to 23 fathoms;the bottom is difficult. The sport fishing is principally for cod from the fall, springtime and winter.Vessel sport fishing this is principally in the spring.

On the ledgecod and haddock, and cusk are consumed in the full spring and winterprobably, springand winter furnishing the best sportfishing. In addition there are more or less pollock, and hakeconstitute a crucial part of the find. In all those seasons when herring make their appearance withinthese waters the seiners make good grabs here, mostly of food items fish, as the huge herring aretermed through the trade. The mackerel, also, appear on these grounds and so on the smallerreasons nearer to shore to westward and northward in good-sized universities, usually from July 1through Sept. For many years the haddock get from this banking institution has been ofconsiderable significance, and this statement remains true for recent years as well.