The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-02
Experience Of an Amateur Fisher.
man on Long Island sound,
From Wilkes SpIFftl


From wilkes spIrit)
/ went bass fishing. Atterlong and pa.
tent waiting, incessant eating, full Of dan.
ger TO the eyes and ears Of my neighbors,
TO say nothing Of my own, I got a bite
avigorous, u impetuous, unmistakable bass
bite. l at once tried to recall the thou
sand and one rules oI conduct for such
occasions which S-n had instilled into
me. "Don't give him any slack" was the
one that first occurred, and l tried 10 put
II in force, but to my utter CONSERVATION
S-n yelled out, "Let him rung' Now
this was very inconsistent and contradic.
tory, but obey orders II you break ow-
ners was my motto, 80 l did let him run.
This is the last news have oil that fish,
but think 1t Is likely he Is well and
happy, il his mouth is healed.
However, q bite Is something, and the
exhilarating effect lasts for hours. Mean.
while S--n keeps hauling In bass after
bass with an elegance and coolness that
are exasperating to Cd and myself
By.and.by G-dgets bite and loses his
fish, at which | am secretly pleased, but
publicly condole with him, and suggest
that next time he give the fish mo slack."
All Of sudden tremendous jerk and
whiz take me all aback, although have
been awaiting for hours for that event
The fish pulls like horse, the rod bends,
the reed whizzes Cd dances like q
mailman; the Chummer grabs his gaF and
dances round, too; S-n shouts out
some dozen or fifteen directions about
"slack," "let him run" "check him."
"hold yonr rod up" "run back" aud also
galIops, round in q frantic manner. l
know nothing more, except that my line
suddenly came back without any hook and
they told me it was all my fault. They
told me turned white as o sheet when
that miscreant bass got away, and l believe
it. The wonder Is that didn't turn
blue.
The worst Of the joke is that S-n
caught that very same bass afterward,
with my hook in his mouth and six feet OF
line dangling after him. Itsbad enough
to have another man catch your fish, but
when he comes to catching your tackle
for you, TOO, it's too aggravating for en-.
durance.
then resolved to give no further heed
to anything on land, TO evolve out Of my
own inner conscience means OF per.
suding my fish TO come ashore, 10 pay
strict attention to bass, and not listen to
S-n or anybody else. Cd resolved
80, too, and got a fish close into the surf,
but in an unguarded moment he answered
S-n with, who is bossing this bassP'
aud away went the liberated bass exult.
ing.
l was now prepared to conquer, and
did. A smart pull at my line was met
with cool resistance enough 10 fix the
hook. Away went tho bass seaward, with
no great strain on the line, and before he
had gone ono hundred feet the secret Of
playing him and dawned upon me. Gent.
ly but firmly l checked his run, and to
my intense qualification he stopped some
distance north ol the Bermudas. Mean.
time the shouting the capering, the ad-
vice giving was going on behind me; but
reSnlutCly shut my ears and kept my
eyes on my line and the erect deTsal fin Of
the fish. Sometimes he would stop quite
still. This was very trying, as I feared
he was planning some new trick which
didn't know how to meet. Then of he
would dart toward q rock, or up the
beach, or in shore, or straight out. First
i seemed as il he was playing me; then
he began to act as II he was little tired,
until at last the delicious reality became
apparent that was playing him. Ye
Gods what happy momentl how
thrilled with fear OF losing him as he came
floating in on top OF a wave, looking as II
he would soy, please let me 60, Just this
once; l never, never will steal your men,
MAIDEN again"-with pity as the gaf
pierced his silvery side, and with exulta,
tion as he lay gasping on the sand-eigh.
teen pounds OF good, solid, genuine, strip
ed bass.
We had a week Of such sport as this
Cd began his string with a thirty.twc
FOUNDER, and thus we both became expe
rienced bass fishermen. 1t Is not neces
sary to state how many we took, nor &c
give the weights OF all. Suffice 1t to say
that S-n caught Six to our one, and
how he did It Is more than l can say. One
day, however, | got the advantage ofhim
After fishing all the afternoon got the
only fish, and because 1t weighed Cnly 81
pounds he called 1t a "sand digger" said
1t was no bass at all, shouldn't count it.
&C. He also wanted to 90 home. Win
Mr.. Gcnio G, Scott please explain what q
"sand digger" Is, and why people who
don't catch them want to 60 home