Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-11-16
BASS FISHING.
Funny Experience of an Amateur.

uully G6pcXithCe VI ssn hni"t0eA'
From wilkes Spirit of the Times.
went bass fishing. After long
end patient waiting, incessant cast.
ing, full of danger to tho eyes and
cars ofmy ncighbors, to say moth
ing of my own. i got D bite-nvig-
orous, impetuous, unmistablo bass
bite. / ut once trisd to recall the
thousand and one rules on conduct
for such occasions which S---n
had inslillcd into mo- "Don't give
him any slack, twas that one that
first oscurrcd, and | triod to put it
in force, but to my utter constcr-
naticn S-n yelled out, "Lcthim
run!" Now this was very inconsist-
int and contradictory, but obey or
ders if you break owners was my
motto, SO did let him run. That
is the last ncws have of that fish,
but think it is likely ho is well
and happy, ifhis mouth has healed.
However, n bite is something,
and the cxhilarating effect last for
hours. Meanwhile, S----n keeps
hauling in bass after bass with an
elegance and GOODNESS that arc ex.
aspcrating to Cd and myself, By
and by Cd gets n bite and loses
his fish, at which / am secretly
pleased but publicly condole with
him, and suggest that next time he
give the fish "no slack" r9'I
Allof a sudden u tremendous
jerk and whiz take mo all aback,
although have been waiting for
that event. The fish pulls like Il
horse, tho rod bends, tho reel whiz-
zes. Cd dances round like q
madman, the chummor grabs his
gaif and dances round too; S--n
shouts out somo dozen or fifteen
digcrent directions aboCte slack.
"let him rum check him. hold
your rod up, 'run back, and also
gallops round in u frantic manner.
l knew nothing more, except that
my liue suddenly came back with
out any hook, and they told me it
was ali my fault. They told me |
turned as white as sheet when
that miscrcant bass got away, and l
believed it. The wonder is didn't
turn blno.
The worst of tho joke is that S--n
caught that very same bass after.
ward with my hook in his mo nth,
and six feet of line dangling after
him. It's bad enough to have an
othor man catch your fish, but
when ho comes to catching your
tackle for you too, it's too aggrava,
ting for endurance. then resolved
10 give no further heed TO anything
on land, 10 evolve out of my own
inner consciousness means ofper-
suading my fish to come ashore, TO
pay strict attention to bass, and
not listen to S-n or anybody else.
Cd resolved so too, and got "
fish close into tho surf, but in an
ungarded moment he answered
S-n with "Nho ia bossing this
hero bass 2" and away went the
liberated bass exultingly.
Twas now prepared to conquer,
and did. A smart pull on my line
was met with coolrcsistance enough
to fix the hook. Away went the
bass seaward. with no great strain
on the line, and before he had gone
one hundred feet the secret ofplay-
ing him had dawned upon mo
Gently but firmly | checked his run,
and to my intense qualification he
stopped some distance north of the
Bermudas. Meantime tho shouting,
tho capcring, and the advice giving
was going on behind mo; but rc-
solutely shut my ears and kept my
Dyes on my line and tho erect DOR
sol fin of the FISH. Sometimes he
would stop quito still This was
very trying, as l feared he was
planning some new trick which ]
didn't know how to meet. Then
off no would dart toward rock,
or up the beach, or in shore, OF
straight out. First it seemed as il
he was playing me; then he be
gan to act as ifhe was q little tired
until at last the delicious reality
became apparent that was play.
ing him. Ye Godsl what q happy
moment How / thrilled With feal
of losing him as ho came floating
in on q top wave, looking as if ht
would say, "Please let mo go JUS
this once; Incver, never will s.ea
your mcnbadden againp-.with pity
as the gaff pierced his silvery side
and with cxultation as he lay gasp
ing on the sand-eighteen pounds
of good, solid, genuine, stripet
bass.
We had a week of such sport al
this CD began hisstring with
thirty-two pounder, and thus We
both became experienced bass fsh
crmen. 1t is not necessary to stats
Low many bass we took, nor. Il
give the weight Of all. Suffice IL &
say that S--n caught six to oul
one, and how he did IL. it is more
than can cay. One day. however
I got the advantage Of him. After
fishing all the afternoon | got ths
onfr fsh and because Il weighed