Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-10-20
The Latest Fish Story.

A letter from a st. Louis gentle
man, who has been for some time up
at Green Lake, Wis, contains theac-
count of a fishing exploit that is re-
markable:
81 went out early the other evens
ing" writes the gentleman, Gin hopes
of encountering some of the famous
pickerel OF this resort when they were
just coming up from the messy beds
after morsel for breakfast. / trolled
for halfa mile without strike. |
was passing farm house, in front of
which were an old goose and a lot of
goslings month or so old. They
were sWimmingaround dipping down
under the water, and chattering
away in high glee. Just as | was OPP
posite them there was "a splash, and
one of the goslings disappeared. AL
most instantly another one went in
the same way, then another one went
in the same way, the mother goose
never seeming to heed their absence.
| thought it strange, and pulled over
toward the flock, but before | reach
ed them three more were pulled UNI
der the water. stopped;..rowing
close to the spot where the fowls had
disappeared, and watched from close
range to see if l could discover what
agent was atwork destroying the far
mer's goSlings. One of the little fell
lows was separated from the other
three, for that's all that were left. /
was close to the single gosling watch
ing him, when | saw a monstrous
black bass shoot through the water,
grab the bird had my eye on, and
give the water tlirt with his tail as
he disappeared with his breakfast.
Before the surface had become calm,
or my establishment had been over
come the remaining three of the
gosling brood were in the capacious
maws ofthe hungry bass.
"By this time the old goose, who
had been TRANQUILITY swimmingabout,
began to think that something was
wrong, and when no little ones came
at her call she. became frantic. |
stood right there for some time, ex-
pecting that some audacious bass
would walk off with the old goose,
but they didn't.
81 went up to the farm house, told
the fate Of the goslings, and was met
with no expressions ofsurprise.
"'That's no uncommon thing, said
the farmer. 'I'll bet I've lost a thou
sand young geese just in that way.
thought those were to big for bass
bait. l keep my young geese in 6
pond back of the house until they
get big enough to take care of them
selves, as 1 thought the ones you saw
gobbled up were
can idea struck me, and / bar
gained with the farmer for three Cos
lings from the pond back of tn,
house. / would fool the bass. HI,
soon came in with three nice, down,
little fellows, and / took one, tiet
my line about the centre of his body
and fastened a gang of hooks unde
} the gosling's breast so they hun
down about three inches. Then
} took long rod from the boat, attach
ed the line, and gently dropped tn
swimming bait into the water. TIL
1 little goslings swan around for abou
g half a minute when there was a rush
I a tug at the line, and had my hur
= cry fish safely hooked. 1t was
: whopper, and it took me twent
: minutes to bring him up to the boa
$ The bass had struck the hooks, as
= intended, before he reached the 60
ling, and l succeeded in landin
q thirty-one big bass with my thre
9 before they were used up. The
= were the biggest bass ever saw b
o fore, averaging trifle overs pounc
n apiece, one of them weighing
4 pounds. When / go after bass no
= you may be sure 1 go with goslinI
for bait"
One small particle in the eye pai