The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-11-03
cosLlNcs FOR BASS BAIT.
Thirty-one Big Fish Landed, and the Hook
Baited Only Thrco Times.

A letter from ST. Louis gentleman,
who has been for some time up nj
Green Lake, Wis, has Just been re.
ceiyed here, and it contains the ac-
count of fishing exploit that is re.
markable.
81 went out early the other evening"
writes the gentleman, Gin the horcs OF
| encountcring some of the famous
pickerel of this resort when they were
just coming up from their mossy beds
| after morsel for breakfast. trolled
for half mile without Il strike. /
was passing a farm house, in front OF
which were an old goose and lot OF
goslings month or SO old. They
were swimming around, dipping down
under the water, and chattering away
in high glcc. just as | was opposite
them there was a splash, and one of the
goslings disappeared. Almost instant
ly another one went in the same way,
the mother goose never seemed to heed
their absence. / thought it strange,
and pulled over toward the flock. but
before | reached them three more were
pulled under the water. | stopped
rowing close TO the spot where the
fowls had disappeared, and watched
from close range to see if | could dis
cover what agent was ut work DESTROY
ing the farmers goslings. One of the
little fellows was separated from the
other three, for that's all that were left.
| was close to the single gosling watch
ing him, when | saw Il monstrous black
bass shoot through the water, grab the
bird that | had my eve on. and give
the water fiirt with his tail as he dis
appeared with his breakfast. Before
the surface had become calm or my as
tonishment had been overcome the re-
naming three of the gosling brood
were in the capacious maws of the hun
CRY bass.
by this time the old goose, who had
been TRANQUILITY swimming about, began
to think that something was wrong,
and when no little ones came ut her
call she became frantic. / stood right
there for some time, expecting that
some audacious bass would walk off
with the old goose, but they didn't.
Il went up to the farm house, told
the fate of the goslings, and was met
with no expression of surprise.
That's no uncommon thing said
the farmer. III bet I've lost thou
sand young geese just in that way. I
thought those were too big for bass
bait. / keep my youngest geese in q
pond back of the house until they get
big enough to take care of themselves,
as thought the ones you saw COB
bled up were"
IAN idea struck me, and bargained
with the farmer for three goslings from
the pond back of the house. / would
fool the bass. He soon came in with
three nice, downy little fellows. and |
took one, tied my line about the CEN
ter OF his body, and fastened gang of
hooks under the gosling's breast so
they hung down about three inches.
Then | took a long rod from the boat,
attached the line, and gently dropped
the swimming bait into the water.
The little gosling swan around Tor
about half minute, when there was n
rush, a tug at the line, and / had my
hungry fish safely hooked. 1t was q
whopper, and it took me twenty min
utes to bring him up To the boat. The
bass had struck the hooks, rs intend
cd, before he reached the gosling, and
succeeded in landing thirty-one big
bass with my three before they were
used up. They were the biggest bass
l ever saw before, averaging n trifie
over 6 pounds apiece, one of them
weighing 9f pounds. When go after
bass now you may be sure | 90 with
gosings for bait."-St. Louis Globe