Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-11-14
d. MEEKISON,
BANKER,
THE NORTHWEST
BLACK BASS BY NIGHT.
O.

Lake Keuka Fishermen Have Singular
Way OF Catching Them.
Black bass fishing by night during the
fall is sport peculiar to Lake Keuka, it
being the belief of the fishermen along
the lake, which results would seem to
justify, that the biggest black bass do
their feeding at night during that sea-
son. The bass evidently have peculiar
ideas, too, about what they are willing
to try in the way Of something to eat
at night. In fishing for black bass dur
ing the day the angler on Keuka is par
ticular to have the choicest Of live bait
minnows, crawfish or dobson. Minnows
are the bait most used.
The fisherman drifts slowly In his
boat along the shores, following the
curves Of the quiet coves and rounding
the many points that jut into the lake
on both sides. He keeps his line In
about twenty feet Of water, and uses no
sinker, or, If any, q light one. The bait
must be constantly lively on the hook,
or the bass will not come near ii. At
night the fisherman seeks places where
the water is forty or fifty feet deep. In
stead of single hook and live bait he
uses gang Of at least ten hooks, tied in
pairs an inch apart. They are tied to
strong gut, and are but little larger than
an ordinary trout fly hook. The bait
used is golden sinner, which is caught
in the lake. 1t is hooked to the gang at
the lip and tail, in curve, SO that whom
Il is trolled through the water the bait
VII whirl, the sinner, Of course, being
dead. Where the leader, six feet long,
and the line are Joined another line Is
attached. This is six or eight feet long.
To its pendant end is attached half
pound lead sinker. This is let to the
bottom. The gang and sinner play in
the water the length Of the sinker line
above the bottom. This rig is used at
s the end Of 150 feet Of line. The boat
drifts or is rowed very slowly.
The black bass that are caught by this
peculiar tackle in the great depth Of
water where 1t is used are always inn
mense specimens. A catch of twenty
made by Doc Stephens at Bluff Point the
other night weighed sixty-five pounds.
The same rig has been tried time and
again in the day time, but with little
success Bluff Point, bold promontory
rising more than 800 feet above the lake,
BIT the junction of the lake proper and its
vest branch, is the favorite locality for
hight bass fishing. The shoresare rocky
md the water deep.
II person is rugged and tough, and
ikesa dash Of the weird and uncanny
hingled with his surroundings, he will
ajoy black bass fishing at night on Lake
euka. There is chill in the wind that
isturbs the lakes surface that goes
raight to the marrow. The numbness
fingers that follows the handling Of a
let line, and the adjusting anew of a
hi6ss ss calculated to give Joy to the
rdinary angler. The shadows of Bluff
pint are dark, and the frontof the bluff
self rises like grim specter on the
ene. The cry of the loon, wailing,
pmoniacal, blood curdling, sometimes
lrsting upon one almost at his side, and
en- coming from afar with the chasing
aves, isamong the attendant diversions,
d one that does not add much to the
eerfulness Of the surroundings, nor
d zest to the sport. That this novel
yof bass fishing is popular on Lake
euka, however, was well testified to the
her night, when no less than fifty boats
Ire drifting about in the shadows off
ie Point, each containing from one to
.ae fishermen. The catch Of bip base