Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-07-14
CATCHING FISH WITH A BOTTLE.
A New Way to Combine seamanship and
Sport and the Art of Fishing.
HrIfenlr1te

Sport and the Art OF Fishing,
WldsaVlke.
Catching fish is surely very novel use
for bottle, but the feat is easily accom-
plished and affords a great deal of amuse-
ment and excitement.
A number of empty champagne or beer
bottles being obtained, each one is to be
filed with sand or shot until it will stand
upright when foated in water. Each bot
tie is then tightly corked and strong
tapering ash or hickory stick, IS inches
long, is passed through each cork, this
stick havinga small, bright-colored burgee
Ia three cornered flag at its tip. Next
piece of wire is twisted around the neck
of the bottle, so that it cannot slip off, and
in this wire large loop is made to
which the fish line is fastened. The length
of the line must depend entirely upon the
depth of the water to be fished 10 feet is
usally long enough. The hooks, for gen.
eral use, should be of medium size--ssy
No. 5. Moderately heavy einkers are at
tached to the line. A swivel will make
the outfit complete, although not abso-
lu;ely necessary. If the bottles them
selves cost nothing, dozen may be pre-
pared at cost of % cents.
The bottles, thus having been made
ready, may be used in number of ways.
They may be set in a row on the bank of
of a stream, or on pier, close to the edge;
the hooks having been properly bsited,
are to be dropped into the water. 1t will
not be long before one of the bottles vii
begin to waver and suddenly take a
mighty leap overheard, swimming off and
bobbing around in very peculiar manner.
The excitement which row of these fish
ing bottles will arouse, and the guessing
as to which bottle will 90 first, ia very
amusing, and not to be dispised as sport.
One or more of the bottles having pOp-
ped off and been taken in tow by a fish,
must now be rescued; this can be done by
means of a long stick having three hooks,
without barbs, dashed to it, back to back;
some one of the hooks will soon catch into
loop or wire around the neck of the bottle
and you can draw in both bottle and
fish.
Where there is lake or pond at hand
and boat available, the bottles may be
taken out from shore and set shost around
the boat. If the fish are at all lively and
there are many bottles to tend, there will
be some very exciting sport in chasing the
bottles, for they will start in all directions
at every moment.
8.Where there is q number in the party
"sides" may be chosen-.wo sets of bottles
being furnished, an even number to each,
and each set having flag differing in col
or. The side catching the most fish wins
whatever prize is to be awarded.
For ses-fshing an additional arrange
ment is needed, because the waves cause
the bottles to bob up and down so that it
ia hard to know when fish bites. The
flag is brought into use as signal. The
upright rod is furnished at its tip with a
small screw-eye, and strip of tin three
inches long is fastened by its lower end
to the lower end OF the rod parallel with
it. so as to make a spring-clip. The flag
is fastened to the end of the line, and is
set by being caught in the clip made by
the strip of tin. In this position the flag
is lowered" as it were, being at the foot
of the rod: but when the fish bites he pulls
it away from the clip and raises it to the
top of the rod, where it stops being too
large to 90 through the eye, That the
flag may fly straight, and not be drawn
into the eye and crumpled, it is best to
sew it to straight bit of wire, having
loop at the top to which the line is tied.
Another improvement is to paint the in
side of the bottle, by pouring in white
paint and shaking'it around and then pour
ing it out and letting the bottle dry. Then
prepare the bottless described, and should
large fish turn the bottle upside down,
as he very likely will, it can be readily
seen and followed.