Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-01
FISHING WITH BOTTLES.
A New Way of Combining Seamanshil
Sport and the Art of Fishing.

A New Way of Combining seamanship,
Sport and the Art Of Fishing.
Catching fish is surely very novel
use for a bottle, but the feat is easily
accomplished and affords great deal
OF amusement 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 bottle is then tightly
corked and a strong tapering ash or
hickory stick, eighteen inches long, is
passed through each cork. this stick
having small, bright-colored burgee
Ca three-cornered fag) at it's tip.
Next piece of wire is twisted around
the neck of the bottle. so that it can
not 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; ten feet is usually
long enough The hooks. for general
use. should be of medium size-say
No. 5. Moderately heavy sinkers are
attached to the line. A swivel will
make the outfit complete. although
not absolutely necessary. If the bot
ties themselves cost nothing, dozen
may be prepared at a cost of twenty
five cents
The bottles, thus having been made
ready. may be used in a number of
ways. They may be set in a row on
the bank of a stream, or on a pier,
close to the edge; the hooks having
been properly baited. are to be
dropped into the water. 1t will not
be long before one of the bottles will
begin to waver and suddenly take a
mighty leap overheard, swimming off
and bobbing around in a very peculiar
manner. The excitement which a row
of these fshing-bottles will arouse.
and the guessing as to which bottle
will go first, is very amusing, and not
to be despised as sport.
One or more of the bottles having
popped off and been taken in tow by
fish, must now be rescued; this can be
done by means of long stick having
three hooks, without barbs. dashed TO
it, back to back; some one of the
hooks will soon catch into the loop of
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 the shore and
set afloat 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 direc-
tions at every moment.
Where there is a number in the party
''sides' may be chosen-two sets of
bottles being furnished, an even num-
Der to each, and each set having a flag
differing in color. The side catching
the most fish wins whatever prize is to
be awarded.
rangement is needed, because the
waves cause the bottles to bob up and
down so that it is hard to know when
a fish bites. The flag is brought into
use as a signal. The upright rod is
furnished at its tip with small screw
eye. and a 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 posi-
ton 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
go 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. hav-
ing loop at the top to which the line
is tied.
Another improvement is to paint the
inside of the bottle white, by pouring
in white paint and shaking it around
and then pouring it out and letting the
bottle dry. Then prepare the bottle
as described. and should large fish
turn the bottle upside-down, as he
very likely will, it can be readily seen
and followed. Awake.