Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-10
GOSLINGS AS FISH BAIT.
Remarkable Experience of a st. Lou
Sportsman-How to Catch Bass.

Remarkable Experience of st. Louis
Sportsman-How to Catch Bass.
A letter from a st. Louis gentleman, who
has been for some time up at Green Lake.
Wis, has just been received here, and it con-
tains the account of a fishing exploit that is
remarkable. Il went out early the other
evening"" writes the gentleman, ''in the
hopes of encountering some of the famous
pickerel of this resort when they were just
coming up from their messy beds after
morsel for breakfast l trolled for half a
mile without a strike. was passing farm
house, in front OF which were an old goose
aud lot of goslings month or so old. They
were swimming around, dipping down under
the water, and chattering away in high glee.
Just as I was opposite them there was
splash and one of the goslings disap-
peared. Almost instantly another one
went in the same way, the mother
goose never seeming to heed their
absence. l thought it strange, and pulled
over toward the flock, but before reached
them three more were pulled under the
water. l stopped rowing close to the spot
where the fowls had disappeared, and
watched from close range to see if / could
discover what agent was at work destroying
the farmers 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, watching him, when I saw
monstrous black bass shoot through the wa
ter, grab the bird l had my eye on, and give
the water flirt with his tail as he disap-
peared with his breakfast. Before the sur
face had become calm or my astonishment
had been overcome, the remaining three of
the gosling brood were in the capacious maws
of the hungry 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 at 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 express
sions of surprise.
"'That's no uncommon thing said the far
mer. I'll bet I've lost a thousand young
geese just in that way. l thought those were
| too big for bass bait. l keep my young geese
| in pond back of the house until they get
| big enough to take care of themselves, as
| thought the ones you saw gobbled up were
IAN idea struck me- and L 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 center of his body, and fastened gang
of hooks under the gosiings'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
for about half n minute, when there was a
rush, u tug at the line, and | had my hungry
fish safely hooked. 1t was whopper, and it
took me twenty minutes to bring him up to
! the boat. The bass had struck the hooks, as
| intended, before he reached the gosing,
and | succeeded in landing thirty-one big
bass with my three before they were used up.
They were the biggest bass l ever saw be-
fore, averaging a trhe over six pounds
apiece, one of them weighing nine and q
| quarter pounds. When | so after bass now
you may be sure go with goslings for bait.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat