Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-10-24
ANGLING WITH bottles.
Very Amusing way of Catching Fish for
Leisure Days.

Catching fish is surely a very novel
use for bottle, but the feat is easily
accomplished and affords a great deal
of amusement and excitement
A number of empty champagne or
beer bottles being obtained, each one
is to be filled with sand or shot until it
will stand upright when tloated in
water Each bottle is thca tightly
corked and a strong tapering ash or
hickory stick eighteen inches long IS
passed through each cork, this stick
having a small bright-colored burgee
Ga three coruered nag) as its tip. Next
a piece of wire is twisted around the
neck Of the bottle so that IL cannot
slip off, and in this wire Il large loop
is made TO which the ti,h-line IS fas-
tened The length of the line must
depend entirely on the depth of the
water to be fished. Ten feet is usually
long enough. The hooks, for general
use, should be IF medium size, say No.
8. Moderately heavy siukers are at
tached to the line. a swivel Will
make the outfit complete, although
absolutely not necessary. II the
bottles themselves cost nothing a
dozen may be prepared at cost OF %
cents.
The bottles, thus having been made
ready, may be used in a number of
ways. They may be set in a row on
bank of "a stream, or on pier close TO
the edge; the hooks having been
properly baitcd, 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 very peculiar
manner. The excitement which a row
of these fishing bottles viii arouse, says
the Sportsman Awake, and the guess
ing as to which bottle will 90 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, lashed to
it. back 10 back; some one of re 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
NAV be taken out from shore and set
aloat around the boat. If the fish are
at all lively and there are many bottles
to tend there will be some very excit-
ing sport in chasing the bottle, for
they will start all in directions at every
moment
Where there is a number in the
party sides may be chosen-twO sets
of bottles being furnished, an even
number TO each, and each set having a
flag different ia color The side CATCH
ing the most fish wins whatever prize
is 30 be awarded.
For sea fishing an additional ar
raugcment is needed because the waves
cause the bottles to bob up and down
so that it is hard 10 know when a fish
bites. The flag is brought into use as
a signal 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 spring
clip. The flag is fastened to the end
Of the line aud 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 20 through the eye. That the
flag may fly straight and not be drawn
into the eye and crunpled, it is best
To sew il to a straight bit of wire hay-