Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-22
BASS I'M THE POTOMAC
How This Game Fish is Captured BY
Anglers.
Both Bait and Flies Must BE Used
Peculiarities of This Species Of
the Finny Tribe.

For sale-A lot of the finest quality OF
fishing tackle; rods reels. lines. hooks. etc.
such as are used for bait fishing. A rare
! chance for beginners. Owner uses nothing
but. fly"
This ad. was written by the colonel
| Immediately after he had caught his first
| black bass with a fly. He got five or six
| in the upper Potomac that day on fly
| and 1t was all the boatman could do to keep
him from throwing his bait tackle over
board. He swore he could throw fly into
bass mouth sixty feet away.
| Two or three days ago he went fishing
again. He had a new book of flies a rod as
light as a willow switch. and there was no
| such thing as a bait bucket any bait
tackle in his outfit. When he got back he
had blisters big as 1O-cent pieces on his
hands. He had caught four bass with a fly
when he gave 1t Up and caught twenty
more on borrowed bait tackle. He still be-
| lieves IN the fly, but holds to bait for the
sake of variety.
| He has learned that to get thorough en-
joyment out of fishing the Potomac. under
the varied conditions and the constantly
changing character Of the water over which
the boat passes. a man must use and appre-
ciate either bait or fly.
The SmaIl-MOuth Bass.
| No man who has not fshed the upper
| Potomac knows just what bass fishing Is.
| There is the widest difference Of state
| ment by writers to the characteristics
Of the bass. None who have not fished in
the Potomac can describe him as he is
known to us. The Potomac bass is the
small mouth" which is the fsherman's
| favorite wherever he is found, but he Is
almost as much the superior of the small
mouth bass of other waters as the latter
are to the ordinary big mouth" He Is
| not as shy as the bass is usually described
as being, but he is infinitely more cunning
and has the tenacity of bulldog. His con-
slant struggle for existence in the rapid
| waters, where, amid the rocks and eddies
| and falls he finds not a foot Of water In a
! hundred miles where he is free from the
swift current makes him active and strong
as trained athlete and his intelligence is
as great as his physical development.
| He is mighty strategist and a mighty
| hghter, and as moody as a savage. Between
| him and the fisher 1t is a fair fight and 10
favor from start 10 finish. and many n one
| mas made his escape from captivity after
being seemingly secured. At times he will
| strike most anything you offer hirl ct the
end of hook. Again. no delicacy can
| tempt him. AT times he will chase a min
| now right up to the side of the boat, and.
I perhaps, jump TO- 1t as II is drawn from the
| water not four feet from the angler. At
other times he will nose the bait out of bis
| fore him. When very hungry. he seems 10
| have no fear. but will follow a boat and
| take the bait again even after he has once
| be en- snagged and got away. He frequently
| takes bait again after, by a false strike
| II has been jerked from him. His action
depends altogether upon the mood he is in
and you can ncve- tell Just what he will do
| under given circumstances. One thing YOU
| can always depend on him fo- is a fight
but You cannot tell what peculiar tactics he
! will follow. Whatever his move may be. II
Is evidently directed by intelligence.
| Bnss i'm the Potomac.
| The black bass are abundant in the Poto-
mac from the Little Falls as far up as you
want to so. Anywhere from the second
| lock, just above the Chain bridge" to Or
| leans. over a hundred miles above the fish
ing is reliably good IL the water is in con-
dition. The fish are always there; il is for
you to find them. which you can do IL YOU
are good fisherman. The question al
ways is to stop off at some place where you
can find boa and boatmen and lodging ac-
commodations. The Great Falls, Penny
| fields. Tuscarora, Point Of Rocks, Barper's
| Ferry, Weverton, Hancock. Woodmont Or
leans and any number Of places between
| are points along the river. from which fish
ing is done with great success
This has not been a favorable season for
fishing, not because the black bass have
heavy rains and high, muddy water IL Is
a rare thing for the bass to bite In muddy
| water. and the grief of the fishermen is
that the Potomac is SO often muddy during
! the spring season. Early in the eason
some very fine catches were made at Tus-
| carora. Weverton. Point Of Rocks Harper's
Ferry and Woodmont. but the days were
very Jew that any fishing could he dome
Among the fish caught were a yoodly nun
Der weighing from four to five pounds and
many more from two to three pounds one
eaught al Moodmont and served on the
table of Col Bright weighed six pounds and
nine ounces. Two gentlemen who were
| fortunate enough to strike good water two
or three days ago at Woodmont caught
| pounds and a half. A large catch was made
last week by party fishing just above the
| Great Falls, where they got clear water al
.Re mouth OF stream. The average weight
OF the catches this season has been ex-
| tremely satisfactory. but the opportunities
for fishing at all have been few,
! Delight Beyond Description.
The delight of fishing on the Potomac is
| something beyond the power Of description
! Even TO one not an expert with the rod and
! reel the mere fact of being in boat on the
RAPID winding river. surrounded by noun
Jams or NILS with an ever-changing scene,
new beauties of scenery disclosed at every
Few yards of the boats course the chang
| ing lights OF the day from early morning 70
midday and the frightening of the shadows
as the sun declines. the ny-tinted foliage
the motion of the boat along the rushing
water and the midday meal nv the snrirs
on shady bank-the communion with ma
ture IN her greatest variety Of charms-is
pleasure hardly to be equaled
| Add TO this the excitement of the snort
| which surpasses all sports the careful
| hunting or the bass I'm his haunts on the riff
hes, In the eddies and In the deep pools
| where the water looks as smooth as a lake
out Is rushing in an unbroken volume with
current which Is too strong for a SWIM
mer. and all the poetry. romance and en-
| thusiasm of the sportsman's soul is awak-
| ened with emotion. The bait is cast over
INTO tempting eddy. In an instant IL is
| Seized with a rush. the reel sings as the line
| goes smoothly through the water then
there Is pause. and the fisherman.
with every nerve strained. waits al.
most breathlessly for the second run
| Then it comes like the passing OF
an express train. At the start a twist
| OF the hsherman's wrist has sent the
hook home. the fish is fast and the battle
Is on. That is but the start; the victory
| comes afterward and not always TO the
| angler. However skillful the angler NAV
be the antagonist at the other end of the
/ line is just skillful in his way and has
an awful sight more cunning to his size
Over Wide Range.
! The Potomac fisherman does not plant
himself on some bank or tie up his boat In
one place for the days fishing. Now cast
ing. now trolling. now still fishing for
Iii