Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-28

to Harper's Ferry has been the favorite
water during this time for the gamest fish
that swims, and 1t is yet. They have not
only been unusually numerous, but many
have been caught simply prodigious in size.
Heretofore the landing OF a tive-pound
| small-riouthed black bass by a fisherman
| on the Potomac or any of its tributaries
was considered an event of such import
| ance that the day which it occurred
was n arked as red letter one in the cal
! endar of anglers.
During the past three weeks reports of
the most creditable and trustworthy char
actec have been received in Washington of
the catching of numbers of fish Weighing
five pounds and more. At the head of
Conns Islard, above Great Falls, at Pen
| nefeld's. at Seneca, especially around
| Sharp Shin Island, at Edwards Ferry, at
| Red Rock, at the mouth OF the Monocacy
| at Tuscoroia a, at Weverton and at all the
| other favorite fishing poir is up to the con-
| junction of the Shenandoah and the Peto-
| mac anglers have been delighted with big
| strings, as well as amazed at the weight of
| their top-notcferS.
Found III All Sorts of Water.
The popularity of this seasons record
lies in tho fact that the bass have been
| found in every possible kind of water
Fishermen have gotten strikes in shallow
| one minute and deep water the next They
have cast with equal good luck into a swift
running rifle or into sluggish pool be-
yond an eddy. ard even the most inexperi-
enced anglers have been fortunate beyond
what experts would have deemed royal
sport themselves in former seasons
Those VINO understand certain of the
peculiarities of the Potomac river bass, for
there is 70 one so well verseG in the habits
OF the tickle fish to De Justly called
familiar with them, attribute their wonder
1ul plenitude in the Potomac just now to
TIE fact that the tributaries of the river are
suffering from low water in consequence of
the long-prrvail'ng and widely extended
drought. During the summer tnsre were
not many bass in the river proper, but Won
derful catches We're lie in the streams
that run into it. The low water has driven
the bass out of these streams, and they are
now seeking their subsistence in the deeper
channels and pools this side of Point of
Rocks.
Dangers That Beset the Bass.
In an article published in The Evening
Star last May,and which was republished in
the American Angler Cor June, the writer
In speaking of the habits of the bass aad
the dangers with which it was Lcset ir the
| Potomac. enumerated the presence of the
voracious and sCaVan:,er like carp as one of
the greatest of these.
The fact was also mentioned that the
refuse from the pulp mills at Harpers Fer
"
ments of wood which was thrown into the
river. hoated down anu. becoming water
logged, sank to the bottom and covered the
gravel and sand bars which the bass select
IN the spring as nesting places, and thus
drove them to seek other places, where
these conditions did not exist 1t is graft
lying to be able to state that the latter
statement came to the attention of one of
the capitalists interested in the manufac-
ture of pulp at Harper's Ferry, and that
measures Will be adopted to prevent the
further throwing of such refuse into the
water.
New Theory About the Carp.
In relation to the carp. which in the
sprlngtime, after the female bass has de-
posted her eggs swims over the nest and
gulps the contents of it down, a new prop
osition has been advanced, which finds
several very warm supporters among
anglers we'll qualified to judge of questions
pertaining to their favorite fish, Those