The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-08
Fishermen should Not Permit Them to
Become Too Familiar.
From the NeM York Sun

Fishermen should Not Permit Them to
Become Too Familiar
From the New York Sun.
IF you are ever fishing" said an OBJ
| servant New York Sportsman, "and see
| bullfrog sitting near by. on a rock
or a log or bog or anything, you
| might as well wind up your line and go
away unless you kill the frog or drive
| him away, for you won't catch a fish.
i found that out all by myself a few
seasons ago. / was fishing up i'm Sulli-
van county for black bass | used live
bait, for couldn't get a fish with a fly
| or a troll. Sometimes | had nrst-rate
luck and every day / didn't have any
| luck at all, finally noticed. was when
| frog was sitting somewhere near by
every now and then giving a croak or
| two. i couldn't see any reason why
that should affect the fish so they
wouldn't bite, though. and thought lit
tie of IL.
"One day I went out TO catch some
young sunfish and young perch. as /
found they were killing bait for bass
caught these fry near the shore of
the lake, usually with a tiny barbless
hook, baited with bit OF angleworm
at certain places alongshore. ! had
never had any difficulty i'm catching
plenty of them i'm short time on this
particular day as l threw my hook in
the water i saw a big frog sitting on a
stone at the edge of the lake not more
than 10 feet from where / stood. Pres
emily fine perch for bait came to-
ward my hook The water was clear
and only a couple of feet deep. and /
could see the fish plainly. Just before
this perch got to the hook the frog
gave peculiar croak, loud and deep
The perch turned and disappeared BY
and by young sunfish came edging
its way TO the bait, and was on the
int Of y
croaked again. The sunfish stopped,
backed away and disappeared i'm deep
water. This went on for 10 minutes
fish coming up to take my hook. the
frog croaking, and the fish going away
again. Then 1t struck me that the
frogs croaking had given warning to
the fish.
That blame frog is telling those
perch and sunfish to look out, sure as
eels. said l.
Il grabbed up a club and sent IT fly
ing at the frog. Ii struck and killed
him. Then | went to fishing again. In
less than quarter of an hour | had
caught every perch and sunfish in
sight. On the same day ] got corrobo-
rative evidence that frogs spy on the
fisherman and warn the fish against
him. / took some of the bait fish |
had caught and went out after bass |
was having immense luck. In less than
y
big fellows and was feeling fine sud
denly heard a frog strike up off TO my
left with a tremendous below. / look
ed around. There sat a big green chap
on an old stump. When | looked at
him he turned one of his google eyes
up at me. and i give you my word he |
winked at me. as much as to say:
I'm onto you
Il thought I'd fish a while longer be- .
fore tested the frog-spying theory.
Five minutes passed; then the frog let
loose again. looked around. He gave
me another wink. l fished on for half
an hour. during which the frog croake
10 times. and l got not so much as a
nibble.
This settles it, said
Il chucked a stone at the frog. II
missed him. but he skedaddled of the
stump and disappeared in the lake. /
hshed again. In less than a minute I
had hooked a three-pound bass and
landed him. Within a quarter OF an
hour had caught five. Then the frog
croaked again. looked around. There
he was on the stump. and he glared at
me in a way that showed he knew |
had discovered his game. As long as
let him stay there and croak ! didn't
catch a fish or get a bite. Then 1
whipped out my revolver and shot him
Fifteen minutes after that | had five
more big bass"