Evening star., 1897-04-03
IN PRAISE OF THE BASS
The Relative Merits Of the Small and Large
Mouthed Varieties.
Anglers Favor the Laws for Their
Preservation. but One Has
Criticism to Make.

gives promise of accomplishing much good,
and will mark an era in the history OF
sport for not only this section, but the
whole country as we'll. Washington and
its doings are much better advertised
than any other locality that success here
will breed encouragement everywhere.
Many objects are to be attained by CO.
operation-the conservation and improve
ment Of fishing grounds, the education OF
public sentiment in the direction of ap-
proval of the necessary restrictive legisla-
ton, the increase of our stock Of game
fishes, the cultivation of the higher art and
better methods in our favorite sport (the
only game seeking which can remain to an
old and advanced civilization with q crowd
ed population); we can improve our tackle,
and particularly its handling. advance the
worlds stock Of knowledge Of natural his
tory, for only its students are anglers, and
last but not least, is the social feature.
which, strange as it may seem to most, is
one Of the strongest charms Of what Is re-
regarded by the uninitiated as solitary
pleasure. Even Walton wrote In dialogue.
Naturally interest centers just now in
the bass, since 1t was on account Of this
fish that our present organization was ef-
fected.
respective merits of the two black BASES
is as old as any knowledge we have Oh
them.
The first writer's began the trouble by
lauding the small-mouthed bass as pluckier
than trout and sweeter than shad, and
chasing his large-mouthed congener with
the bullpout and the dogfish. In letter
of E. Sterling of Cleveland to Mr.. Klippart.
secretary of the Ohio fish commission, in
the First State Report on the Fisheries.
1877, page 73, he says:
The marsh or big-mouthed bass found
in our marshes and ponds though exceed
to- <l1 hos Sat;n {ync cf0n 10 w h
less brute. 1t smells and tastes of the
mud and ought to be exterminated.''
This sounds now like that old Maryland
law which condemned terraDin as unfit to
dictment. but is no more true of the bass
than II Is Of the salmon. 1t is well known
that much of the gameness and flavor of
any fish depends upon its habitat, and a
trout forced to live in an Ohio marsh
would smell and taste of the mud.
The reputation of the small-mouthed bass
has always been better than that of his
relative of the open countenance. The
story started that way and accepting the
prevailing idea of twenty years ago that
the trout in mountain streams was the
only game fish we had. the bass was lot
tried for by any save visiting strangers to
his western and southern homes, with any
more sportsnlanlike tackle than a troll,
and there is at least one grave and rever-
end trout-fshing senator. VINO. having
taken Potomac bass with this sea-f1shing
device, votes bass fishing tame
No angler who has seen the large-mouth-
ed bass at his best will allow a word to
his discredit, or admit there is any fish
that swims that comes with a ma lder
more thrilling rush for fly or does any
braver battle for liberty when struck.
The Bass in Maine.
In the First Fish Commission Report for
the State of Maine-in misunderstanding from
hearsay the merits of Grystes nigricano
Agassiz evidently the small-mouthed bass
is meanD, at page 81 they say: LAS an
article Of food the black bass has an ex-
cellent reputation; his game qualities are
among the first; we cannot doubt that he
would thrive in most of our waters. and
would be a decided advance on yellow
perch and pickerel. Yet he has some bad
characteristics. He belongs to the perch
family. and, like the yellow perch and
striped bass, is very voracious. He would
feed to a great extent on other fishes,
and would not confine himself to devour-
ing worthless species but would prey upon
young trout, smelts. white perch. shad,
alewives, and any kind that he could catch.
Very likely he would prove as great an
enemy to trout as is the pickerel-perhaps
greater. If he should get down into the
shad rivers, as he undoubtedly would, to a
certain extent, he would devour many
times his own weight of young shad; yet
we must bear in mind that If the young
shad should go down to the sea instead
of being eaten by the black bass, some
IL,
and that they have always had worse
enemy at hand in the striped bass. 1t is
difficult to say whether, on the whole tile
black bass would do most good or harm :,
but, considering that we have SO many
fresh water ponds now inhabited by yell
low perch and pckerel, sinners and other
small fish, which yield nothing of conse-
quence-considering that the black bass is
of superior size and probably equal quail
ity to the white perch-consdertng that
he would be able to make his way, and
thrive, against any foe that he would find.
we are inclined to think that more good
than harm would come of putting him i'll
to those waters"
The next year, 1868. the commissioners
said that no attempt had yet been made to
Introduce black bass, that DR.. Fletcher of
Concord had been employed by the New
Hampshire commission and had brought
to that state 22l bass in good condition
from Lake Champlain. at s. each, and that
the doc tor thought he could carry them to
Maine ponds for IS each. The commits
sion continue page 30:
I'VE are of opinion that no fish promises
to thrive SO well and give so much salts
faction generally In our perch and pickerei
ponds as the black bass. But as there are
several species known by that name 1t
might be well to ascertain whether the spe-
cies inhabiting Lake Champlain Is the bes:
or equal to any other kind of black bass. "
In the third report for Maine, 1869. de-
| tails Of the establishment of six colonies OF
| black bass in the state are given. and a
very nne ltnORTdpn Oh tnIcc-y edT-Olu
| small-mouthed black bass. labeled Grystes
Fasciatus.
| 1t is easy to see why New England ang-
| lers decline to admit any comparison be-
tween the trout and small-mouthcd bass
| They smile at the enthusiasm Of a Potomac
| angler and think it is because we don't
! know trout. Some of us do; and we know.
| too, that New England trout anglers will
never know ali there is to know abou:
small -mouthed bass II they always keep
| him in a pickerel pond. and by the same
| token, the gentlemen who make aispar-
! aging remaks about the large-mouthed
| bass have all something to learn.
| l. Walter Sharp, also disciple of lzaak
| Walton, writes to the editor of The Star
| on the subject of the proposed Legislation
| for the protection of the bass as follows:
| I have read with mucn interest the fsh
ard game protective bills which were pub
| lished In Wednesdays Star. and. while they
| are admirably constructed, l believe there
| Is some room for criticism. 1t Is 10 be pre-
| sumed that the law committee of tho new y
| organized Fish and Game Protective Asso
| citation prepared these bills, and l do not
J believe that committee will object to friend
l ly criticism. but, on the contrary, would
| probably invite 1t.
| There are comparatively few fly anC
1 sroon casters on the Potomac river, nearly
ey ery angler using minnOws for bait. Now