The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-23

who reflected with slow perturbation that un-
less the "turkles" proved hungry he was likely
to dine again on the salt pork. against which
his case-hardened stomach was beginning 10
rebel. So he took out his Barlow knife and cut
OF a piece Of the fat. Still disinclined to the
%exertion Of making the cast. he sat whiting
It until 1t gradually assumed the shape and size
OF a minnow OF three inches. Pleased by his
unintentiona handlwork. he hooked it as n
minnow is hooked through the lips. saw that
his huge green and red font was eight feet
from the lead and Castillo pork out into tho lake.
Maybe the bait sank far enough to allow the
float to touch the water; maybe It didn't. Eph
does not remember. He does remember. how
ever. that there was a giant rush which heaved
up the water before the shoulders OF II. as II
some subaQueous scow were moving fast. and
then the heavy but 1.-THE cane pole bent into a
half circle. He had no reel. All that the negro
knows about fishing is to hook the prey and
then snatch 1t out by a backward pull. which,
as often as not. lands 1t in the branches Of the
tree behind him. Eph would have been loser a
noble fish II he had been using an ordinary
trout line. His cord. however. was stout
enough to swing a mule. and whom he came
back on II with both hands and all the weight
OF his body. a bass that could not have weighed
less than six pounds left tho water. described
. half circle. and struck the bank with
U tTcLucuuuub tHump, WHeTo IL iuy jumping
sometimes twice its own length In the air.
Eph. as q matter OF course. fell on It.
grasped 1t with two powerful black hands and
squeezed II hard. He found that the piece OF
pork had been nearly swallowed when II was
first struck. 30 eager had tho fish been for the
novel food. 1t took him some time to wrench
the hook from the gullet. but he accomplished
1t finally. readjusted his pork fat minnow and
made another cast with a like result. The
game came so fast and ~savagely that he grew
tired in a little while. He had as much meat
as even his appetite could compass. 80 he put
the pork into his pocket as a good luck cum
jer" and went homo with a string OF firm. cool
black bass. not one OF which ran under four
pounds. He had cornmeal In his cabin and
some parched coffee. Grease he obtained. OF
course. by frying slices Of pork. He could be
enjoying now the distinction OF being the
only man who ever caught bass from Goose
Lake but for the childish vanity that Is as
much q part Of the Southern darky as his skin.
He went to q country store next day and In
consideration OF a pint Of forty-rod whiskey
and the glory he was to get out OF his recital
gave up his secret. Since then bass fishing on
Goose Lake has degenerated from an impossi-
oility into something that 10 too easy. The
custom now Is for two men to take q pair
cared boat early In the morning or late In the
afternoon. row out a quarter OF . mile from the
shore. stop. make no effort at ooncealment or
remaining quiet. and begin casting with dry
salt pork. They can load the boat in q half day
II they are 40 minded.
The only excitement OF the sport comes from
the extraordinary size OF the FISH. The bigger
they are the deeper they swim. The deeper
they swim the colder Is the waterin which they
have their habitat. In consequence the bigger
they are the gamer they are. and the two quail
ties Of size and courage In conjunction make
delightful fishing. Goose Lake empties into
Goose Creek. which runs In turn into Red
River. The creek Is Just large enough to bal
ance the flow OF water into the lake from some
dozens OF springs which are at it's bottom.
These springs are Of an intense GOODNESS. and
the temperature OF some Of the bass taken from
a great depth Ia like that OF a cake Of Ice.
Eight pounds OF this kind OF fish and a fifteen
strand silk line that Ia Joined at it's other end
to a multiplying reel. Joined in turn to an
eight-ounce rod. make a very satisfying COM
bination. A fair sportsman will find that IL will
take from a half to three-quarters OF an hour
TO bring his quarry to the landing net. and
that ought to be long enough to please the
most exactinR. 1t should be borne in mind
that these are the large-mouth bass Of the
Southern p~ine-woods creeks. and not the bass
of the large lakes Of the Northwest. They are
fish that In other environments seldom ex-
coed a weight OF four pounds. One OF them
that weighs five pounds Ia a veritable levia-
than. In Bodcau. a noted fishing stream five
miles distant. the bass never grow above four
and a half pounds. No one knows why the
Goose Lake bass grow to such bulk. Eph says
that it is because they live on other bass. The
largest taken this spring came in to the reel of
Frank Holmes. who landed It after a fight OF
nearly fifty minutes. 1t weighed nine and a
quarter pounds. Last year a bass was taken
by Oscar Neill which is said to have weighed
more than eleven pounds.
These fish are peculiarly dark upon the back,
shading into a light green on the sides. with
pure white bellies. The mouth seems even
larger than 1t should be. but this is probably
because the fish are so much larger than usual.
They are always IN excellent condition. winter
and summer. and the flesh is white. firm. and
exquisitely favored. When the hot days Of
summer come they retire to the deepest por-
tons OF the lake. seeking the surface and the
edges only after dark. or late the negroes
have developed a habit OF "giggiug." or spear
Ing, them as they lie near the bank at night.
They will not flee from the1ight given out by a
brazier in which pine knots have been kindled.
This brazier Is worn upon the head. exactly as
is done when deer are fre-hunted. and the fish
are shone" In much the same fashion. The
avidity with which they take the lure seems to
be as strong at one season as at another. Fish
ihk kouo vi al INK vi CpuISt no Z lOTIHb
on the water. Last December and January
some notable catches wero made.
The frantic liking OF the bass for salt pork Is
explained by local scientists. who say that the
waters Of the lake are almost totally lacking in
salt and the fish feel the need OF 1t. There
seems to be no other reasonable hypothesis. 1t
is certain that II is not the color which attracts
them. because the minnows. artificial and nat
ural. which they have always refused have
been white or nearly white. Moreover. Eph
SAYS that he has failed to catch them with
buffalo bait" which is made of -four dough
and cotton and is as white as snow.
A man who cares for It can add to the fun OF
bass fishing on Goose Lake by going out in a
pirogue. Of which there are many scattered
along the banks. The pirogue is made from a
single log. preferably OF the cedar or gum. is
round on the bottom, is not more than eigh-
teen inches wide. is sharp at both ends. is
driven with a paddle, is exceptionally speedy
and illturn over ifthe occupant winks one eye