Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-07-14
MY First Black Bass.


OF the last OF May. The flower per
fumed breezes were blowing through
my Office window, and all nature out oil
doors was bursting forth in the wild
delight OF spring. Judge Woodbury.,
our veteran lawyer and sportsman, came
into my Office animated from crown tc
sole with the fever to go bass fishing
After laying plans for getting bait that
would tempt the largest bass, we decid-
ed to start for irving, at the mouth OF
the Chattaraugus creek. AT IL O'Clock
sharp the old Hambletonian was hitch
ed to the old open buggy and our out
f1ts, consisting OF the judges three-joint
reed rod IS feet long, Weighing some
thing less than ten pounds, two 9-ounce
Lakewood rods nine and eleven feet
long, of my own, tackle box contain
ing hooks, flies. reels. lines, ETC., bas-
ket of small shell crabs and milk pail
full OF water containing live minnows
were packed into the buggy and We
started filed TO the brim with the joy
of anticipation. Irving is fourteen miles
from Gowanda, our starting point, and
the road, not one Of the best to travel
over, goes through the Seneca Indian
reservation nearly all the way.
Now, II you want to see us as we look
ed, you can picture rather tall. genial
faced gentleman with iron gray hair
and beard, driving the horse-that IS
the Judge-and you can picture your
humble servant as a small man OF about
30 years. with a red moustache, signify
bumped over on the other end of the
seat. carrying the milk pail of minnows
TO keep the water from stopping, men,
tally wishing minnows would grow on
bushes at the mouth of the creek, or
that the milk pail would spring leak.
But after all. two happier faces are sell
dom seen than ours that day. We had
LETT our business and cares at home and
were enjoying the outing thoroughly.
The breezes were laden with perfume
from the wild flowers growing among
the scrub oak bushes on the reserva-
ton. The spring had been late and the
apple trees looked like hugh balls and
banks of snow tinted with rose and car
mine, and all nature was enjoying with
us.
We told stories all the way. The
Judge told how he had tracked deer
in his boyhood all day, and near night,
when almost exhausted. he at last got a
shot at the deer, the old smooth-bore
flashed in the pan and the deer disap-
peared. The only deer he ever had a
chance to shoot at And | told how
had fished for trout in boyhood and one
day when | thought | had the acme of
perfection in rod TO cast long line
Ca bamboo 8 feet long,, and WIS stand
L,
about twenty feet of line into an extra
good point in mill pond, stranger,
who proved to be II. NJ. Barry, the best
fly caster in Erie county, came quietly
up behind me, and, with a rod that then
looked to me like a buggy whip, cast
about fifty feet of line out beyond my
hook and picked fine trout from un-
der my nose. OF course | Inspected the
rod and seeing its good qualities,
bought one like it, and that is my rea-
son for using these light rods. WALL"
said the Judge. you may be able to
catch six-inch- trout all right with
them rods of yours, but when you get
holt of a two-pound bass he'll snap 1t
duicker'n lightning" "Well, IL | can
get bass to bite, I'll try my Lakewood
against your rod and We'll see which is
the stouter.
At about 4 O'clock we arrived at Irv-
ing. The Judge went on ahead while
was putting OFT the horses | had
never caught bass, and on the way
down l met a boy with large string
of bass, anu, to make sure thing CT
having some to IKE home, | bought
them and sent them back to mine hosts
ice box and pumped the boy In regard
TO the bait he used and found he caught
them in a net.
The creek from Irving 70 its mouth
is still and not very clear, and there
are numerous deep pools filled with old
logs, just the place for black bass. I
soon found the Judge intently fishing
in one of these pools for black bass
that would show himself every few min
utes with a splurge that would make
your blood boil, and | soon found a
place near him where another was go
ing through with the same antics. |
tried to tempt him with worms and with
crabs, and then began casting flies, but
all to no purpose; he didn't want thai
kind and wouldn't be tempted BY and
by | heard the Judges cane pole begin
TO crack and looking up beheld the
Judge, with an indescribably bland
smile covering his face, trying to tow
he big bass to shore 1t was sight
worth seeing. The fish chased and
)romenaded, and the Judge tugged and
smiled, and finally called on me to land
him, and we soon had him landed safe
~ for inspection. He was small-mouth
Of about two pounds, and beauty.
We continued fishing till dark, but
could not persuade another fish to bite
so we went back to the hotel, got our
suppers and went to bed The morning
soon came and the day came in with a
log. We procured a boat and rowed
and fished all the day to the mouth of
the creek without success, and gave 1t
up and started back discouraged. On
the way back we came to a very prom
lsing looking pool of great reputation
and noticed several swiris near an old
log, and concluded to try once more
saw big swirl just above us, and
concluded to try new scheme on that
bass, so went TO the milk pail and got
a good lively minnow and got out of
the boat and carefully approached the
pool where ! saw the swirl and my
minnow hadn't sunk before swish went
my line through the water and | had
hooked my first bass and business be-
gan. The old bass was doing his best
and l was too intent on the struggle to
notice surroundings. The little lance
wood rod would bend and hang to it
like rubber chord until Mr. Bass fin