The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-21
Habits Of the
Black Bass

ounces. and 1 considered myself fortunate
in landing both bass. the situation being
against success and the gratuitous advice
of the villagers having a tendency to dis
concert me. / caught three more in the
same place"
FEASTED ON BUTTERFLIES.
Mr.. Rocus's story of the caterpillars
and bass recalls an incident that hap
pened fifteen years ago." said Mr.. Salmo.
Il was fishing in White river about ten
miles below the city, when a large number
Of butterflies lighted on a small bush that
grew at the edge of the water. The but
terfiies were the large notified variety,
with heavy bodies. The bush was at a
bend in the river, where the current was
very swift, and some of the branches were
so low the water struck them and caused
the bush to sway. A few minutes after
the arrival of the butterflies / saw a bass
leap close to the bush. Then another fish
jumped into the air, followed by several
more. This performance went on for some
time. 1t looked from where 1 was stand
ing as IL the bass were actually picking
the butterflies off the bush, but closer OBJ
~servat.on disclosed the fact that the sway
ing of the bush caused some of the but
~terfiies to loosen their hold and fall toward
the water. None touched the surface, but
all that did not recover their equilibrium
before they were within six inches of the
water were lost, for the bass took them
as unerringly on the fly as the gnat hawk
takes an insect. The butterflies finally re-
sumed their flight and the bass disap-
peared, for I could find none, although /
fished the place industrious,y for a quarter
of an hour"
WHAT BLACK BASS EAT.
81 believe black bass will eat any living
thing they can swallow said Mr.. Esox.
They are not as voracious as pickerel
or pike, but their taste is more varied. 1
have often examined the stomachs of bass
performed an autopsy, you might call it
and the result was sometimes surprising.
In one stomach 1 found seven different
kinds of food in a ha~lf-digested state.
There was a beetle, a moth; a dragon fly,
a crawfsh, a frog, a sunfish (the bones of
which measured one inch and a half across)
and a small mouse. The bass weighed
three pounds, and its stomach was much
distended by the bones of the sunfish. /
have found mice in the stomachs of other
bass. Indeed, the largest bass 1 ever saw
caught was by a boy who was using mice
for bait. He told me that while walking
along the ban of the river near his home
he had disturbed a nest of field mice and
that two of them had jumped into the wa
ter. A few seconds later he saw them both
swallowed by fish. Since then he had used
mice for bait whenever he could find them.
The bass 1 saw him catch weighed five and
a half pounds. 1t was a small-mouth."
MY investigation of the food of bass
has shown me- said Mr.. Rocus, that they
prefer insects to minnows. Scores of the
stomachs i have examined contained more
bugs, moths and butterflies than small
fish,"
THAT is also true of the trout" MI. Fon-
tinalis said.
And the salmon too, the small ones es-
pecially,' said Mr.. Salmo.
81 have found insects in the stomachs of
grayling, but not in large quantities." Mr..
Thymallus said.
FISH SHOULD BE KILLED.
Mr.. Esox switched the topic to the ques-
ton of whether it was not more merciful
to kill a fish when taken from the water
than to permit it to die slowly on a string
or in a creel.
WELL" said Mr.. Perca, "any fisherman
who permits a fish to die slowly after
catching it, and then cooks and eats it.
| is a cruel man who has little regard for his
health: he is only one degree less than a
| murderer. A fish out of it's element gasps
until it dies. No hunter would think of
putting a wounded quail in an alright
box, waiting until it died. and then having
it served as food. Or, to put it another
way, what would you think of
the housewife who tied her chickens
in the water, letting them re-
main there until they drowned.
and then prepared them for the table?
Fish that are permitted to die slowly are
not fit for food, especially If the weather
be warm. They become soft and semi
putrid in a short time. When caught fish
should be killed at once. / use a sailors
needle which / insert just back of the
head. If the fish be large a knife point is
| preferable to the needle. Then IL the blood
be washed off. and the fish is wrapped in
wet moss or grass, it will remain fresh
until cleaned and put in the ice box or
cooked.
"a seemingly intelligent young man told
me this summer when he returned from a
fishing trip to a little lake in Wabash
county that he had caught large numbers
Of sunfish and redeyes.
What did you do with them? / asked.
Threw them into the bottom of the
boa. or put them into a basket until We got
through fishing; then took them home and
had them for breakfast next morning. was
the reply
Permitted the fish to strangle or suf-
| focate i'm the hot sun and then ate them
Yes; anything wrong?'
"No if you are counting leprosy or some
| other dread disease / answered.
Hes a respectable young murderer,
however. and 1 have hopes of converting
him." said Mr.. Esox, as the fly fishermen
separated.
charge 1t must be made now or Ii will be
too late. Shall / make the charger With