The bee., 1902-12-18
GIANT SOUTHERN BASS.
Immense Fish of This Species in tAe
st. Johns River, Florida, That
DO Not Fight.


mouthed green variety, is generally
gamer than its southern brother. 1t
lives in colder water and has not to
endure the weakening heats of SUM
mer. In size, however, it is markedly
interior, says the New York Sun.
A northern bass weighing three
pounds is a good bass; one OF 3h
pounds is a very good bass; one of
four pounds is a beauty or daisy; one
over that weight is a whopper. In
seasons catch on any bass lake the
number of individuals weighing more
than four pounds will be few.
In the far south bass of eight and
nine pounds are so common as to ex-
cite little remark. In the st. John
river of Florida they run frequently
to ten and II pounds; they go more
than 12 pounds in limited numbers;
they have been taken weighing IA
pounds. If northern man on a north
ern lake should hook and land bass
weighing IA pounds he would go out of
the boat as the bass came into it.
These enormous southern fish are in
every respect identical with the green
Oswego bass of the north. The only
explanation of their phenomenal
growth is that they get more to eat, of
richer quality and variety and more
time to eat it in.
They have no ice frozen over them
forrfour months in the year and do not
spend those four months in a state of
senihibernation, living, as the cattle
men out west say, on their tallow.
Feeding industriously 365 days in the
year has doubtless its effect, but there
are anglers and naturalists who say
that, despite their appearance and
structure, they must belong to diff,
ferent species.
they are not game. They oppose
weight to the line. OF course the an
gler who has the ordinary bass rod
and tackle and hooks a fish of 12
pounds has time ahead of him. Its
heft is such that every movement has
a violent effect upon the reel and
wrist. If it merely swims about it ex-
ercises considerable drag.
The southern bass, however, will not
continue to oppose even its weight for
any length of time. Generally after
minute or so it swims toward the boat
to get rid of the cruel pulling of the
hook and so may be landed with dip
net even when not half tired.
Despite its size, ii is a notably good
table fish. the flesh being well favored,
hard, white and haky. Some idea of
the size of the st. Johns river bass
may be gained from the fact that a
mans doubled knee may be thrustinto
the mouth of one of them.
The waters of the St. Johns river are
warm. the edges lined with lily-pads
and flags and rushes growing thickly.
In the eddies where the bass lie the
current is sluggish and food drops
down in plenty.
There are great creeks that traverse
the pine woods of Florida and Lousi-
and in them the fish are of higher
courage. The waters are cold for
southern waters, very clear and bright,
very swift. The bass do not run to
quite the ST. John size, seldom going
beyond ten pounds. but that is big
enough, and one of them fairly hooked
churns up lot of water before being
landed
They are fished for with stout linen
lines tied to cane poles that n mule
could not break. The hooks are large
and thick to prevent them from tear
ing through the flesh. The angler has
a spoon on the end of his line and he
trolls this backward and forward with
sidelong sweeps, meanwhile standing
upon e bank.'s@Ab a.ta
3 When SHARED and barbed the bass is
yanked out by main strength and awk-
Waa,dness.lJIf If the hook holds ii is
goner and II gets no chance atlsl TO
fight its way to freedom.
sItNk interesting to conjecture what
would happen If a ten-pound ereek
bass shonld be. hooded by a skillfulan-
gler having an ordinary rod of split
bamboo, a iquadruple multiplying reel
which has little power in the crank,
and No. 6 silk line. The fight would
be worth watching and the odds would
be legitimately on the bass.
So far as the records extend, no COM
pletely QUILTED angler has ever gone
up into the. far pine woods in search
of these fresh-water monsters. The
difficulty of taking one of them fairly
would be enhanced by the narrowness
Of the stream, the number of roots and
stumps in it and the overhanging
branches, which are in places so thick
and long that they meet above the
water, forming solid arch~of green,
and forcing the man to. use only the
low sidecast in order TO get his bait
out. ass4U 5N,fYHNI
sovereigns ana Their Successors.
On1x sever, conversations of Eurone