St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-08-08
OBJECT LESSON By A BASS.
Big Fish IN Darkened Corner shows
. Fisherman Something to
His Advantage.

| ben county fisherman, reports tn
New York Sun. 1T would seem tina
it is not the prick of the hook nor th
sensation OF being hauled out of tn
water, but, the sight of the fisherman
that terrifies q fish and puts it to figh
If it escapes.
'"This friend of mine had . boat
house at the edge of the lake, beneath
which there was two or three feet o
water. There was an opening In tn
floor large enough for him to hang hi
bait-pail through to the water. Whel
the door was closed the boathouse wa
| quite dark.
"One day, he went to the boathous,
to see how the minnows in the pal
were faring- The door blew shut be
hind him. Everything in the water
though, could be seen as plain as day
owing to the darkness above 1t.
my friend found dead minnow il
the pail when he drew it up. He tool
the fish out and dropped it into the wa.
ter. Instantly a big bass-a three
FOUNDER, he declared-rushed from
some lurking place beneath the boat
house floor, seized the minnow, backed
away little, spat 1t out, and then
seized it again and swallowed it
my friend instantly baited hook
with live minnow, and dropped It into
the water, through the hole. The bass
rushed up. seized the bait, spat it out
as he had the, dead minnow, eyed title
moment, then took it into its month.
when the bass had taken it well in
the eager angler yanked his line and
hooked the bass. In his haste, though
he brought the bass up out of the wa
ter with swish, its head struck the
boards at one side of the hole, the
hook broke, and back into the water
went the bass, retiring to its place be.
meath the floor.
Batting another hook, my friend
fished for the bass again. The old fell
low rushed out as before, seized the
minnow, and went through the prev
ious performance with it.
again the bass was hooked, again
1t was thumped against the floor, this
time parting the smell.
"A third time the bass was angled
for through the hole. It came out to
the minnow again, the piece of smell
hanging from its mouth. In which, also,
must have been the half of the first
hook. This time, though, the bass
stopped within few inches of the min
now, eyed it suspiciously, swan
around it as il taking its possibilities
from all sides, and then concluded that
it would leave it alone.
my friend tried for half an hour,
but the bass would not tackle the min
now. All above was, of course, hidden
from the lass sight owing to the dark
ness of the boathouse.
''The next morning my friend visited
the boathpuse again. closed the door
to darker; the interior, apd began TO
try for the bass as before. The old fell
low had evidently forgotten the do
ings of the previous day, although the
smell was still hanging from its
mouth. showing that the hook was
there yet, and it seized the minnow
with rush, spat it out for further I'm
spection, and then took it in for swal-
owing.
my friend seemed, to have a queer
iof tackle on hand, for this
Tine his smell broke again, letting the
pig bass hack into the water with two
hooks and;,a half OF hook somewhere
n its mouth
Using some language over the bad
uck he was having, my friend fixed
Up another line, baited 1t and three in |
lgain.
''Out from it's lair rushed the bass,
railing the two pieces Of smell by their |
looks, and seized the minnow. In the
interval between the ejecting of the
ninnow and the moment the bass was
moving to take it for the serious part |
# the business, my friends son came |
long, not knowing what was going on |
inside, and opened the boathouse door,
citing in . flood Of light.
''Like flash the big bass made from
the boathouse out into tho
leep water OF the lake, followed by .
laf dozen or so of rock bass that had |
ept it company under the house, and |
ny friend saw it no more.
Although greatly disappointed over
osing the bass, he accepted what he
ad seen as valuable object lesson in
he manner and method Of black bass,
nd has used its teaching to great adj
antage in fishing for them since.''