The sun., 1903-08-02
BASS THAT LOOK FOR THE LINE.
Fisherman Has No Chance With These
Very gntellig gent Fish.

AT resort in the Delaware Valley where
I have been this season" said New York
man, "a bridge spans the river between
PENNSYLVANIA and New Jersey 1t is quite
high above the water, which is more than
six feet deep on the lower side of the bridge
but so clear that tn ebottom is plainly seen
by any one standing on the bridge. And
something else that ID plainly seen. and
which takes daily visitors to the spot, Ia the
collection OF educated black bass that in
habit that water.
After black bass were put into the Del
aware years ago, the water below this
bridge was the first spot that gave proof
that the experiment of stocking the river
was a success A four-pound bass was
taken from one Of the pools, and for years
the bridge was favorite fishing place
for anglers, who were expert enough to
handle black bass so 1t could be raised all
that distance from the water to the bridge
door. Many bass are caught there yet.
But some seasons ago an angler made
a discovery that explained why 80 many
OF the big bass that could be seen swim
ming 80 aggravatingly about in the deep
pools below the bridge could not be in
duced to take bait Of any kind This
angler had fshed long and patiently for
these big fellows. Every once in a while
a bass that had evidently just come up
the river from somewhere would take his
hook with a rush. He noticed that all
the while he was playing such fish the
bass that plainly had their home in
that water would lie off on the outer edges
Of the pool, working their gills slowly and
with no apparent concern In what was
going on, but watching it just the same,
"None Of these bass would take any bait
he might offer them. They would come
up to IT, apparently smell OF 1t, swim around
| it two or three times and then back away
and pay no more attention to II. AT last
disgllsted with this scornng of his lures and
skill he reelcd In his line and prepared 10
| go horne. The bait he had on was a stone
catfish He took it from the hook and
dropped 1t into the water He glanced after
II as it fell, and he saw big bass come
| up TO it, inspect II a moment, swim around
| II three times, and then soize and swallow II,
THE angler supposed that the capricio,'s
bass had concluded to 60 to biting, and he
rugged up and began to fish again; The
bass treated his bait Just as they had done
before, and by and by he gave i up and
reeled in again He threw hia bait into
the water after removing it from the hook
just as he had done before, and another
! bass inspected II. swan around 1t two OF
three times, and promptly swallowed it
| Then the angler tossed bait into the water
several times, each time 70 see 1t dealt
with in the same way by tho bass He
again tried them with similar bats on hook
and line. and they rejeoted them in their
previous manner invariably swimming
around the bait at various depths Of water.
Then the angler figured II ont to his own
satisfaction, and to the satisfaction Of every
one else, that the bass had somehow dis.
covered that any morsel that came toward
them that had a line following 1t was there
| the wise fsh had taken 10 max ing sure by