The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-24

aged inhabitant OF 1t, and 1t happens thai
when ten or twenty casts have been med<
a savage rush comes and there IS p,e
fight because the old fellow simply coulo
NJ The plymouth bass like half sub.
merged logs or dead treetops which lie
in the water. They loaf around such
places because food IL apt to be more plen'
iiful there II a man can find log lying
half In and half out of the water and will cast
the lake, then bring the lure with moderate
speed parallel with its submerged length
and two feet away from II, the chances are
much in favor of his getting a rise.
Similarly, the lure should be placed re-
peatedly within a yard or two OF a sub
rom this Kind OF lair the angler will oe,
forced to send the hook home. and reel
quickly for yard or two, taking up az
much line as possible before the fish RECEIVERS
from It's surprise, as otherwise II will dart
Immediately for the treetop. Then IN q
circle or two IL will wrap the line about
some limb or twig and In another second
will have snapped loose.
Just now the fishing for bass Is done
almost wholly with minnows, artificial
minnows or pork strips, and this is az clean
and artistic method OF taking the hsn
as may be devised. being as artistic almost
as casting the fly and much less trouble
will be used. They will be the standard
lure all through the hot months. Frogs
are in season when the lilypads are In
season and not before.
A very deadly contrivanoe for bass JusIt
now is a pork 1t rip Of three inches length
by quarter inch Of width, hung on gang
of three hoops behind small spoon. Any
bass which strikes at this will be certain
TO be impaled upon one of the hooks. This
lure, however, il not to be defended as
I. l.,
being simply flsh-meat getter and moth
ing more. The true angler will use only
a single hook behind his spoon, and there
are some members Of the craft who have
become 30 finicky OF late that they deny
the right of any one to use artificial lures
Of any kind.
The small-mouth bass requires different
order of bait and different order OF angler.
To begin with, it is much more difficult to
fasten. Its mouth Ia not more than one
third of the size of>that OF It's cousin, nor
does it open its lips to the full extent mt, IN N
and 1t more often misses the bait.
Just az it Ia livelier and more dashing,
it must be handled in a livelier and more
dashing manner. When q small-mouthed
bass has hit at the lure the angler who
understands his foeman will give immedi "a ).
barb in if it has failed to penetrate suf-
fight is ended he will be careful not to give
TO his adversary a tenth of q second OF
respite or advantage.
He will have constantly before his minds
feet Of slack will prove fatal, for, the red
eyed bass, differing from it's kinsman, 4.
will utilize instantly that two feet OF slack
to get its tail toward the angler, then 1t
will spring savagely against the hook and
tear ii from its mouth almost invariably.
lob live h.,, 1tytth ttNra
rod will be careful not to keep it too tight ,
for too much strain is as bad as slack. The
mouth Of the redeye is tender, and unless
it be humored few of it's plunges will
result in the hooks working a hole as biz
az the end of lead pencil: The barb will
The object should be to keep just enough
st rain upon the bass that it will feel the
stiffness of the rod and not enough to
tear the mouth. When the victim makes
a strong rush it must have line, the left
thumb being pressed upon the reel so as
reluctance: When the rush Is over. or
slackens, the reel will be brought into play
and the lost line regained foot by foot.
It's astonishing for how long a full-grown
redeye in cold water will keep up fight
Of this kind. Ten, fifteen. twenty minutes
parently as fresh as when the fray began.
When at last the fish is brought to the boat
1t will be found that the bass has its mouth
wide open and that It is in the last stage CT
exhaustion. Indeed, it comes in only when
1t is unable to offer another ounce OF re-
sistance.
No man will be able to catch boatload
of fish like that at sitting. That will be q
day to lay away In the memory scented
with lavender on which he captures half
dozen redeyes running, from three to hve
pounds His wrist will be stiff and sore
..<,k$ ND fhn
swollen.
Each OF the combats will be marked with
varying Incidents and the rise and sub
sidence OF hope. Twenty times he will
have been upon the verge Of losing each
fish; he will have lost several, and the
Of time.
The redeye is to be taken in cold lakes
as we'll as In streams, yet streams that are
bold and rocky, with many smaller rapids
and deep black pools are Its proper habitat.
ton Of its splendid being. In such water
it Ia the warrior bred and born.
1t knows how to take advantage OF every
shifting weight of current, OF every log lost
in some forgotten drive and now half
buried, in the bottoms gravel. OF every
jagged rock which hides It's head two feet
below the surface. The swifter and colder
the stream the stronger. more voracious
and more combative it will be.
So the angler who believes that there y,
no fish comparable to the small-mouth will
seek such stream in late May or early June,
and there spend hours the most golden
possible to limited humanity. For the
flash Of the rollicking. water will be in his
eyes, and the sunlight on the yellowish
green Of the trees. and the fish will shine
like a bar OF bronze as 1t throws itself in
air, and every victory will be hard won
All day he shall strive and riot In the Joy
of being free in spring weather. and at
night he shall sleep as soundly as the urn
entombed men OF old Thomas Browne
who slumbered quietly under the drums
and tramplings Of three conquests.'