Perth Amboy evening news., 1903-08-19
BASS THAT WON'T STRIKE.
Popularity of the Pink-Eyes, BrOnzed
Beauties of Boot Lake,
wisconsin.

Wisconsin.
The small-mouthed or pink-eyed bass
is supposed to be as game as any fish,
and generally it is. Commonly 1t strikes
savagely at spoon or live bait, rushing at
the lure from 20 feet away and lighting
from the moment of impact until 1t is
hauled in conquered.
There are exceptions, however, and
one of them is furnished by Boot lake,
a beautiful body of water in the south
western part of Villas county, Wisconsin,
says the New York Sun. 1t would be
hard to say how many anglers have gone
to Boot lake and fished it according to
! approved methods and come away dis
appointed, though they were ssure
hat it's waters contained many hsh and
knew afterward from its appearance
that this must have been so.
The small-mouthed bass OF Boot lake
are the real thing, beautifully modelled,
beautifully bronzed, of large size and
fierce. They do not differ in looks or
~voracity from the small-mouths OF
| streams which are famous for the sport
they afford. But they will not hit or
strike at anything.
In fishing for pink-eyed bass common
ly it is sufficient to make a good cast in
favorable water with frog, minnow or
| spoon and reel in slowly or swiftly,
| trusting the fish to strike at the bait as
it comes through the water. 1t is an
axiom that a bass can see a moving lure
through 20 feet of clear water and Will
| strike at it from that distance&iehungry
or angered.
Upon any bait cast and reeled through
the water of Boot lake the pink-eyed
bass looks with Indifference. There is
one way to get them and but one.
The boat must be rowed with much
| slowness some so feet out from the bank.
The angler sits in the stern and plays
out 30feet of line. There mus be enough
lead on the line to sink minnow or frog
to depth of eight feet.
With the boat moving slowly and
dragging the lure the pink-eyes will bite.
This is really trolling at about one-tenth
of the usual trolling speed.
Even so, the fish bite, but do not
strike. There is nothing of the usual
impetuous rush and whirring of the reel
as the silk is snatched out.
Instead, pink-eyes, game as pebbles,
muscular and fast, weighing from two
to five pounds, and with the blood OF
generations of fighters in them, ap-
proach the slowly moving bait cautious
ly. swim in it's wake and then nibble at
1t much as If they were perch. Time
must be given to them in which to de-
eide that they like it and time to take it
fairly within their mouths.
A Boot lake black bass after a trolled
frog will consume five minutes in max
ing up its mind to grasp the morsel as
far I'D as the hook. First it inspects the
frog and bites the tip of its hind legs
gently. Then 1t takes the frog in its
mouth as far up at the juncture OF the
hind legs with the body.
Then it takes out ten feet of line lef-
surely; then-i it elects the frog for a mo-
ment and instantly seizes it again, TAX
ing it in this time headforemost. Then
the angler may give the wrist-jerk that
sinks in the barb.
Once this is done there is no difference
between the behavior of a Boot lake
pink-eye and any other pink-eye. 1t will
fight as swiftly and savagely and long,
come out of the water as often, be as
much trouble to capture and afford as
much pleasure in the combat.
There are many bass in Bootlake, and
on certain summer days the number a
man may catch is unlimited, provided he
knows how. He will need a guide or
friend to row the boat, which must not
travel faster than a mile an hour. The
minnow or frog must be suffered to sink
deep, and the fisherman must have pa
thence to wait until the nibbler has taken
tho hnit fairly