The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-24
SPORT WITH THE ROD
Reels Are Singing Now on
Every Bass Lake.
VARIED STYLES OF FISHING.
The Anglers Art Tried In Con-
querine the Game Fish.

The Snall.M0uthed Bass and Its Less savage
RtysI--Chara OF eristics That Make Both
Sought by AngIers-Waters Where
They Lurk and Things to Remember
In Fishing for Thcni-Drunming by
the Grouse Described-June the Best
Month in Which 10 Seek MuskaIlonse
Deer Numerous In Maine-Great
Trout FISHING at Moosehead Lake.
On every bass lake within the reach OF
the civilized American the reel is singing
now and the bait hits the water with a
splash. The amount OF splash determines
pretty accurately the ability OF the caster,
The skilled caster using the overland
throw sends his bait as nearly as may be
upon straight line from the shoulder
and when it finds the water it makes only
such disturbance as small fish would
make in leaping. The slightest disturb
ance is sufficient to attract the attention
of any bass within radius of twenty-five
feet and If the lure falls like brick the fish
is apt to be many rods away in a few seconds.
It Is on account Of this disturbance that
the more experienced anglers prefer light
Jul 1ucy wow JuSe "''ShS W
take the line ou smoothly and no more
For this reason. too, later in the summer
when frogs are in fashion. the skilful
man will take the smallest frogs he can get.
little green fellows not more than an inch
long, leaving to tyros the half-pound
batrachians which wallop the water like a
board falling on it
There is q wide difference in the styles
of fishing required upon different waters
and wide differences in the fish. 1t holds
good generally that the bigger the water
the bigger the fish, 1t also holds good that
the bigger the water the more difficult
II Is to take fish.
There are In northern Minnesota and
Wisconsin hundreds of small woods lakes,
and from one Of them a man may take
a hundred bass in half day. Literally
1t is a matter of cast, strike and reel in.
II goes without saying that there is little
fun in fishing of this kind.
The bass in these lakes are uniformly
understood, which is to say that they will
not average more than pound, and while
they are delicious on the table, with flesh
Arm and white and flavor unsurpassed,
they are able to make no fight at all against
tackle Of ordinary weight
There are lakes, however, which hold
more water and bigger fish. Any one OF
the larger lakes in Villas county. Wis.
is an instance in point. Great Fence
Lake, Squaw Lake. Boot Lake or Squirrel
Lake is water Of this kind. An expert
man. we'll rugged, will not he apt to take
more than two dozen bass in day on any
one OF these lakes but they will he bass
worth having, running some OF them as
high as five pounds weight and fighters
from the first sting of the hook until the
folds Of the dipnet are about them.
There is no gamer fish proportionately
than the small-mouthed bass. 1t varies
in temper with the GOODNESS OF the water
which 1t inhabits. but it is never hooked
in water 30 warm that it's coura &c Is wholly
destroyed. The statement by Hensall that
the black bass is inch for inch and pound
for pound. the gamest thing that swims.
is borne out by the experience OF every
man who has angled for these fish for
any length Of time.
Its q fish that likes its water clear: and Is
therefore quickly driven from a lake in
which German carp have been placed to
stir up the mud.
1t is a voracious feeder and is exceed
ingly destructive of other fishes. 1t will
attack anything that swims II it has a
ghost OF chance to make meal, and the
young Of other species have no sort Of
showing to survive where it ranges.
1t is one of the swiftest Of all fishes; its
draught is such that it can pursue fugi-
tives into very shallow waters; it Is as
quick as thought, it can spin like a top
within it's own length; it will sometimes
20 yard out of the water after ny or
little perch or bass that has leaped frenZied
in air, and it feeds all the time. 1t disputes
possession Of certain piece of water with
every other kind OF bass and invariably
wins.
a fish e It's more savage rival 1t is just
rs good eating. 1t furnishes almost as
good fishing and If no small-mouths are to
be had 1t gives sufficient sport to man
who has had little experience OF the other
kind.
Some of the big-mouths fight 30 hard that
they will fool n inexperienced angler, but
there is wide difference in the method
Of their fighting which makes itself felt i'm
mediAtely to the man who has hooked both
kinds. The plymouth is slower in its
dsshes; 1t stays under more wster 1t is
more Of a borer and less Of leaper, and
IL quits sooner.
II hrs, however, all of the other tricks
Of the redieye., 1t will not often leave the
immediately to DIRT behind some stump
or sunken limb; telling in this, it will try
to dive under the boat and, failing In this,
will stand on its tail with two-thirds Of its
body out Of water and shake its head vio-
iently in the effort to dislodge the hook.
In this move it is often successful and the
only way to checkmate 1t is to drop the point
OF the rod to the surfece Of the water, or
below 1t, and jerk the fsh down.
The large-mouth will strike at a bait
from an avera ge distance of ten feet and
comes fest with its huge jaws distended.
II the bait be minnow, a stimulation OF
minnow or strip of salt pork it will seize
without pause and the hook should be reeled
in as soon 90 the fish is felt.
II, however, the bait is frog. the large
mouth will take it gingerly by the leg.
Knowing that no frog it has seized by the
legs can escape, 1t swims carelessly for a
yard or SO, then sings the frog around
and takes 1t head foremost.
II a man strikes at the quarry before
this reversal Of the frog has been made he
will miss eight times out OF nine, and in
Judging OF how long to wait most Of the
science Of this sort Of fishing consists.
The plymouth bass Is a greet fellow
for shore, 1t lies habtually within ten
feet Of bank, generally in wster not more
than four feet deep. 1t will do this all
through the seGs son, unless the sun be hot
enough to force it into deeper water.
Consequently the man fishing from
boat will have his craft some fifty feet out
and will cast in. II will be all the better