Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-23

ington to enjoy a summer outing or TO ne
glsct ones business and spend a lot Of
money to find good fishing"
This remark was made the other day by
q six foot broad-shouldered. sun-browned
resident of the District, who has been hold
ing down a government Job in the Interior
Department for the past eight years. who
said he had never spent a dollar in railroad
fare to get out of town to enjoy himself in
summer. He goes out in the early MORN
ings for two hours fishing about sunrise.
when the bass are biting Again in the
evening he may be seen in some favorite
haunt guiding his boat about the grass
punches of the Virginia shore. or casting
for the bronze bacSers up the George
town channel.
Yes, sir, l go fishing about every day
when the weather permits or the water is
not too muddy. / do it for two reasons. to
catch fish and to get the outdoor exercise
/ need. l have not been sick day since
have been in Washington and have lost no
time. and in the periods of my annual leave
Just fish on in the Potomac waters, where
know every pool. bar and eddy where the
finny tribe abound"
The experience of this government clerk
Is duplicated many times in the District or
Columbia. Even in cases where the lovers
of sport go away for while in summer
they spend much time while at home on the
river nShlnS. This month they are CHASING
the black bass. the rock and the MISSISSIPPI
ca fish. and are finding plenty of sport at
small part of the cost attending trips TO
the northern lakes and rivers, where the
chances are the fishing is not as good.
AS one bright fellow In the District build
ing remarked once, You can burn your
arms just effectually here as at Atlantic
City. and you can have all the sport any
one could ask for hooking the big fellows
that haunt the river from the lower falls
to the mouth of the Potomac"
The man first quoted described to a Star
reporter his outfit for fishing 1t consists
OF a small strong boat, which cost him 500
He keeps II well painted, and has II fitted
up with a number of appliances to suit his
comfort and convenience. 1t is possible Tor
him TO take friend or member of his fam
lily along. but generally he goes alone. In
this boat he has fishing tackle, consisting
OF - three poles. quantity of lines and
hooks. sinkers, flies, a gaff hook, two or
three nets for landing good catches and
what-not. such as the fisherman will &C
cUmulate in several years of sport. This
fisherman, like others of his tribe, is bit
superstitious. and in the bow of his boat Is
gilded horseshoe, which he hooked up
once when his line became fouled near the
Long bridge. He estimates the cost of his
outfit. other than the boat, at $50. The
boat and all in it is kept in small boat
house rented for the purpose.
Each of the government departments has
It's devoted fishermen. Clerks and even
heads of departments find enjoyment and
relaxation in the sport. Business men also
find time 10 fish. Members of the fire de-
partment and of the police force, and even
car conductors and motormen, spend their
of days and some of the hours when not
on duty on the river. Old men and those
living in leisure are TO be seen among those
who frequent the grass patches where the
bass lie hid, or the shoals where these willy
nUc road O StTnc In hA Aay1,
ing and again late In the afternoon the fol-
lowers of this sport line the river from the
Great Falls to Indian Head, and rarely
when the conditions are good does one of
them go empty handed to his home. The
amount of fish caught annually about
Washington by those who hook the finny
tribe for sport goes into the hundreds of
tons
During the month of July fishing In the
Potomac is confined to bass, rock, Missis-
sippi catfish and a few shad. The big
mouthed black bass can be taken at any
time during the month. They are racious
eaters and their mode of dashing out from
hiding places to pounce upon small fish,
frogs or other denizens of the water make
them an easy mark for the fly OF minnow
caster. The bass hide in the long grass
and weeds of the river marshes half con-
cealed, and there keep a sharp lookout for
their prey. These fish weigh from six to
eight pounds, and they full of vigor
and VIII give the fisherman plenty OF fun
when once they are we'll hooked on the fly
or minnow hook. Casting for bass in a
boat or from a convenient rock beneath
which some crafty fellow lies hidden is al
ways good sport. Some of the best grounds
for bass are along the Virginia shore all
the way from Analostan Island to the
mouth of the Rappahannock. The creeks
and Inlets on the Maryland side OF the
river above and below Indian Head are ex-
cellent fishing grounds. Up the river along
the shoals and in the marshy places, and
under the rocks where the eddies make the
waters quiet. and especially near the Great
Falls, the bass abounds at this season of
the year. Even the tidal basin affords good
fishing in the morning hours.
One OF the prominent bacon cutters in the
Center market devotes much time to fish
ing Nearly every day morning or evening
he can be found rod in hand trying to cap
ture some of the big ones. Such is the ma
ture OF his business that he cannot spend
many hours at time on the fishing
grounds. and consequently he does not go
far up or down the river. He has met with
marvellous success for years within a mile
either way from the Long bridge, near
which he keeps his boat.
The taking of rock is a form of fishing
different from the pursuit of bass. The
principal food of the rock Is the young shad
and herring Matched last April and May
after the annual spawning. The rock come
into the river to prey upon these small hsh
and grow lat upon them. lhey are strong
swimmers and pursue the schools of little
shad and herring relentlessly. The best
mode Of catching them is with small min
nows hooked through the dorsal fins and
cast with about thirty feet of line. The
rock will make a sudden dash for the
hook and take II fair. He gulps down the
bait and is generally well hooked. The
rock weighs from four to twelve pounds
and is capable of strong resistance for
long time before firing out and being
brought to the boat. The rock runs swift
~ about the river looking for his prey and
can best be taken a little off from the
shoals where the little shad and herring
are dsportng themselves. One eight or
ten pound rock will be about all the sport
the average fisherman has time or inclina-
tion for in a single morning, and his saw
DRY meat Is enough for the family meal.
The rock abounds in July and August all
along the Potomac, but is perhaps most