The Washington times., 1906-02-11

VERY little while our rod,
reel and gun experts hud-
die round the stove in the
majors one-price grocery
and fire of a volley of eX-
pert testimony. Whether or not the
truth figures in this testimony I have
no means of knowing. Each mar
rator is a specialist in his line, and
it is not for me to say how or where
he digs up his dope. My part is
merely to distribute the testimony
for the benefit of anglers and hunt
ers in other sections. Let them ap-
ply the acid test
The narrative of Panfish Bill. re
lated in sHbdued staple-and-fancy
groceries tone OF voice, sheds some
new light on the methods of the
man who knows it all This smart
gentleman had fallen a victim to
the frog-bait habit in early youth
and could not adapt himself to new
conditions and bait. so Panfsh Bill
said. He and the frog fend made
one onslaught against the fish of
Fort Bayou, the melancholy out
come of which is exploited in the
vivid narrative of Panfish Bill.
This smart young angler came
here from Wisconsin," said Mr.
Bill. and he carried the kind of
rig seen in picture books. From
mis- tale the government had to plant
a fresh stock OF fish in the lake
when he finished whipping il with
his rod and reel Nothing to it.
But somehow the fish didn't come
his way in these streams. First he
tried shrimp, then cracked crab.
and then cut bait Still nothing
doing. It was just the doctors
luck TO angle in the places where
the fish didn't happen to be I've
done that thing myself and had a
weeks run of poor luck.
After trying all the bait items
on our list. this Wisconsin sharp
said the fishermen in these parts
were dubs, We didn't know our
business, he said. A live frog was
the only thing 10 lure a fish to its
finish In Wisconsin a bass would
climb out on the bank for the frog,
If he missed him the first time.
Where do you all keep your
frogs?' the doctor inquired one day.
" In the marsh,' said Plenty of
'em here. but we never monkey
with such bait
Then I'll show you something.
I'll astonish these natives, said
the doctor.
so, one morning he started off
with a corn sack and a scoopnet.
In the middle of the afternoon he
came back, pIastered with mud
from top to bottom. His eyebrows
were full of 1t, and one ear was
stopped up. I reckon he had TO
dive for some of the frogs. He
had about a bushel of bulls The
sack was more than half full, and
the noise was awful. The doctor
tied the mouth of the sack, and
put it overheard, to keep the bait
alive and kicking. Then he asked
me to paddle the boat next day,
while he showed me a new wrinkle
When we went out in the morn
Ing, l took the stern seat and pad
died up the middle of the bayou,
while the doctor stood in the bow to
cast for trout. Wish you-all could
have seen those frogs. The littIest
one in the bag was as big as a fiat
iron, and some of 'em looked like
hams with legs When I was kid
used TO shoot that kind with a
rife. Anyhow, l kept quiet and let
the doctor show me. He clawed out
a medium-size frog about the size
Of a duck and hooked him through
the skin at the base of the spine.
One thing I'll say for the doctor:
he knew how 10 handle the reel.
The bull frog went sailing through
the sky all spraddled out, and hit
the water fifty feet from the boat.
He looked like the circus acrobat
flying across the tent to the next
trapeze. clad in yellow and green
tights
That's The bait for yOtF life,'
said the doctor, reeling in he slack.
AS soon as the frog got his bear
ings and knew where he was at he
lit out for bottom in twenty feet of