Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-02-18
FROG NOT
GOOD BAIT
Why Bailey Failed to Catch
the Bass


finds the greatest pleasure in casting
the Elusive fly that now and then
tempts some incautious black bass to
it's undoing.
The drought, now partially disturbed
by recent falls of rain, greatly inter
fered with Mr.. Bailey's indulgence in
the pastime, there being more work in
it than he could find water sufficient
to compensate for, the walking mile
or two between pools and ripples on
the intervening spaces of dry and
stony river bed being exasperating as
WELL
IF some one would only get up an
attachment to a rod that would throw
the fly and land the fish, said he, in a
contemplative mood, as he mopped his
brow and gazed down the river mile
at a spash of water almost boiling in
the sun, The would make an independ-
ent fortune. I'd get one right away
and go out somewhere and get
whole lot of big bass right away"
Attachment be swizzled,'' said Dea-
con Bird Galloway, who fishes some
hinself nights for bullheads. why
don't you put a good-sized dobber
on your line, get some nice young
| frogs for bait and go out and still-fish
for your bass? With that tackle and
| bait you can just sit down in the shade
and read novels while you wait for
'em to lure the bass up to snatch the
handicapped frog. That is, if you
want to keep on sticking to bass fish
! ing. II you want to have some real
| fishing, though get some night walk
ing fish worms and come along with
me tonight and haul in bullheads.'
Angler Bailey doesn't believe in bait
fishing, and he scorns bullheads, but
he did want some bass, so he said he
would give the frog and dobber scheme
a chance He gave boy quarter to
get him couple Of dozen young
frogs. They We're nice little green fell
lows, two inches long. He bought the
biggest dobber he could find
1t had a goose quill through it and
was all painted green, green as the
frogs We're. A dobber is a pear
shaped piece of light wood that floats
in the water, the line passing through
the quill The dobber keeps the bait
in proper position in the water and
down it goes out of sight when a fish
seizes the bait and rushes away
with it,
Mr.. Bailey shouldered his fish-pole
and went down to the river, found a
big area of water, sat down in the
shade of a tree, put a lively frog care
fully on his hook and chucked the bait
in the water. The frog went to the
bottom or as near it as the dobber
would let it, and the dobber looked
like miniature green island in the
water
The man who still fishes for bass
or any other fish must be we'll stocked
with patience. 1t may be an hour be-
fore hsh inclined to take the risk of
the bait comes along to take it, but
5 the angler is in constant and pleasur-
able expectation of any moment see
ing the dobber so under, and that sus-
tains him during the wait Three bites
an hour may be a safe estimate to put
on the results OF the average efforts
of the still fisherman and his bait, but
sometimes they come much faster
Half an hour Went by. No bite had
come to patient Mr.. Bailey A small
boy, standing up to his knees in the
water on the opposite side of that pool
was pulling in a bass every ten min
utes. Mr. Bailey hailed him as to his
bait, intending TO bride the urchin into
, supplying him with some of the same
kind
What are you fishing with. Bub?'
Bailey asked.
. Frogs" the boy yelled back as
soon as he had safely landed another
big bass he had hooked.
, Angler Bailey thought it was gum
. basted funny that he didn't get any
+ bites, but he didn't believe in pulline
! up his hook every little while to see
what was the matter, and so he sal
and waited
IN get whalloper when one does
grab that bait" said he "A four
: FOUNDER. | shouldn't wonder
The sun was getting We'll along be
hind the hills over in the west Baile5
began to show that he was disguised
: with this bait fishing for bass The
boy had caught all the bass he wanted
: and gone home. Supper time was
i drawing nigh.
) ''JeeswizZled if I'm going to lose m,
' supper for all the bass there is be
. tween here and Havre de Grace" sale
+ he, 'four-pounders and all!'
Then he got up and pulled in hi.
: line. When he lifted the big greer
dobber from the water he was amazed
to see no line hanging beneath ii
Then second later it was wonde
: that the green dobber and everythin.
else within hearing of that spot didn'
turn blue. Mr.. Bailey was emittin;
language.
Costly perched on the big greer
dobber, nesting against the quill. sa
the little green frog. The little greer
frog had become tired, too, waiting 70
fish to come along and take it an,
it had come up out of the water,
depths and climbed on the green dol