The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-09-03
Adventure Of a
C,,nGch JONAH, viii 5 x %5si:
OO41A1O14 Duplicated

The aggravating independence of
the black bass in Sand pond up our
way" said Hon. Thomas James Ham,
editor of the Citizen at H, lis ex-
ceeded only by the cool impudence of
the pickerel in those waters, unless it
may be by the tenacity of life of thin
sunfsh. Judging from a little Jonah
and the whale sort of play by one
of those pickerel and a Sand pond
sunfish that l witnessed, don't know
but what the sunfish is entitled to
ranking place.
In company with a friend, L had
gone to Sand pond with the intention
of coming home with a few of those
aggravatingly Independent black bass.
We depended on catching our live
bait from the schools of minnows in
the outlet Of the pond.
Fishing with tiny minnow hooks
tied to black linen thread for lines,
we had nearly filled our pail with
bait when my companion hooked
sunfish. AS he was drawing it slowly
in large pickerel darted out from
somewhere among the thick weeds
at the margin of the outlet and made
q vicious strike at the sunfsh just as
it was pulled out.
The splash of the big fsh's tail as
it turned after its unsuccessful strike
threw the water almost into the boat.
The sunfish was quickly dropped back
into the pond, we both being curious
to see if the pickerel would have
the audacity to make another rush
for it.
The little fish had gone scarcely
two feet from the boat, with the hook
in its upper jaw, when the pickerel
promptly showed that it had all its
impudence with it. 1t shot from its
lair among the tiny pads, where it
had disappeared, and seized the sun
fish.
The momentum of this second dash
carried the pickerel ahead with the
sunfish in its jaw three or four feet.
There it stopped in plain sight of
US and deliberately made it's prepare
tons for gorging its prey, giving US
purpOsely, l verify believe, an exhibit
ton of its processes as well as of its
utter disregard Tor our presence.
The pickerel had seized the sun
fish tail first, but by a series OF quick,
jerky movements Of its big jaws it
turned the sunfsh until its head was
where its tail had been. Then the
pickerel gave a gulp or two, and the
sunfish disappeared somewhere in the
depths Of the big and impudent fish.
The sUnfish seemed to be about
three inches long. After swallowing
its prey the pickersl remained motion
less a few seconds. as if gloating over
its captive and illustrating its con
tempt for our presence. Then it
turned and started for deep water
The hook was fast in the sunfish,
and the sunfish was a foot or so down
in the pickerel's interior, and we could
see no way in which the pickerel
could reach the point it had started
for unless it gave back the hook and
the fish, took them and the boat along
with it, or gave itself up to the fish
erman The first we believed quite
impossible The second We had our
doubts about The third we hoped
for.
when the line drew taut the pick
erel seemed to be for the first time
aware that it had got itself into a
situation that might make trouble
for it, and for a time it seemed that
the big and now disturbed fish had
some intention of taking the boat and
US along with it after all The linen
line was small, but very stout, but as
wire smells are not regarded as any
too formidable tackle to have next to
pickerel when he takes the hook.
the prospects for the line holding out
against that big fellow until he was
captured were by no means assur-
ing
My friend and l understood pretty