The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-27
FISHING FOR BLACK BASS
THINGS A GOOD MANY ANGLERs
DO NOT KNOT.
First IL to Keep Out or Sight Of the Pin
-Fayortte Lurking Places or thu
Bass-seeminS whlms In ReEard IA
Lres-The Black Bass q nrht..

about and met with the usual result.
said an old time Pike county anele,
TOO much rain and cold weather befor.
the season opened, not enough warm
weather since 1t opened, hoodooing winds
from wrong points OF the compass
these and many other excuses anglen
| give for failure to catch black bass. A
the same time other anglers have brought
in satisfactory catches Of bass.
THE trouble Is that although the blaol
bass has been an established dweller In
the waters hereabout and particularly
in the Delaware River. for going on "a
forty years, few anglers have come to A
proper understanding OF this peculis,
game fish. They think they have dis.
covered that the bass Is oaprlcious as 70
it's food, and that what it may be inclined
to take to-day without any apparent
reason this fish with the level head and the
iron jaw will not notice tomorrow. and
so they argue that the only thing neoes.
sary for them to do is to 60 after bass with
various bats and q book Of all sorts al
flies in readiness.
sThe black bass fisherman who hu
permitted himself to become wise In thu
ways OF bass knows that this varied
assortment OF bats and lures is not the
all-eesential In black bass fishing. h
had discovered that in the first place you
must know where to look for the fish.
II is Of no less Importance to be careful
that the Hsh doesn't know where to look
for you.
aTo approach the lurking place OF the
black bass observant a anglers discovered
long ago calls for great care, caution
and d~exterity. The fisherman who walks
briskly by the edge OF a pool or stream,
particularly on a bright day, and bright
likes best for black bass, should not won.
der why It is that he fishes during weary
hours and has for his reward not so much
"A A nibble-at least he shouldn't charge
n to the weather, the wind or the con.
trariness OF the fish in regard to bait.
There Is nothing OF the air, Of the
earth or Of the water more shv and sus-
pioious than tn. black bass; and the sight
Of a person walking or talking or making
any movement on the shore or bank
or In the boat invariably results in
determination on the part Of this vay
fsh to seek other feeding grounds at once
or TO abstain from dining that day, b
the bill OF fare ever so much to its tash
and temptingly served.
sIh6To may Do GlIU6S WHO'LL u IL Wum
or caprice that prompts the black bass
to ignore bats and lures that have only
a short time before seemed to its liking,
but more frequently the black bass has
discovered the person who Ia offering them
and s~uspecting his disinterestedness re-
sists the temptation.
ITO pick out a fishing ground that gives
promise Of black bass 1t is necessary that
YOU should know something about the
fsh's habits. This game fish is ever at
its best in running water-in rivers or
large creeks. The Delaware and the
Susouehanna rivers are ideal small
mouth black bass waters.
.The bass chooses to be near rocks,
preferring water ten or twelve feet deep
In the day time. seeking deeper water
at night: and here Is something that
have been slow in discovering aboutblah
bass fishing. The very biggest and
Ramest of the small mouth bass will come
to the killing at night.
.He lies in the deepest water then, and
a lively minnow-the familiar streaiy
sides Of the creeks and the little mud.
sucker are Observation-Disclosures to his
YOU II you handle him right. Cold nights
in the fall are particularly good for this
sort Of angling for big black bass. for II Is
ALWAYS the big fish that seem to prefer
this deep water night feeding.
the small mouth black bass in streams
objects to being crowded in small pools.
unless it finds a deep shady place bellows
tumbling cascade or rapid rift, which car
ries food down to it in the current. The
angler who knows this habit Of the bas
and sneaks to a vantage point below and
keeps behind the basis line OF vision.
may often zee 1t in such a lurking place.
lying motionless, save for the gentle wav-
ing OF its fms. in the shadow OF some pro
jecting rock or root OF sunken log, calmly
and confidently waiting for the coming Of
some terrified ~grasshopper that has lost
it's bearings and leaped into the stream
or for a frog or minnow.
Il have more than once from safe am
bush managed to test whether the in
olination Of bass thus feeding was for any
particular variety Of food, and always
found it ready and willing for insect.
minnow or frog. Once after demonstrat.
ing to my satisfaction that the bass wes
neither whimsical nor scornful in this
matter Of food offered 1t. l withdrew from
ny hiding place and came downstream
in sight of the fish, which was a large bass,
living at the edge OF an old log. The bass
backed slowly some distance down a':tg
the log and stopped.
'Grasshoppers. live minnows. a cncket
and a frog, freed and sent naturally into
the pond, failed to tempt that bass to
touch them. The bass had shifted danger
on seeing me, and that was all there W"
to It. Ten minutes later. from my place
OF former ambush. | landed that bass
on a red and yellow fly. He wal a three
FOUNDER.
$50 it is we'll to know about your fab
when you 20 after black bass, and Is
is we'll, too. to be sure your bass lie caught
before you attempt to land 1t.
1T is not ALWAYS yours because you
have hooked It.. One witch OF your rod
may set the hook in the fsh's jaw. butts
succeeding twitch by the bass may 10
few yards OF leaderless line dangling
from your rod. The power OF the small
mouth black bass is prodigious compared
with it's size. and the beginner in bass
fishing generally experiences a genuine
shock OF surprise when he finds how easily
even a small ba ~ a snap OIL q line or
break a stout rod in inexpert hands,
THAT the black bass will not bite or
rise to a fly at certain times. under any cir
c~umstances. is true. but the same is 'riie
Of all kinds Of game fish. The experience
OF expert anglers Is that II the bass will NOT
take one kind OF bait on such occasions
other kind.
1T Ia just as we'll. though. | have found,
10 90 %variously provided with lure for 'iss
in such emergencies. Without knowledge
caution. patience and GOODNESS, Though;
YOU might as well leave your rod. line ana
bait at home when you go after sinal
mouth black bass, for you will simply come
back bassless, and chargeitall to h wind
the water or the weather.
Front In Hue Gum Groves.