Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-23

| Only heavy downpour of rain or
! windstorm approaching cyclone will
| keep hundreds Of anglers from various
| points along the Potomac river to-
day. Easter Sunday always has been
considered the opening day for the
F, spring fishing season, and although II
comes unusually early this year 1t
| still will prove attractive to the large
| army of anglers.
Anglers have not had to wait until
Easter this year, however, many good
| catches of fish already having been
made. Easter usually comes late
/ enough for perch fishing, but this year
! it is hardly probab Bile that many. If any.
/ perch will be caught the so-called
! opening day.
| plymouth bass and Mississippi cat
| fish have provided sport during the
| past month, although the bass were
| not caught in great numbers until this
week. Bass now are captured chiefly
| in the tidal basin. Mississippi catfish
are found in the deeper water UP the
! river.
| Entrails of shad make the best bait
| for the catfish, anglers say, and with
out such bait it is almost useless to go
| after the big "catties."
1t is hardly probable that there will
be much sport this spring for anglers
who cafe for nothing but small-mouth
bass. The spring season closes April
l. and the water. it is thought. can
not possibly be in good condition much
of the time during the few remaining
days of the season.
Big" Bill Johnson one of the popular
men about the Capitol, already has dis
played his ability to catch fish early in
the season. Long before the Christmas
holidays he started the work of prepar
to-. 1t, all e., 1,;~
first day he thought there was a posi-
bility of finding stray fish he was on
the river
A dozen times this season he has been
about the tidal basin, and each time he
has had something to show for his trip.
Myer Fisher, feeling that silver bait had
been used, accepted an invitation three
days ago to accompany his friend and
Frank Johnson on a trip to the basin.
Looks like too much Johnson" was
Fishers comment, but he went along,
and on the return trip it fell to his lot
to carry a dozen bass and one white
perch.
Frank Johnson caught the only white
perch that day. 1t was the first fish OF
it's kind taken from the basin this
season.
George Fletcher, just to prove to
friend that fish were biting. spent three
hours on the river one rainy afternoon
not long ago and made good.
Eighteen Mississippi catfish, that
weighed ninety pounds. the largest nsn
tipping the scales at eighteen pounds, was
the result of the sport
Rainy weather is good for catching the
Mississippis.'' George Fletcher afterward
said. 'It is not always the most COM
Portable time to fish. but it is time
when the big ones are pretty apt to take
the bait
The catch was made in the deep water
a short distance below the old Edes mill,
and much sport was furnished by the
largest of the eighteen fish. the angler
putting in fifteen exciting minutes before
landing 1t.
Mack Sparrough has not neglected OPP
portunites this season to get on the
river, and his friends have taken adj
vantage of many invitations to enjoy fish
dinners with the angler. Sparrough was
one Of the earliest enthusiasts on the
river this spring, wet and windy weather
not having served to keep him home.
Everybody interested in the fishing
game" commented John w. Hurley.
knows that Mack Sparrough is fisher
man from the heart. He was the first
one on the river this season, and was
one of the first to land a big fish, and I
believe his nineteen-pounder Is the larg-
est one thus far landed"
Boatmen declare that several times this
season Sparrough has found it necessary
with his fish.
John Bernard and Dick st. John Sum
day afternoon let the fish know they were
on the river. They left Fletcher's some
time after dinner and returned before
supper time with string of twenty large
Mississippi catfish.
And they understand the game"
George Fletcher remarked. ''They not
only landed score of big ones Sunday,
but two days later they duplicated the
CATCH
On the second try, it is stated, the
fish were larger than those caught the
first day. the largest Weighing eighteen
pounds.
The wall about the tidal basin and
Georgetown channel in Potomac Park is
most attractive place for anglers just
now. Many of the anglers who rested
during the short wet spell this week were
in evidence Thursday afternoon after the
rain, more than fifty of them occupying
places on the wall.
Many of the anglers spooned for the
plymouth bass, while others used live
bait. The water was anything but clear,
but the fish took the bait and many at
tractive strings of bass were taken.
Bernard Harding. better known to the
local fishing fraternity as Fats" had
quite successful week with the rod.
His efforts were spent entirely at the tidal
basin and good catch of bass was re-
corded by him every day.
II find said Fats. that the big mouth
bass take to the spoon in the spring more
readily than they do to any other bait.
Though, really, so far this year they
haven't been over particular. for appar-
emily after alternating all winter they ac-
quire ravenous appetite, and last week
l saw quite few taken with smelt and
worms. The smallest days catch 1 had
last week was Friday afternoon, when I
brought home six, after spending but
an hour and half spooning along the
sea wall between the flood gates and the
boathouse They were all small the
largest one weighing but a pound and
HE LOCAL Fl