The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-02
IIjNlEII BASS Of
THE FLORIDA LAKES
Some Humorous and Instructive An
ecdCtes by Well known
Sportsman

(LeSter Warner IN fleld ana stream
When l was a boy fishing was con
sidered lazy mans JOB. The meth
cd was TO take a row boat. a cane
pole, a tin can OF worms. and row
around the shore until you found the
blue-gill beds. Then overheard went
an old ploWpoint for anchor and you
were ready to begin operations. The
operations consisted of watching a
cork, as a horde of small-fry tweak-
ed the bait from the hook, and medi-
ts ting upon the cussedness OF the
weather.
The advent of the rod and reel
has changed all this, and now one
gets some action for his money. The
self-adulation he feels when he MAX
es a skillful cast, and the frenzied
roar he lets out when he lands his
bait in the bushes, all help to enter
tain the oarsman, and if he gets a
few bites, so much the better.
| believe | must have had the spirit
when quite young and long before
We heard of such things as reels to
troll the bait. | remember Of get
ting a very long pole and adding on
a part of another, then with a line
and a small green frog | had close
approximation to a casting outfit, for
l could land the frog a long way
from the boat and troll him in.
l live quite near Pine Lake, Mich,
| in many states, know Of none finer.
| Ten years ago one could get plenty
of fun and plenty Of fish, but now,
with the shore lined with summer re-
| sort cottages, and every foot OF
water rakei with all the painted de-
vices known to modern piscatorial
art, it isn't worth while to go out
This state of affairs led me to go tC
| Florida, the sportsman's paradise
and after a canvass of the state
| bought a winter home in the city Of
|
county in the state. Nowhere car
they beat us for position, climate
and opportunity. One day | fish il
/ the Withlacoochee, which mingle:
its waters with the Gulf, and per
chance the next whip the Oklawah;
on it's way to the Atlantic.
Then there is Blue Springs ant
Silver Springs, six miles from town
which come. up out Of the grount
and flow nine miles into the Okla
waha, and big enough and dee
enough to float a man-o-war. Thi
river is so clear that you can Sc
small objects on the bottom sixt
feet below, and in casting you Sc
the fish charge out from under tn
pad and take the bait.
Barber Joe and l were coming u
this run one afternoon in little oil
motor boat, and, dropping my bait
a Shakespeare-und some over
hanging bushes, l saw a big fello'
charge out and nail it. The boat wa
running fast upstream and the ifs
: ran fast downstream, but Joe slow
ed up the boat and | slowed up tn
fish. Pull. we'll some, He went I
t the bottom and hogged out all III
$ line and l was getting ready for
! forceful remonstrance, but fnall
turned him and he ran under ledg
: Of limestone. where l felt sure b
/ waul1 saw my line of, but. glory b'
2 he didn't, and instead came out an
went three feet into the air. l sa
!: three feet. because al fishermen a
d ways say their bass jumped ths
high, but anyway, he Jumped, an
Il that is what | am trying 20 get int
e your head.
Joe says. Holy smoke. you got
whangdoodler," and he was so, Il
3 after he had had his little fling an
If | got him in, he weighed twel'