Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-21
Ehrntttg Gllat:

ming for weeks to be on the streams
at sun-up for a renewal of their
favorite sport. The bass fisherman
is just as keen and ardent a sports
man as he who wades the icy spring
water streams in early spring in
search of the gamey trout. Indeed
the twain are often one. for the
fisherman is like the gunner, he has
his favorite lines of sport, but a day
aheld whether it be for one kind of
game or another is day afield--or
astream and not to be missed. And
indeed the black bass-big mouth
or small mouth-not to mention the
greedy little rock bass and crappie
can match the gamiest trout and
give him odds. There is nothing
more interesting than an argument
between bass fisherman and q dry
fly enthusiast who sees no virtue
in fishing outside the quest for
trout with a four ounce rod and
tackle to match.
Most of the early fishing will be
done with live bait-the festive
sinner. the long-lived "stone-roller''
catfish and the ugly little helgrimite
being the favorites hereabouts, with
night crawlers and even the humble
red worm coming into their own
upon occasion. 1t used to be thought
quite the proper thing to sit all day
in boat above a rifle in mid-river
taking such fish as designed to come
along and take the bait SO tempt
ngly offered, and there are occa-
sions when that is still the way to
land a big string. But your real
sportsman no longer waits for the
bass to come to him., but he goes
after the bass-trackS 'em right into
their lairs, as it were-and he pays
small attention to the rivers. The
creeks are his happy hunting
grounds and he scoms live bait
Armed with casting rod and smooth
running reel he slips a half-dozen
various colored plugs" into his
and he is off for a half day in
the creeks. Yes, in the creeks, for
the caster is also a wader. His
plugs are the hideous looking
wooden bait of wood and metal with
hooks attached you see in the win
dows of sporting goods stores and
when he drops one of them over the
home of big black bass. Mr.. bass
just naturally gets frightfully hun
CRY or awfully hungry, nobody has
ever been able to decide which, and
!. he rushes out, grabs the bait and
finds himself in the midst of fight
for life with n determined angler at
the other end of the line. Those who
| fish with plugs" say there is no
other sport to equal it unless it be
fly casting for bass which Is also
| practiced extensively hereabouts,
, the outfit differing little from that
of the trout fishermen except that
the flies are heavier and of different
: type and the spinner" is often used.
Certain it is that the plug" and the
{ fly" for those who know how TO
= use them yield bigger strings than
1 fall to the lot of the live bait fisher
: men.
Then there is also the trouble to
get live bait and the difficulty of
, keeping it alive. Even the hardy
stone roller" catfish some times
, succumbs to heat and long journeys
and they are high in price and hard
J to get The plug and fly" en-
thusasts buy once or twice during
a season and their troubles in that
direction are over. However much
they run to other bats the average
; fisherman likes to have a few red
worms along, and these too are
hard to get in midsummer. Some
downtown sporting goods dealer
, could make a hit with his patrons
and money for himself by keeping
, supply of worms on hand for
anglers suddenly seized with the
; fever or who have no time to dig
bait This is a hint that some en-
! terprising boy might capitalize.
And where do the bass fisher
! men go? oh, each one has his IA
vorite spots. Most all the creeks
, hereabouts are fished and there are
, some who venture as far away as
, Pine Creek, away up in Tioga coun-
ty. above Jersey Shore, which is one
( of the finest bass streams in the
: 6.r stxNH.s sa,gt
fishing is very good. Among those
, who fish this stream is Harry THAR
who has a cottage along the noun
: tain. There are many other fishing
lodges there, too.
: New York is having trouble pre-
serving its old Fort Washington
| from falling into the hands of real
/ estate dealers who would use 1t for
r the metropolis have nothing on Har-
Y risburg. Governor Pennypacker
: tried to save our own Fort Wash
r ington from the invasion of the real
. estate developer and as a historic
= memorial park, but the Legislature e
, failed to see it his way and to-day
our old Fort Washington is likely
to disappear as has many another
. historic shrine.
Sunday parties on the river are
: commencing to come into their own.
J The steamers that tow the sand
barges and act as tenders to the
, dredges have been busy the last few
Sundays taking parties to islands
and yesterday morning there were
half a dozen boats plying the waters
of the river and taking Sunday bath
ers and picnic parties to islands. 1t
$ was pretty warm for trips on the
. river, but a couple of Sunday swims
appeared to overcome any feelings
on that score.
One of the prize stories about
. trout prosecutions to reach this city
= is of the fining of an upstate man
: over $500 He had gone fishing
and had thirty trout which did not
!. meet the State law. He became
: sassy" about it and the authorities
insisted on the maximum nne.
!. |