Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-06-18
The Great Outdoors
The Black Bass.
BY GEORGE Il. CASE

Before we start out to take Mr..
Black Bass into Camp. let us study
some OF his habits and characters
tics.
The Black Bass (both large and
small mouth) Is as DR.. Henahall often
said Inch for inch and pound for
pound the gamest fish that swims."
This too is the ~concensus of opinion
Of all sportsmen anglers who are
friends of this warrior of the lakes
and streams. He Is popular not
alone for his gameness but because
he can be taken with bait. flies and
countless lures. This popularity will
cause moro thrills han any other
fish. When hooked he is sure to put
up a battle worth while.
The Black Bass. whether It Is h
large or small mouth. always spawn
during h period from May Is to
June 10 or 20. 1t generally takes
about ten days for the eggs to hatch
after being deposited on h nest and
another ten days for the young fish
to rise from the nest. The parental
instinct of the bass Is Interesting.
Both male and female viii fight fe-
~rociously. anything that m near.
1t is this characteristic fighting spirit
which some so-called sportsmen take
advantage of In states where the
law permits fishing In May and early
June, by taking as many bass or the
nests as the law allows They care
nothing for the willful waste in
catching bass off the nests and de-
| stroying them at the very time when
the natural reproduction Of the fish
Is taking place.
When the parent bass are off the
nest or lowering near the young. they
will strike at anything that ONE
| near. They fear instinctively that 1t
| is going to harm the eggs or he
young fish. No true sportsmen will
fish In any part of a lax which he
knows is the breeding grounds Of the
black BASS during spawning season.
The largo mouth bass spawn In
bays and shallow places where there
are water lily pads logs or stumps.
| a place where they seem to feel that
the nests are protected from danger
The black bass is a very prolific
breeder, not in the number of eggs
deposited. but in the production OF
young This Is because of the never
| ending diligence of the parent fish in
protecting the eggs and young fish.
| When the fry have raised from the
| nest the parent fish will lead them
| of into the weeds and moss where
they may find protection and hiding
| places from larger fish. The mass ia
not unlike other fish In regards to
eating its own kind.
The Small Mouth Bass.
The small mouth bass seeks out
gravel reefs and sand bars to deposit
it's eggs. The nests can often be
| readily seen from a boat. The angler
can get much pleasure and knowl-
edge in observing the fish at this
time. It is interesting-try IT. Tho
nests of the a are not so numerous
and the sportsman should avoid cast
ing over these natural nesting places
and should he hook one during the
spawning season. II Is his duty TO
more fish and better fishing" to i'm
mediately return It to h water
first carefully wetting his hands be
fore removing the hook-thus saving
from two to twenty thousand black
bass, which can be fished for some
I other time.
The young fry feed on crustaceans
and larval forms of insects. They
are quite rapid growers being about
six inches In length the first fall and
they Will increase about a pound a
year under favorable conditions un-
til they weigh about five pounds. In
some instances, however. where the
conditions care unusually favorable
they reach a weight Of seven and
eight pounds,
The small mouth bass has been in
troduced into nearly every state. The
range of distribution is so extensive
and the waters it Is found in so diff
ferent, the coloration OF the small
mouth bass varies from nearly black
to a beautiful green bronze. The
co~loration sometimes differs In the
same waters caused by the character
OF the bottom and the absence of
weeds. The general color Is green.
dark on the back and fading to white
on the belly. There is sometimes
vertical marking. a like. with three
bronze streaks across the cheeks
markings dLsappear with age.