Evening star., 1942-06-19
SmaIImouth al Spots
Easily Reached by
Capital Anglers
Maryland Will Lift Ban
On Nations Popular
Come Fish July
BY GEORGE HUBER.

1OuRIleSI IhO WCChS Ill CltC lA4C Va
an angler are those before the season
opens. Waiting for the getaway
seems to lengthen the time, and
that particularly Is true this season
as anglers wait for the Maryland
black bass opener on July /. Last
year 1t opened on July IS, and the
extra two weeks seem like as many
months.
The black bass is United States
public fish No. !. 1t is found in
every State IN the Union-either as a
native or a well-received importa-
tion-and it's no exaggeration to
say that more anglers fish for black
bass than for any other species in
this country. They can be caught
by any method of flshing-bait cast
ing, fly casting, still fishing, trolling,
spinning and so forth-and as for
their fighting qualities, well, there
are plenty who will say that. pound
for pound and inch for inch, black
bass, particularly the smallmouth,
outdoes any fish that swims any,
where.
This strictly isn't true. or at least
isn't accepted by every one. The
tarpon man will put up a good
argument, rainbow trout has its
supporters, Atlantic salmon die
hards will defend their favorite to
the last ounce of buckshot, and
other fish all have their supporters.
Potomac Offers Much Sport.
But the black bass does supply
enough fight, enough stubborn re-
sistance along with its spectacular
leaps, dashes and cunning inventive
ness in ways to get of hook that
1t leaves nothing to be desired IN
the way Of a game fish.
washington and nearby bass fish,
ermen particularly are fortunate in
having the Potomac River. at one
time the best small-mouth stream
in the East and still one Of the
most famous. And that the Poto-
mac is such a good bass ground
proves the adaptability of this f1sh.
Not native here, they were trans
planted from the Ohio River water
shed during the middle l800s and
increased in such numbers that later
the Potomac black bass was used as
the breeding stock for many OF
PENNSYLVANIA noted streams.
Listing the places they may be
caught on the Potomac is unneces-
sary. Smallmouths can be found
anywhere from Little Falls at the
District line right on up to the
top and spreading out into the
numerous feeders. There are few
places where pollution has done its
dirty work, but these easily may be
avoided
Transportation No Problem.
To find a good bass hole, stop at
any country store. filling station.
farm or tavern along the river. Ask
the first lounger you see about bass
fishing and not only will you receive
good information, but likely your
informant will go with you and do
some fishing himself.
transportation is no problem.
The B. & o. Railroad parallels the
Potomac as far as Harpers Ferry.
A through train stopping only at
Point Of Rocks and Harpers Ferry,
both good fishing spots, leaves Union
Station at BIS am. and Silver
Spring at 8 :29, while local that hits
all the whistle stops leaves Union
Station at Isl pm. and Silver
Spring at 2:03.
The Potomac offers wide variety
of fishing methods. There is plenty
of wading water for those who want
to scramble around rocks and rifles
with fly or bait casting rod. There
are long, smooth, deep stretches
for the bait fishermen and plenty Of
faster rifles and rock-strewn places
with shelving hideaways for plug
men using boats. And boats are
available everywhere Bait, too, is
no problem. as worms, hellgramites,
crayfish and minnows may be dug or
caught by anglers with little trouble.
Plug casting with light lures is
becoming increasingly popular on
the Potomac. Anglers are discover
ing that little bats, weighing from
4 to Il ounce and flshed on light
LdCklc-d 1U-pOuIlu llIlc Will 1OIls
nylon leader is plenty-are very
effective. Thy distance and accu-
racy these little gadgets produce is
amazing. Fly rod casting either
with floating bugs in the smoother
stretches or with streamer flys In
the rougher spots, also is surpris-
ingly good.
The color of bats which attract
black bass is subject still being
argued wherever fishing is found
and probably always will be. Ger
tainly the manufacturers haven't
made up their minds because every
conceivable shade and combination
of colors may be purchased and
nearly all seem effective. The writer
prefers red and white, either plugs
or flies, for early fishing and a
solid yellow, sometimes with dash
of red, for late season. But our
regular fishing companion stakes
his reputation as an angler, and it's
a 1ood one on solid black at all