Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-15
ULTRALIGHT SPINNING
9-|nch Bass Marlin on 2-Ounce Rod
BY CHARLES COVELL
outdoor Editor

The olive green mon
ster" tore for a swirl Of
white water that marked
a protective rock. Snubbed
short, 1t erupted in a
geyser of crystal dross.
Then it headed for a grass bed.
only to be stopped again and
leap a second, third and fourth
time.
Finally it stopped making
like a marlin and was brought
to hand where it arched I'M
happily, all 8 inches Of it.
Gently the hook was removed
and the baby smallmouth re-
turned to the Potomac.
A monster? Yes, on ultra
light spinning tackle it seemed
that way. The rod was a 5-foot
wisp Of fiberglas and cork that
weighed exactly 2 ounces. A
miniature reel that weighed
IA ounces and a 3-pound test
monofllament completed the
outfit.
The reel is known as a Car
gem Mignon and the rod a
Mignon Mate, imported from
Italy. With one-pound test line
it casts such lures as the l/16
ounce joitned minnow the i'm
porter claims is the smallest
in the world.
Scouting Upper Potomac
With Bernard lefty Kreh
of Frederick we were on a
scouting trip to the upper Po-
tomac and for the benefit of
the Mason Dixon outdoor
Writers who will be making
their annual float trip this
week end, we can report the
river alive with bass.
Not that it is alive with big
fish. We caught none although
we saw a few Jump that would
put a bend in any rod. They
just weren't biting.
But we caught dozens of
smaller bass that hungrily
snatched Lefty's Black Ghost
streamer and our 3/16 ounce
Injured Cisco minnow. They |
battered the little surface plug
to the point that finally one |
tore of the rear hook and |
propeller to leave us ready to
quit.
At $3.50 of a foggy morning |
we met Lefty in Frederick. |
then drove north on Alternate |
40 through Middletown to
Boonsboro. then left on "a past .
the Antietam battlefield to /
Sharpsburg where a right turn |
for one block at any intersec- /
ton and then a left will take .
you to Snyders Landing.
We cut of the highway to
the towpath Of the dried-up
canal before reaching the land
ing and drove along this for
a mile or two past several
camp sites before parking and
walking down to the river.
The river was very low and
crystal clear, Just right for
wading. After both had put
on wading shoes. Lefty rugged /
a fly rod and tied on a stream
er fly, while we chose the ultra
light tackle.
Just above three lodges that
protrude horizontally across the
river is a stretch with lodges
5 that run parallel to it, the only
place Of its kind in the upper
Potomac.
Bass Hungry
These lodges also protrude
from the water, and wading out
to the first. we started casting
into the deep channel that sep
arated this ledge from the next.
SwirlS every now and then in
Dictated that bass were feeding
and action wasn't long in COM
ing.
Lefty hooked the first fish, a
small bass that nevertheless
gave a good account Of itself
on the fly rod.
After clambering atop the
ledge ana casting in the dlrec-
ton Of swirl we also hooked
one, a mate to the first. From
then on we caught at least a
dozen each, all just under or
just over the 9-inch minimum.
They were released.
Toward noon the sun was
bright and warm and the action
slowed, so we headed back to
the station wagon to cook a
venison steak on the Coleman
stove and round out the lunch
with potato chips and tossed
salad.
After lunch we went back to
fishing, this time in a deep pool
just below a low ledge that
formed a cascade of white
water. /
First fish hooked was a blue
HUNTING