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BLACK BASS.

Where to Catch Them in Quantity within an Hour's
Ride of New York.

Best Methods and Baits fully treated upon, with salient
Practical Hints upon choice of Rods and Tackle.

Weather Prognostications and Atmospheric Influences Reviewed.

C^CA./^^^>tt</^scv^^^Jex^.^^,g^^<^?^»l^

NEW YORK :

THE W. P. POND PUBLISHING CO.,

37 W. 24th street.

Copyright, 1888, W. P. Pond & Co.

Let me live harmlessly, and near the brink

Of Trent or Avon have a dwelling-place :
Where I may see my fly or cork down sink,

With eager bite of pike, or bass, or dace.
And on the world and my Creator think :

While some men strive ill-gotten goods t'embraoe
And others spend their time in base excess

Of wine, or worse, in war or wantonness.
Let them that will, these pastimes still pursue,

And on such pleasing fancies feed their fill.
So I the fields and meadows green may view.

And daily by fresh rivers walk at will.

— Ancient Angler.

B7?

There is probably no more welcome news for
one fond of black bass fishing than a description
and general details of where good sport may be
had ; and when the individual is a unit in the
population of a large city and suddenly learns
that this is obtainable within an easy distance, the
information is worth its weight in gold, in his esti-
mation, if in no one else's. The main object of
this paper on black bass fishing is to supply that
knowledge to a large contingent, and also to give a
few hints to those, who, fond of fishing, may still
be open to a few practical hints. There are pos-
sibly many fishermen like myself, who, while not
unfamiliar with salt-water sport with rod and line,
still know and fully appreciate the pleasure of
fishing for the fresh- water black bass.

Salt-water fishing is grand sport, but there are
many denizens of a city who have been reared in
the districts of fresh-water streams, lakes and
ponds, who have not had the opportunities of cul-
tivating salt-water sport, and who even when sur-

M888923

6

rounded with every facility for its pursuit, would
still be elated at finding some well-stocked stream
near at hand. Anglers, as a rule, are unable
to go far a-field in search of fresh-water fish-
ing, and for six years past it was a continual
thorn in my flesh, mortifying me considerably,
that no information could be obtained of any good
fishing that did not necessitate an absence of sev-
eral days.

Last season, entirely by accident, I ran upon a
magnificent place within nineteen miles of New
York City. It is a beautiful spot, easily reached
without much expense or trouble and within an
hour's ride by rail. In all my search, this is the
one spot I care to recommend to my readers.
Take the cars from Jersey City to Rahway, IN". J.,
and upon arriving there walk to a small village
called Milton, half a mile west of Rahway ; pass
through this, continue half a mile further west, and
you will reach Milton Lake. An hour and a half s
time covers the distance. I generally take the one-
thirty p. m. train, and return in the evening ; but
trains run almost every hour to and from Rahway.

Milton Lake is a body of water about a mile
square, with two outlets, one falling over a pictur-
esque stone dam twenty feet high into a stream
about ten feet wide ; and the other outlet, a small
stream flowing through a mill-gate to the Milton
Mills. In each of these streams there are plenty
of bass, but in the lake proper and in the little
brook that flows into the upper end of the lake,

7
they are in abundance. I pass the lake itself and
follow the little stream for about half a mile nntil I
come to White' s Farm. This I have found to be the
finest fishing ground. The stream is about eight-
een feet wide at the narrowest part and from fifty
to sixty at its widest. It rises miles upon miles
back in the country somewhere, and runs rippling
and chattering over the shallows, surging silently
over the pools uiltil it empties into the lake. I
have never fished higher than White's Farm, being
well satisfied with the sport obtained there, but the
resident farmers tell me that there is even finer
fishing up stream.

Like the average fisherman, I am more or less
superstitious, and having always had good luck at
my favorite place (the edge of a fine piece of
wood, which, by the way, contain a few wood-
cock), I do not care to seek further, and, perhaps,
fare worse.

Here, where the stream branches off from a wide
pond-like section, and slowly flows past two dozen
or so fine willows on either bank, I have made
a rude seat in one of the trees, and using a coat
for a cushion, have spent many pleasant hours;
not always fishing, but on hot summer afternoons,
shaded from the sun, Just letting my line run out
in the water, careless about either rise or catch, in
quiet repose, looking at the beautiful natural land-
scape around me, fairly enchanted with its rural
splendor. Then I feel that for a short space, at
least, I have thrown off the burden of a busy life, and

8

can quietly absorb all that Dame Nature thus gener-
ously affords. T see the silvery sky-reflecting
stream winding its peaceful way through the rich
pasturage, under the rustic bridge, past the line of
undulating willows, that, moving with the faintest
breath of air, seem ever bending down to kiss its
ripples ; past the green banks and orchards, on
through clover patches, and se^ge-lined promon-
tories, flashing like burnished metal at the rifts,
black as night in the pools, dappled and flecked by
the mirrored clouds, kissed into "cat's paws'' by
the faint breeze ; on it goes until its farther course
is lost in the shadow of the olive-green woods that
tower in massive darkness against the soft amber-
colored clouds and pale blue sky. The watchful
kingfisher, perched on the other side of. the stream,
eyes me askance but has no great fear at my pres-
ence, the splash of a disturbed turtle or the heavier
fall of a diving frog calling for his more earnest
attention. Bass are leaping in every direction ; far
up on the hillside sounds the bell of a cow ; nearer
still calls "Bob White;" robins are piping; the
wrens are chirping; a hungry crow dismally cawks,
and all these sounds mingle with the music of
the millions of trilling nameless tiny insects con-
cealed in the deep grasses below me and in the flut-
tering leaves over-head.

What greater pleasure can a busy man Avish for
than to now and again "leave life and the world
behind" for a few hours and amid surroundings
like these smoke and chat with a congenial friend,

9
in pleasant shade, until the sun sinks towards the
West, and the work of fishing begins.

One can fish equally well from bank or boat.
The stream sides are grass-bound and flower-
decked to the very water edge, affording dry and
safe footing, with here and there a fence to lean
against, or hang your impedimenta upon, A little
to the left of the farmhouse is the orchard, suc-
ceeded by a wood of nut and oak trees, which
slope to the banks of the lake, and under whose
shade bass may be caught at any hour of the day,
be the sun ever so hot. The water here is deep
and cool, and I use it as a swimming ground. It
is also a fine place to cool drinks in. A bottle of
Piper Heidsieck or a bottle or two of beer slung
into the depths of the pool with a stout cord, can be
drawn up an hour later cool as a snow stream in
the mountains. A little distance above a rustic
bridge spans the stream, under and on either side
of which, just in the shadow line, a dozen or more
fine bass, weighing up to four pounds each, may
be seen at any time. As one crosses the bridge
they raise their weather-eye a'nd look up, but do
not move, whilst hundreds of young bass, an inch
or two in length, shoot from the innumerable crev-
ices like so many fresh -water shiners. The very
foundation of the bridge seems to be alive with
them. There are also a number of giant sun-fish here
which seldom refuse a bait. At daybreak on fine
mornings, when camping there for a day or two, I
have caught in less than an hour half a dozen two-

10

pound bass, not counting other fish and small bass
which I tossed back. I used one of Chubb' s
ordinary silk trolling lines and one of Abbey's
spoons, which, by the way, to my fancy spin more
freely and better than any others I have used. This
I worked sometimes from a small bark canoe and
sometimes from a wooden one, which I keep at the
farm, and use to paddle up and down the stream
between the willows and the bridge, or upon the
lake itself.

Many men prefer a boat and oars, but I find a
ligh t canoe infinitely preferable. The double paddle
makes less splash than the oars, and if one can
use the Canadian single blade, it does not make
any noise at all. Added to this it is easier man-
aged, one sees where one is going, and it can be
lifted with one hand from stream to lake, and lake
to stream.

The fish under the bridge are very tempting,
but also very wary, and the residents say they
are but seldom caught from' the bridge itself. One
day I cast a yellow-body fly, (a clumsy affair,
but the best I had, having lost my fly book on the
cars) and as it fell on the water I let it drift under
the bridge, more in carelessness than by intent,
and as it reached the rich bank of green weeds out
of my sight, I felt the tug and magnetic vibration
that every angler knows so well. Quick as a flash
I dropped from the bridge to the bank, ran knee
deep into the stream, and fighting the fish clear of
the structure and reeds, landed a three-pound five-

11

ounce beauty at my side on the bank. **That^s
the first fish I've seen caught from the bridge,"
said an admiring native, and it was the only
one I ever caught, although my line has dropped
there many times before and since.

Now I know the trick. I made a stout cord fast
to a stump above the bridge, and let my canoe
float down under and through the bridge , then I
cast my fly, and a boy sitting in the bows slowly
pulled me through again up to the stump. The
fish seeing no splash, only the passing shadow of
the silent canoe, took my fly readily, and in the
early morning I was sure of a fairly good catch.
If fished for from the bridge, they will lie there, and
never move a fin ; the current is weak, and if scared
away by a stone or twig, they will return in a sec-
ond or two, almost to the same spot. I fancy the
first one I caught was not a regular *^ bridge bass,"
but was one swimming up stream at the edge of
the weeds in search of his breakfast. Now if any
of my fishing friends think they can catch these
bridge bass, I will guarantee to show them (or they
can go and see for themselves) from six to a dozen
of the beauties lying there at any time.

When I do not succeed with them to my satis-
faction, I get some one to systematically drop
stones and drive them up stream, where, perhaps
out of pure unadulterated cussedness, they seem to
readily take a fly. A great advantage of this spot
up stream is that the baby bass and sun fish give
but little trouble. The principal nuisances are the

12

large eels. If the line touches the bottom for an
instant an eel seems certain to be waiting for it, and
I would as readily handle a squid as an eel.

My brother, who frequently accompanies me, is
not a fisherman and prefers fishing for eels, and
by a rule of contrariness the bass bother him quite
as much as the fresh- water "snakes," as I call
them, bother me.

Among my troubles I must not forget the mud
turtles and snappers. They, too, are a nuisance
when baiting with worms, and anyone who desires
a few of the "shell-backs " can be abundantly ac-
commodated.

For more than two miles of this lovely stream
any man who knows how to handle a rod or throw
a fly can land, or at least hook, some of the liveli-
est two to three pounders he could wish for, and
although bass vary in their tastes at different per-
iods of the day, I know nothing better than the
common trolling spoon as a regular thing. There
is one pool where I would almost be inclined to
wager that I could get a strike with either spoon
or fly every ten minutes during the first two hours
of daylight, or from five to eight in the evening.
That is saying a good deal, but it is a fact.

The best fish I caught last season was when I
was going up stream in the canoe near the mouth
of the lake and close to the right side. By a sudden
movement I shot under some willow branches. I was
just letting my line run out after a weed strike and was
holding the paddle in my left hand, with the line be-

13

tween my teeth, using my right hand to give a
good push to clear the boughs, when '*zip, zip!"
a beauty seized my bait as I floated out. I got
nervous, upset my canoe and rolled into the water,
but waded on shore and landed my fish. He
weighed four pounds, seven ounces, live weight,
and I have his head and tail and a clear con-
conscience to prove it.

The last half day of the season I was fishing at
Milton Lake, and I caught eighteen fine bass, and
two eels, the latter as large round as a policeman's
club and as dirty and slimy as usual. Eels always
remind me of a skinny circus contortionist. When
I am unfortunate enough to hook one, I generally
make a clean cut of two yards of silk line, hook
and all, and tie him up to the fence, or bow stay of
my canoe. I would willingly let all of them go again
only from a lingering remnant of a boyish supei*-
stition that they would go and tell all the bass
how horribly indigestible my bait was.

I remember catching a big snapping turtle,
weighing about twelve pounds, in the lake one
day. When I pulled it up, my companion
grabbed it, and I really think I would have jumped
overboard but for the fear that others might be
around to make things more pleasant for me for
jumping " from the frying pan into the fire." I
suppose a salt-water fisherman would have yelled
and danced for joy ; I am not built that way.
When I fish for bass, I want bass, and when I fish
for turtles — No ! I would not want them even then.

14

The next one that takes my bait can have pole,
line, hook and all.

The bass in the lake are innumerable, but they
are more difficult to catch than those in the stream,
a fact which pleases the true fisherman, who fishes
to match his skill and science against the instinct
and cunning of the fish, rather than with the one
sole intention of making his bag larger than that
of any preceeding angler.

Remember the lake bass want sport more than
food, and the bait must be handled in a lively
manner to bring success. Some fifteen years ago
this water was stocked by some wealthy Jersey
men, and, from what I can learn, not half a dozen
expert anglers have visited its waters in the past
ten years, and there is no record of anybody ever
having fished the stream I here describe

Last season I only met three strangers at the
lake, but they never seemed to catch anything be-
yond eels, turtles, sunfish, and a few two inch
bass, the name of which they did not even know,
and I got into their bad graces by telling them they
ought to return the bass into the lake. They
thought I was a crank, in fact one of them told me
so. These men were salt-water sports, and one
man who came there from Newark, N. J., was ac-
tually baiting with shrimps for fresh- water bass
and had no less than eight hooks upon his line, all
baited with shrimps. This man also told me that
there were no decent fish in the lake, and strange

15

to say, this appears to be the general opinion of
the few visitors.

I met one good fly fisherman a year ago, who had
several fine beauties on the bank. He had taken
his stand behind my tree before I arrived, and he
was an artist. We becjame good friends and prom-
ised to meet again, but have not done so as yet.
He agreed with me that the lake was full of beau-
tiful fish, and that they were a trifle hard to catch,
which fact we both agreed was very good for the
interests of the true lovers of the art of angling.

Another fine place for bass within an easy dis-
tance of New York is Greenwood Lake, which lies
half in New York and half in New Jersey. It is on
the Erie railroad and has several good hotels and a
club house open during the summer. Guides are
to be had at a moderate figure, and the fishing dur-
ing the last three seasons has been good.

Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, is another good
fishing ground. Take the Long Island railroad to
the depot at Ronkonkoma ; from there stages run
to the lake during the season. Distance, about two
miles.

Tuxedo Park is confined to members of the Tux-
edo Park Club, and has a fine supply of large and
lively bass, which take a fly remarkably well.

At Lake Hopatcong, N. Y., bass are plentiful,
but without a guide little good is to be done. It lies
on the Morris and Essex railroad, two hours ride
from Hoboken. During the summer a very good
house, the Hotel Breslin, is open. This hotel was

16

first opened last year, is exceedingly moderate in
its charges, is well fitted throughout, and is by far
the best house of them all. There are several guides
at the Lake, the best average of them being Mor-
ris Decker, who has an island in the lake on which
he lets out tents to camping parties, supplying
them with all necessaries at reasonable terms. He
is well posted in the various feeding grounds, and
with him good sport is a certainty, if the weather
is right. There are some very large bass here. Mr.
Eugene C. Blackford has caught several at four
and a half pounds, and five and a quarter pounds.
One was caught three years ago weighing eight
pounds two ounces. There are plenty of good
pickerel, and anglers are but little annoyed by sun-
fish or eels. There is a fine fishing club-house on
Bertrand Island, which is very exclusive. The best
bait here has proved to be live bait, minnows, or
frogs. Now as regards bait for still-fishing, I have
tried almost everything at odd times.

Bass are very peculiar fish as regards feeding.
Sometimes they take one bait right along all day, and
at other times will change morning, noon, and night,
also from sunshine to cloud. I generally start in the
early morning with grasshoppers, and if that does
not suit them, I vary it to the helgramite — known
to naturalists as the larvse of the horned corydalis,
locally called '*dobsons," ^^dobsell," ^'hellion,"
* *' crawler," "kill-devil," etc. — a live minnow, small
green frog, small bull-head, or a "lamper" — local
name for small lamprey eel.

17

The dobson is the most stable bait for still fish-
ing, and a good plan is to pass a piece of silk under
the shield in the back and then pass the hook
through that ; the same scheme is equally good with
grasshoppers. Towards evening, I found worms a
very good bait, except when rain threatened.

In using a minnow, I pass the hook up through
the lower lip and out the nostril ; it then lives a
long time. Some anglers hook through both lips,
the lower one first. Hooked either way, a dead
minnow moves like a live one. I always treat a min-
now as Izaak Walton spoke of a frog, " as if I loved
him."

The angler cannot be too careful of his minnows. I
change the water frequently, not waiting for them
to come up to breathe ; it is then too late, and they
cannot be resuscitated. In hot weather I place a
piece of ice in flannel on the top of the pail.
A little salt added to the water is a great improve-
ment, about as much as will lie on a silver quarter,
to two gallons of water. Fifty minnows to a five
gallon pail with a handful of weeds to keep the
fish from bruising themselves, is about the right
proportion of fish to space.

Of all baits the old Florida "bob," I think, is
still the most effective. It was mentioned by Ber-
tram, in 1764, and is still used. It is made by tying
three hooks back to back, invested with a piece of
deer's tail somewhat in the manner of a large hackle,
studded vvith scarlet feathers, forming a tassel or
tuft similar to that used on the trolling spoon.

18

If this be thrown with a sweeping surface draw
under trees or bushes, it is almost irresistible.
On the spoon I always run a lamper or a min-
now, and for slow water, like the stream at Milton,
or for lake fishing, I manufacture one as follows :
A spoon not more than three quarters of an inch in
length. If you cannot buy one so small, get one
made by some working jeweller or metallist. Then
slide a round black bead as large as a pea on your
line just above your hook, letting the spoon be
above it. This will be found to spin in the slowest
water, and, as every bass fisher knows, the slower
the rate of progression, the better, so long as the
spoon is spinning. I seldom use any sinker at
Milton Lake, there being little or no current, and
the trees as a rule keep off any wind. In the stream
I generally drift down, letting my line float in
front of the boat, and getting well down stream
troll back up stream, to drift down again. For the
benefit of the tyros I may here remark, that suc-
cess in trolling for bass, I think, depends largely
upon a perfect knowledge of the depth of water,
and that the bait should be kept about eighteen
inches from the bottom all the way. I study the
pools in my favorite streams, locating them by
trees, etc., on the bank, and then judge the depth
my bait lies at by the angle at which my line runs
from my mouth or pole to the water. This will,
with a little practice, tell me at what depth my bait
is swimming. Dobsons and small bull-heads I
pbtain by striking the large rocks iu the rifts aud

19

shallows with another large stone, and setting
a net fixed upon a bowed stick behind it. The bull-
heads and dobsons will float, stunned, into its
meshes. I have also found them clinging to old
spiles supporting a dam, or submerged stonework.
They may be kept alive any length of time if placed
in a can containing rotten wood. They are the best
shallow water bait for still fishing. My experience
is that it pays better to buy bait than hunt for it,
which takes up time and tires one.

An all important point is the best day for fishing
from a weather point of view. We all know the
varied ideas and superstitions of fishermen, and
truly there is a great deal to be said in favor of
many of the theories when backed by actual obser-
vation.

Bass are found in different localities at different
times ; in the early part of the season they will be
found on the rifts where, of course, the water is
warmest ; the best bait at this time is the helgra-
mite and larvae ; as the season advances they will
move to the deeper still water that lies under the
bushes and trees, taking insects and flies ; and
later still, they will be found in the deep holes,
lying under rocky ledges, or where gravel has fallen
from the banks and been washed away by the spring
freshets. At this period the best bait is small min-
nows, crayfish, molluscs, etc. Yet without rhyme
and reason, I find they may at any time be found
in deep water one day and in the shallows the
ne^t,

20

As a rule I fish the shallows until the reeds,
rushes, and other acquatic plants fringing the
deeper waters are well grown ; then I try among
them, finding flies give the best sport.

For bait fishing, it really does not appear to make
much difference what weather is around, so that the
wind is not a cold or chilly one. The fish in deep
water are not so easily affected as those in the shaL
lows, and very good sport may be had even in a
stiff' breeze, if moderately warm and fine. In fact
some wind is necessary for black bass fishing, and it
is better to have too much than none at all. One
reason for this is, that wind ruffles the surface of
the water and renders it more difficult for the fish
to see the-angler.

This is a point of greater importance than is com-
monly supposed. Fish both see and hear well, and
the idea that they cannot see is based upon the
great difference visible between an artificial fly and
a real one. As a matter of fact few men could tell
the difference between them when in the water,
the surface being covered with froth and suds from
an eddy or foam and bubbles from a rapid, the sur-
face ruffled by a fresh breeze, and shadowed by drift-
ing clouds. I have frequently seen bass dart like
an arrow and seize the bait from a distance of thirty
feet. A sombre suit of clothes, the hue of which
mingles with the foliage or verdue, is a wise pre-
caution, for fish undoubtedly see, and see remark-
ably well.

How often have we seen a bright glistening sub-

21

stance like a sleeve button or a coin, dropped into
water and swallowed immediately ? I have known
bass to be caught on a bare bright hook, and the
funny stories one laughs at about wintergreen berries
and lish scales proving attractive bait are not so
much out of probability.

In the Southern States a belief exists that bass
are always on the feed when the moon is above the
horizon, particularly at rise and set ; many old ex-
perienced fishermen will only fish during the last
quarter until the new moon. The same variety of
ideas exist regarding rain ; one angler believes that
bass will not bite before a rain, another during a
rain, and still another after a rain. As a matter of
fact they feed irrespective of rain, but of course we
have all found the best time is undoubtedly just
after a rain, because of the great number of insects
and larvfB that are washed or shaken into the water
from the overhanging branches of trees and bushes.

One reason why they do not take the bait so well
just before the rain is because of the lull that takes
place, causing the water to become flat and still, so
rendering objects, especially the angler, more dis-
tinct. The bass is a very wary fish, and requires
but little to make them uneasy and shy. Night
and morning is the best time for bait fishing, unless
the weather be cold ; then from about 3 to 6 p.m.
For fly fishing, two hours after sunrise and one
hour or two before dark will be found the most
tempting time.

In lake fishing it is always best to run out to the

deep water and fish in towards the shallows or
feeding grounds, as the boat being in the deeper
water is not so conspicuous to the fish in the shal-
lows. When a bass is hooked, I always work to-
ward deep water, so as to play the fish freely and
avoid snags, rocks, weeds, etc.

If fishing from a bank, I get as near the level of
the water as possible, and when' a fish is hooked, I
head at once to the deepest water practicable.

I find it a good plan to let the bass have the bait
from two to ten seconds, according to the way he
takes it; then strike at once, giving him line freely,
but keeping the thumb on the reel as a drag.
Click reels are an abomination. I never jerk the
rod, but hook with a twist of the wrist, remember-
ing the golden rule that from the moment a bass
takes the bait until he is landed the line must
he kept tight, as one second of slack line will lose
him. The point of the rod I keep bent by the pull
of the fish, which is made to fight for every inch of
line. I reel in whenever practicable and kil
the fish on the line.

I never let a fish get among the weeds ; I coax
him off if possible, but if this is not practicable,
I give him the butt, and either get him away or break
the pole, which is preferable to losing the fish by
weeds or snags. When thoroughly exhausted, I
land him, of course, but am never in a hurry. If
a pole net be used I sink it under him and gently
lift it until the fish falls into it.

In order to appreciate black bass fishing to the

23

full, considerable attention most assuredly must be
paid to suitable tackle. Any boy may catch sun-
fish, suckers, or trout with a bean pole, a piece of
cord for a line and a rude nondescript bait. Black
bass are a fish of an entirely different type, and
the day when a black bass rod was considered to
mean one weighing two pounds and measuring
sixteen feet, with a chalk line, and a reel like a
small clock, is delegated to the far off past of ten
years ago. Some few of the old anglers made their
own rods, and scored heavily in their takes of fish,
to the wonder and amazement of the other fisher-
men who still adhered to the old heavy pattern.

My idea of the best rod for black bass fishing is
the happy medium between the trout fly rod, and
the trout bait rod. The one I generally use is
eight feet three inches long, weighs nine ounces,
is three-jointed, the balance perfect, and the bend
true from tip to butt. It was made by H. H.
Kiffe, 318 Fulton street, Brooklyn. I have killed
many bass with this rod during the past two sea-
sons, some weighing as high as four pounds, and
have also caught pickerel weighing eight pounds
with the same pole. The butt is white ash, and
the second joint and tip finely selected lance wood.
The butt has a wound grip, and the metal tip is of
the four-ring pattern, the strongest and lightest
made. I prefer standing guides. Some peo-
ple prefer Greenheart or Wasahba for tips, but
lancewood or red cedar is the best, I think.

The great fault in many rods is want of " back,"

24

which results from a too slender butt. This pro-
duces a double action in the rod, and prevents a
clear satisfactory cast. In England this quality
was made a specialty for salmon rods some years
ago, it being supposed that it increased the length
of the cast. Recent experiences proved this to be
a fallacious idea, and such a rod required quite an
education to use with any degree of accuracy.

If a man can throw a minnow thirty yards with
any degree of accuracy, he should be well satisfied,
as that is more than sufficient for average bass
fishing. *

A peculiar, but, I think, mistaken idea is that a
rod should be in proportion to a man's size. One
can understand this idea in regard to a gun for which
a man should be measured as for a coat, but with a
rod it is different, and should be made to vary
with the type of fishing practised. The differ-
ence in weight being only a few ounces exposes the
foolishness of this theory. All that matters is the
question of balance ; if that is all right, the size or
weight matters very little.

A more important point is, that a cheap rod is
always a dear rod, in price alone. As in anything
else, work and quality of material go for every-
thing, and if a good sound rod is required, a fair
price must be paid to some good maker for it.

The line is a most important item, and it is al-
ways best to give a good price for a hand made line
turned out by a good firm. The braided line to me
is the perfection of excellence. I do not like a

25

tapered line at any price. Next to the silk line I
prefer tlie silk grass lines of the Japanese.

The finest hooks in the trade are made in Eng-
land, where special attention has been paid to this
industry for over two hundred years, the tow^ of
Redditch being supported almost exclusively by
the hook factories. The best are the ''Sproat,"
''Cork- shaped Limerick," ''Round Bend Carlisle,"
and "Hollow Point Aberdeen," The hook is of
the most vital importance to the fisherman, and
the best shape is that where the point of the barb is
turned round towards the shank. First class
hooks are always japanned or black ; the inferior
ones are blued, and these, if subjected to a heavy
strain will straighten right out. The black bass is
extremely liable to cause this, as it always struggles
hard both in and out the water from the moment
of hooking to the final gasp. A hook with the
proper bend will never pierce foul, but will strike
right through the mouth, never springing out.

Regarding flies, every man has his own opinions
and fancies. My own favorites are the " Marston,"
"W. H. Hammett," "Reader," "Silver Ibis," "Ver-
mont," "Imperial," "La Belle," "Royal Coach-
man," " Blue Jay" and "Claret," made by C. F.
Orvis, of Manchester, Vt.

As to spoons, most people use far too large a
spoon for bass, I am sure ; even the dealers do not
recognize this fact, and are continually pressing
pickerel spoons upon their customers who do not
happen to know better. My idea of a bass spoon

26

is one no larger than one-third of an ordinary tea-
spoon for the hand-line, and for rod use one even
still smaller.

Artificial insects may be used in surface fishing,
but only the most skilful anglers should expect suc-
cess, as the manipulation of them requires ex-
ceedingly delicate service.

I believe that the black bass will eventually be-
come the game fish of the country. Trout streams
are drying up by reason of trees being cut down ;
mills and factories being erected, and dams hold-
ing the water half stagnant during half the year.
This must eventually deal a death blow to the trout,
and even now the votaries of blaokbass fishing out-
number those of the trout ten to one.

One last piece of advice I offer you, is to al-
ways reel the line carefully after fishing, as a man
would clean his gun after shooting. Guide it to its
place with the thumb, and run it from side to side
of the reel like cotton on a spool. This will let it
dry evenly and prevent all bunching and snarling.
It is just as easy to do this as not, and the habit
once gained will become a mechanical act, and
save you lots of trouble and time before and afford
you good pleasure after you begin fishing.

m