THE BLACK BASS. ^ I 57 



* * They may be captured by casting the fly as for Salm- 

 on or Trout, and this is by far the most sportsman-like way, 

 but the most destructive and usually resorted to is trolling." 

 But, unfortunately, the only personal description of Black 

 Bass fishing he gives is by trolling with large flies. 



The only experience related by Norris is this: "I have 

 taken this Bass in the vicinity of St. Louis, on a moonshinv 

 night, by skittering a light spoon over the surface of the 

 water, while standing on the shore." 



Scott devotes just three lines to Black Bass fishing: "This 

 fish is taken by casting the artificial fly, or by trolling with 

 the feathered spoon, with a minnow impaled on a gang of 

 hooks, and forming spinning tackle." 



In the light of the present literature of the Black Bass, 

 these antiquated ideas are quite amusing, while in the matter 

 of tools and tackle they seem very crude when contrasted 

 with our present light and comely bait-rods and fly-rods, 

 to say nothing of improved reels, lines, and hooks. 



But while these Nestors of the gentle art were recommend- 

 ing Salmon rods, and Striped Bass rods and heavy trolling- 

 rods for a fish they knew nothing or very little about, prac- 

 tically, the true Black Bass fishers of the then West and 

 Southwest were using light cane rods, Kentucky reels, and 

 the smallest sea-grass lines. They knew nothing of Salm- 

 on, Striped Bass, or trolling rods, and had no use for 

 them had they known them. 



More than thirty years ago I saw anglers in Kentucky and 

 Southern Ohio using natural cane rods, ten feet long and 

 weighing but a few ounces (much lighter, in fact, than any trout 

 fly-rod then in voguej, with Frankfort reels aflfixed by grooved 

 metal reel-seats to these native cane rods. This gave me my 

 first idea of short and light bait-rods for Black Bass fishing. 



Until a few months before this, as a boy in Baltimore, I 

 had used similar jointed cane rods, of my own construction, 

 for White Perch and small Striped Bass in the Patapsco 



