The Sunfisb Family 35 



As prejudice and ignorance go hand in hand, we 

 are not surprised when we hear persons — I do 

 not style them anglers — call the small-mouth 

 the " true " black-bass, implying that the large- 

 mouth is not a black-bass, but is, as they often 

 say, the Oswego bass, which is, of course, absurd. 

 I am glad to add, however, that the prejudice 

 against the large-mouth bass is dying out among 

 observant anglers, who know that a trout in a 

 clear stream is more vigorous than one in a 

 weedy, mucky pond. 



From my own experience I am prepared to say 

 that the large-mouth bass is more to be relied on 

 in rising to the fly than the small-mouth, which 

 fact should be taken into consideration when the 

 gameness of the two species is compared. The 

 remarks concerning fly-fishing for the small-mouth 

 bass are also applicable to the large-mouth, as 

 both are fished for in the same way, and with the 

 same tackle, except that the rod may be a little 

 heavier. For the large bass of the Gulf states the 

 rod should be fully eight ounces in weight, and the 

 flies a trifle larger, on hooks Nos. 2 to 6 ; other- 

 wise the tackle should be the same. 



Minnow-casting for the large-mouth need not 

 differ from that described for the small-mouth 



