loo Bass, Pike, and Perch 



escape, the bass is making his furious dash for 

 Hberty beneath the surface, and exerting every 

 ounce of his muscular fibre in the effort. But 

 this immense strain cannot long be continued, 

 and as he seldom breaks water like the salmon, 

 and does not sulk, he resorts to strategy and 

 finesse to free himself. 



After making several desperate but ineffectual 

 rushes to escape, he may endeavor to chafe or 

 part the line against sharp rocks, or to foul it 

 among the kelp or sea-weeds. Sometimes, but 

 not often, he dives toward the angler to obtain 

 slack line, which is a dangerous move if the reel 

 does not respond quickly in taking up the loose 

 line. When it is considered that all of these 

 manoeuvres of a monster bass to free himself 

 occur amidst the rolling and tumbling of the 

 surf, or in the dashing of foam-crested combers, 

 while the angler often has but a precarious foot- 

 ing on a slippery rock, and perhaps with a half 

 gale of wind blowing, some idea may be formed 

 of the skill and good judgment required to sub- 

 due and land so valorous a fish. And under 

 such conditions it is very natural for the angler 

 to rank his noble quarry with the salmon. 



When a Baltimore boy I thought there was no 



