The Black Bass 



that leap when hooked. Bottom-feeding 

 fishes bore toward the bottom or struggle 

 in mid-water. Every fish has its character- 

 istic way of resisting capture, but any fish 

 is more easily subdued if kept on the surface 

 by the skill of the angler and the use of 

 good and trustworthy tackle. 



The manner of taking a bait also varies Their Way with 

 considerably with different fishes; and the * ^^^ 

 character of their teeth is a good guide to 

 what they feed on. For instance, the cun- 

 ner and sheepshead are expert bait stealers. 

 With their incisor teeth their habit is to 

 pinch off barnacles and other mollusks from 

 their attachment to rocks and old timbers, 

 and so they nip off the clam or crab bait 

 from the hook with but little disturbance. 

 A trout takes a fly or bait with a vigorous 

 snap, without investigation as to its nature, 

 and a black bass does much the same, giv- 

 ing immediate and unmistakable notice to 

 the angler that there is " something doing." 



The black bass is one of the few fishes 

 that protects its eggs and young. It forms 

 its nest on gravelly or rocky shoals or shal- 



17 



