FisJiing for Black Bass oh tJic Maiimee Rapids, OJiio. 



^11 



position, careless in every movement, 

 even to falling in unseen crevices- 

 Above the pool he sank his minnow can 

 and securely tied his two strings of 

 purchased l3ass, and watched them 

 struggling to get away while he hooked 

 on a live minnow for his first cast. 



It was about nine o'clock when he 

 made a long sweep with his line and 

 saw the live minnow touch the water 

 just below the old grey head at the head 

 of the pool. The bait had hardly 

 touched the water when a splash follow- 

 ed and the line hastened down the 

 stream toward deep water. After a 

 long and hard fight Harry netted a bass 

 weighing not less than four pounds. 

 This gave him life, and after placing 

 the beauty upon a new string and tying 

 one end to the button hole in his coat, 

 he prepared for the second cast. An- 

 other fine bass followed in about ten 

 minutes. The third minnow soon was 

 on its way down the rapids, and in a few 

 moments the third bass, weighing near 

 three pounds, was added to his string. 

 In rapid succession he added now a two- 

 pound bass, then a three, and so on imtil 

 he counted forty-five bass, and not one 

 ^veighing less than two pounds. Truly 

 a most wonderful catch. After lunch- 

 eon, Harr}' felt very much ashamed of 

 the forty small fish he had purchased of 

 the two country boys. Seeing that they 

 were alive he carefully released every 

 •one of them, and witnessed with delight 

 their disappearance in the pool below. 



Desiring to take to the Doctor's a 

 string of fish that would surprise the 

 natives he concluded to fish on until, 

 near sundown. As he was fighting a' 

 five pound bass he glanced toward the 

 green Hanford bluffs and wondered if 

 some one was noting his wonderful 

 success. When he was ready to say 

 farewell to this favorite pool he had 

 seventy-three of the finest bass ever 



caught with hook and line in any waters, 

 and a prouder man never waded up the 

 Maumee river or entered the village of 

 Waterville. When he was within hail- 

 ing distance of the bridge he recognized 

 the genial doctor coming down the hill 

 to meet him. The doctor had caught 

 bass and catfish in every pool from 

 Grand Rapids to Toledo, but when he 

 saw Harry's string of fish floating in the 

 river he stood as one spell-bound. He 

 stroked his whiskers, now glancing at 

 Harry, then looking long and wistfully 

 at the bass, imtil he finally said : 



"Well, old boy, you found 'em at 

 last. You are certainly the champion 

 of the rapids this season." 



" Yes, sir," replied Harry, " I certainly 

 am well paid for my visit to this roman- 

 tic river. I had the greatest catch of 

 my life." 



It was a difficult task to carry the fish 

 along the rocky river bed and then up 

 the hill to the doctor's home, where 

 they laid them side by side upon the 

 green lawn. They presented a sight 

 seldom, if ever, seen on the banks of 

 that noted river. Fishing news spreads 

 in a marvellously short time in a river- 

 side village, and half an hour after the 

 fish were on the grass the citizens came 

 from the business houses, the resi- 

 dences, the alleys and from across the 

 river, not only to see the fish but to 

 shake hands with the successful angler. 

 They greeted him as heartily as if each 

 had been his friend for years. 



While the crowd was standing around, 

 dividing their praises and admiration 

 between the fish and the fisherman, a 

 tall, lean, deep-voiced farmer from over 

 the river attracted the attention of the 

 villagers and addressed Harry as follows: 



" Say, Mister, but ain't you the young 

 man what bought the bass from my 

 sons this morning, and ain't them the 

 fish ?" 



