170 The American Angler 
certainty of their dispositions, how- 
ever, is not the least attractive thing 
about the bass, and there’s no telling 
what kind of weather they most de- 
light in running around in. 
In the spring, on a bright, sunny day, 
they are apt to be found in shallow 
water. Indeed, experts who know how 
to properly cast a fly or bait invariably 
fish in the shallows. There are times 
when fish gather in deep water and can 
be caught there, but these same fish go 
into shallow water to feed. This is one 
of the reasons why fly fishermen do not 
begin to kill rapidly until evening. Bass 
at the bottom of an eight or ten-foot 
hole will not rise to a fly or minnow on 
the surface, but still the solemn belief 
exists among fishermen that neither a 
bass or any angler ever knows what a 
bass is going to do. 
One hears so much of costly rods 
and reels and high-priced lines in bass 
fishing circles that the novitiate who 
has caught his first fish with borrowed 
tackle hesitates before securing a per- 
sonal outfit, but there is no necessity 
for this. A very good set of tackle can 
be secured for a moderate outlay Here 
it will be possible to get a good lance 
wood rod for, say, $2,a reel for $1,a 
line for $1,and hooks, leaders, sinkers, 
etc., $1 more. He will need a landing 
net and a bait bucket if he proposes to 
follow the sport through the season, 
but these can be obtained up the river 
where he makes his headquarters, if he 
is merely going to fish intermittently. 
Of course, if one has the means and 
inclination he can expend a consider- 
able sum on fishing tackle, especially if 
he favors automatic reels and desires to 
use one of the new steel rods, which 
are becoming so popular on account of 
their combined lightness, toughness and 
marvelous flexibility. 
After getting the tackle it is necessary 
to know where to go. If a person is so 
fortunate as to be invited up to one of 
the club houses his pleasure is assured, 
but there are numbers of places scat- 
tered along the river, where fishermen 
are accommodated and furnished with 
boats and guides to pole them for very 
moderate charges. 
Reached by canal boat or driving is 
Great Falls, where there are excellent 
accommodations, while several miles 
above, at the mouth of Muddy branch, 
is famous old George Pennyfield’s. He 
is the most ancient fisherman on the 
river. He entertained several years 
ago President Cleveland and Internal 
Revenue Commissioner Miller. 
Still further up is Seneca, nine miles 
above Great Falls, and one may be al- 
ways sure of finding remunerative sport 
there. The summer fishing is best in 
the rapids below the dam, while the 
deep water above is unequaled for fall 
fishing. There are islands here, known 
as “‘ Sharp Shin,” “ Lady Finger, 2° men 
Foot’ and “‘ Miscalls,” situated in the 
middle of the river, and are. wonderful 
in their picturesque beauty, while the 
bass gather in numbers along their 
shelving banks. The mouth of the 
Monocacy, Edwards Ferry, Tuscarora, 
Weverton, Point of Rocks, Brunswick 
and, Harper's Ferry all afford excel 
lent opportunities for anglers that are 
eagerly taken advantage of all during 
the season. 
Live bait is most generally depended 
upon by fishermen who frequent the 
Potomac to attract the bass and lure 
him to his doom, but there are scores 
of anglers who use the fly exclusively,® 
and who are vehement in their declara- 
tions that the red ibis or the brown - 
hackle, accurately and gracefully cast 
to the surface of a rock-guarded pool, 
