UNCLE AND @GHE BASS. 
Be NV. °C. 
It was about 3 o'clock when, 
ing from my boat where I was busily 
engaged in casting for bass, I saw a 
party of three gentlemen just stepping 
from a carriage. They were at the 
boat landing, but a short distance away, 
and I recognized them at once. One 
was an uncle of mine, and the others, 
two friends. 
I at once took up the oars and, row- 
ing in, shook hands with them and in- 
vited them to a share in the sport. 
We divided the party, Uncle going 
with me, and our friends securing an- 
other boat, we started in different direc- 
tions. 
Uncle had come provided with a very 
good outfit, consisting of a lancewood 
casting rod and a fair multiplying reel 
belonging to his son, but he was in ab- 
solute ignorance of the proper manner 
in which to use them. I at once gave 
him a practical illustration, and soon 
had him casting after a fashion. 
iho» cast a nice line, like riding a 
bicycle, looks very easy to the on- 
looker, but there are difficulties. Uncle 
found this true, and the time he oc- 
cupied in untangling his line was much 
greater than that he used in fishing. 
I would say: 
‘‘Now, Uncle, see that little bunch of 
lily pads over there? Drop your frog 
close to them; it is a favorable place.”’ 
Uncle would draw back his rod as he 
had seen me do, and with a mighty 
effort slap his frog down on the water, 
about fifteen feet from the boat, with a 
concussion that would have killed any 
fish within a radius of ten rods, let his 
reel spin out enough line for a hundred 
and fifty feet cast, and then sit down 
glanc- 
KEPLER. 
and patiently untangle what he called 
one of ‘‘them things.” As he was 
using his own rod and reel it was only 
fum stor me, but 1 had to enjoy itin a 
very quiet manner indeed, and listen, 
during the operation, to a lecture upon 
the old style of fishing, in which strong 
tackle and brute strength were the 
means employed. 
Patience in any pursuit is always 
more or less rewarded, and at last Uncle 
had gained sufficient skill to make 
about every third cast in a respectable 
manner. Now the bait that I had on 
hand was frogs, as I think I have men- 
tioned before, and very large ones. It 
has been my experience that if one 
wants large bass or pike—numbers not 
being a consideration—extra large bait 
is the thing to use. My conversion to 
this practice was brought about in this 
manner: 
I had been camping on this lake 
about two weeks and, as I could not 
obtain minnows, had been using frogs 
continually. At first I used small 
grass frogs three to four inches in 
length, taking with them a nice catch 
of bass, so far as numbers went, aver- 
aging from one-half to one and one- 
half pounds in weight. One forenoon 
I ran out of these small frogs, and 
having one with me plenty large enough 
to eat—in other words, a genuine bull- 
frog—I placed it on my hook more for 
the pleasure of continuing my casting 
than with the expectation of catching 
anything with it. A few casts were 
made and behold, a strike. I gave him 
plenty of line, and when I judged the 
proper moment had arrived, sent the 
hook home. At once I knew that I 
