OUTDOORS 



as the hooks are very small and give the bass 

 a chance to fight and to break hooks. With 

 the large " spoons " the fish have little chance 

 to escape. 



Bait-casting, using the frog or live min- 

 now, the shiner or small perch, is justly 

 claimed to be a science by its advocates. It 

 requires a deftness of wrist movement, an 

 eye for distance, accuracy in placing the bait, 

 lightness in dropping it, and various other 

 accomplishments, besides a thorough knowl- 

 edge of the habits of the fish and of what is 

 " fishable " water. If the fisherman intends 

 to use minnows for casting, he should by all 

 means, if possible, get his bait at the lake 

 or river where he intends to fish. Minnows 

 are very fragile bait, easily killed, and prac- 

 tically gone at the first " strike." Some ex- 

 perts do great work with a dead minnow, 

 but they are the exceptions among the bait- 

 casters, and a live minnow is the best bait. 



A frog, when cast, can be brought back to 

 the boat with an enticing ripple, his legs 

 stretched out as though he was swimming 

 through the water, and he presents a most 

 alluring spectacle to hungry bass. The surg- 

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