BAIT-FISHING. 423 



BASS-FISHING. 



All the varieties of bass may be taken either by fly- 

 fishing, or trolling, and also by bottom-fishing with live 

 bait, dead bait, or various pastes. 



The striped bass in sea-ways is ordinarily taken, 

 either by squidding with a bright piece of bone ivory or 

 tin provided with hooks, or with the real squid on a drop- 

 line. 



He will rise freely in swift clear rivers above the influ- 

 ence of tide to a large gaudy salmon-fly, and must be 

 fished for, precisely as the salmon, with a two-headed rod 

 and salmon tackle. Being a bold strong fish, he fights 

 hard, and requires skill and patience to land him 



He may also be trolled for successfully with dead bait, 

 or spinning tackle, as the pickerel, or taken at the bottom 

 with crab or shrimp. In the spring, and in rivers where 

 shad run, there is no more killing bait than shad roe, pre- 

 pared as described above. 



The black bass and rock bass of the lakes will rise 

 freely and afford good sport to a large fly made of scarlet 

 ibis and silver pheasant feathers, four wings, two of each, 

 with a body of scarlet chenil. They can also be trolled 

 for successfully, as described above, or taken with a live 

 bait on roving tackle, or with the deadly spoon. For the 

 rock bass, the growler, and the pike perch, which two 

 latter-named fish are taken precisely in the same manner, 

 except that they will not rise to the fly, the common craw- 

 fish of the western waters, Astacus Hartoni, is a favorite 

 and killing bait. 



