BASS IN THE RIVERS AND STREAMS 87 



imitate a bull pup, giving a series of short, snappy 

 jerks until something gives in the tackle line. 



ONE OF HIS MANY TRICKS 



One of his stock tricks is to watch your line, and 

 the moment he gets a little slack, up out of the water 

 he jumps, giving a shake that would make a fair- 

 sized " musky " turn green with envy. This is not 

 merely a shake of the head such as is stated by some 

 fishermen, but a strong jerky shake that brings 

 into play all the muscles of his body. He does not 

 stop at one jump, but will leap repeatedly into the 

 air, each time giving a master shake of his husky 

 body. After the first leap you may think you have 

 lost him and start reeling in, when, 20 feet away 

 from his first flop, up he comes again. This is his 

 method of showing an amateur how a well developed 

 bass loosens a hook from his mouth, and unless you 

 reel in that slack mighty quick, he will sure show 

 you. 



ON HIS WAY UP-STREAM 



The bass is always on the move upstream, which 

 is likely caused by the scarcity of natural food in the 

 lower waters. He has no love for rapids or riffles 

 and is seldom if ever found in them, but in the quieter 

 waters at the lower end of a rapids or in the eddies 

 on either side he is right at home. Although he does 

 not like the rougher, swifter waters of the rapids and 



