WHAT MAKES 'EM DO IT 155 



large and small-mouth bass, as well as the pike and 

 pickerel. Recently in a small lake in Michigan a 

 four-pound large-mouth bass was caught on a white 

 Wilson wobbler and this old-timer had a i4-ounce 

 croppie stuck in his mouth. A photograph of this 

 bass shows that his mouth is stretched to the limit 

 and that the job of inhaling the croppie was just 

 about the largest meal he ever attempted. Yet with 

 as much speed and dash as he could manage, with 

 such a mouthful, this bass made a savage attack and 

 succeeded in hooking himself in the side of the 

 mouth. Which seems to point to the fact that the 

 bass strikes not always for hunger, but with the idea 

 of showing that they are the boss of the home waters 

 and resent the approach of the wiggling, wobbling 

 lures as they splash in their locality. 



Most musky, pike and pickerel are caught on very 

 small lures. Artificial minnows and plugs ranging 

 from two inches to four inches seem to make the 

 deepest impression on these old barbarians, while 

 more strikes are lost with the larger lures, notwith- 

 standing that they are touted by some tackle dealers 

 as big fish killers. The larger artificials will attract 

 the big ones, but it seems that the fish can get a 

 leverage on the larger lures, while they cannot on 

 the smaller ones. On the larger baits the tail hooks 

 are often torn out by the fish and it appears they are 

 able to shake them loose far more easily than the 

 ordinary bass plug. For general all-round bait cast- 



