THE question of baits is the one which bothers the bass 

 fisherman at all times of the season and numerous argu- 

 ments have been held o-n this subject. One angler 

 swears by a live bait, while another sticks to the artificial 

 minnow and in his narrowness each one is likely to be wrong. 

 The man who has any set rules for bait, is about the biggest 

 mark who goes fishing and the thing for each individual 

 angler to do is to allow his own experience to guide him. 

 For the first two weeks of the season, especially in the lakes 

 south of the pines, I believe frogs are unquestionably the 

 best all-around bait for casting. At that time the bass are 

 lying up close in the weeds and cannot be fished with any 

 degree of pleasure except with a weedless hook and a frog. 

 An expert caster can do pretty good work with a small peail 

 spoon and bass strike this with a terrible rush when it ap- 

 peals to them at all. In the lakes farther to the north I be- 

 lieve the artificial baits are by far the best of any, especially 

 the bright, attractive spinner minnows, which seem irresist- 

 ible to both large and small-mouthed black bass. 



Many fishermen still use the long cane pole an1 a fairly 

 long line and are very successful. Rowing along the edge of 

 the lily pads the live bait is dropped in here and there and 

 nearly the same results as in casting with a frog are ob- 

 tained. For this fishing the frog is undoubtedly the best bait, 

 although craw-fish and large minnows have been tried with 

 good results. This same craw-fish, in fact, is one of the best 

 natural baits known for bass, but of course, can only be used 

 with a cane pole, as it is not at all adaptable for casting. 



When the well equipped angler starts out on a fishing trip he 

 should certainly not think of relying on one tait any more than 

 he would think of taking along but a 'single line. At times 

 bass will not take frogs and to continue fishing with a bait 

 which the fish evidently are not eating, is the height of folly. 

 At such times as these it shows pretty good judgment to slip 



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