The Best of the Bass 133 



crayfish, and all are good at their proper time. Bass 

 are very capricious feeders. Some days they will 

 greedily take what they may have refused the previ- 

 ous day. A knowledge of this, and of what baits may 

 prove tempting, is invaluable. One of the deadliest of 

 baits is a big white grub found in rotten logs and sod. 

 The larvae of the bumble-bee and wasp, very young 

 mice, grasshoppers, and small frogs are all tempt- 

 ing upon occasions. The fry of the catfish, too, is 

 in some waters a reliable bait. Upon the stream in 

 question I preferred crayfish, white grubs, minnows, 

 and worms, in order as mentioned, and I always 

 endeavored to have at least three of these. Now 

 and then the fly tackle was called into play, but it 

 was always unreliable. 



The places where bass are sure to be include all 

 types of submerged trees and snags, well-shaded 

 spots under overhanging trees and banks, and mats 

 of water-grasses and lily-pads. In the stream in 

 question a fish is seldom taken from open water 

 above a clean bottom. In swift streams having 

 rocky bottoms the conditions would be entirely 

 different, but I am speaking of one stream, not of 

 bass fishing in general. The advantage of a thorough 

 knowledge of the water is of the greatest importance. 

 For instance, a mile upstream a big stump just 

 shows above the surface. The current sets in there, 

 and the spot is good for one fish, or two, if one 

 doesn't make too much row over the first. Two 

 bends above, on the opposite side, a big basswood 

 hangs over two or three fish there. A half mile 

 farther, right in midstream and apparently open 

 water, is a fine spot. Not a visible vestige of a 



