152 Sporting Sketches 



from appearances the Eau should be an ideal water, 

 comparatively few, but usually large fish are taken 

 from it. Upon the day in question I had trolled 

 with the handline around one end of the harbor, a 

 distance of several miles. There was a broad bor- 

 der of marsh, and plenty of weeds in the water, but 

 the great trouble was an overabundance of bass. 

 These were fine fish, but I felt like Hiawatha, and 

 craved the big fellow. 



When I reached the entrance to the harbor, the 

 lighthouse keeper hailed me, and after refusing some 

 fish because he could catch more than he could use, 

 he asked : 



" Why don't you try at the inner end of the piers 

 for a big fellow ? Anybody could kill them things! " 

 the things referred to being some very fair bass. 



For a moment I fancied he was putting up a job, 

 for the spot indicated was unpromising for 'lunge, 

 but he was in earnest and I knew better than to 

 dispute his knowledge. If you are going to do a 

 thing at all, you may as well do it thoroughly so 

 I did. For an hour I paddled back and forth, tak- 

 ing a couple of good bass, but receiving no word 

 from the desired big fellow. At last, when I had 

 about decided to give it up, the keeper hailed me. 



" You go too fast," he said. " Work clear down 

 past that big clump of rushes, turn it, and come 

 back here and see what you do. Go slow, now," he 

 concluded. 



It seemed a foolish task, but I went as directed, 

 slipped round the rushes and headed back. Some- 

 body must have applied for a stay of proceedings, 

 for on a sudden everything was brought up standing. 



