176 PRACTICAL BAIT CASTING 



take more fish than you can use, not only from the 

 standpoint of sportsmanship but from the more selfish 

 one of spoiling one's future fishing. Most states 

 have a legal limit of ten, twelve, or fifteen fish per day 

 and these limits are very generous. 



The minimum legal size for bass in most states is 

 ten inches, but, except in case of small mouth bass in 

 streams, where they are inclined to run small, it is 

 not wisdom to keep fish of this size. A ten-inch bass 

 weighs scarcely a pound and under favorable condi- 

 tions he will almost double that weight in a year al- 

 ways give the fish the benefit of the doubt. 



Fish to be returned to the water should be handled 

 as little as possible and then only with wet hands. 

 Dry hands rub off the protecting slime and this ren- 

 ders the fish susceptible to fungus diseases, especially 

 if the water is warm. Holding a bass by the lower 

 jaw with the thumb in the mouth prevents his wrig- 

 gling and permits easy removal of the hook. 



The labor incident to fishing should be equally dis- 

 tributed. When two men fish from a boat, both can 

 cast when drifting with the wind or flow and each 

 should do his share of rowing back. In case there 

 is a high wind "to buck" using two pairs of oars will 

 probably be the most satisfactory. In stream fishing 

 from a boat one should be at the oars or handle the 

 paddle while the other is fishing. When working three 

 in a boat one should be at the oars while the other 

 two fish. 



Fishing two men to a boat is probably the most satis- 



