MY FAVORITE FISH. 143 



many of the scales tinged with a dull brassy 

 spot. After death they soon fade to a bluish- 

 white in hue. They live for the most part in 

 deep still water, such as occurs alongside the 

 patches of water willow, and especially about 

 old, partly submerged logs, stumps and piles of 

 drift. The vicinity of rocks and overhanging 

 banks, and cavities behind clusters of fibrous 

 roots should also be tried, the bait being dropped 

 gently into the water. If the fish be hungry it 

 will take it with a rush which will carry the 

 cork far under. It is necessary to jerk quickly 

 as the fish lets go the instant it finds the bait is 

 attached to something. When well fed it often 

 nibbles awhile, then takes hold and pulls the 

 cork gently straight downward, much, after the 

 manner of a good sized bull-head catfish. They 

 are not very gamy, being much less so than the 

 blue-gills 52 of the lakes, but oftentimes make 

 quite a fight, especially when partly entangled 

 among roots and drift. The flesh is sweet and 

 the small bones few. Personally I delight in 

 angling for them, principally because they bite 

 quickly and one does not have to wait half an 

 hour or half a day to get action for his labor. 

 Again, as already stated, I usually fish for meat, 

 not for sport. I seek numbers or pounds, not 

 an extra hard pull. It gives me as much joy to 

 catch a large goggle-eye as it does the average 



82 Lepomis pallidus Mitchill. 



