74 THE FINE ART OF FISHING 



all present in this way: "I like to fish for brook trout," 

 he said, "but I prefer to catch black bass." 



More than anything else the introduction of the 

 short bait-casting rod and the general taking up by 

 anglers of casting from the free-running reel has served 

 to popularize the black bass and bass fishing. Bait-cast- 

 ing from the reel is an inherently interesting angling 

 method and in time will supersede among anglers any 

 other form or forms of bass fishing. At the present time 

 the method, while in very general use, cannot be said 

 to be universal in any such degree as fly-casting for 

 trout is generally practiced. But that it will eventually 

 become the generally accepted and universally ac- 

 credited form of sportsmanlike bass fishing now seems 

 a certainty. 



The Natural History of the Black Bass 



You must know something of the habits of the black 

 bass to fish for him successfully, and this is particularly 

 true in the case of the devotee of bait-casting. Given 

 a lake or stream with bass therein, something more is 

 necessary than merely getting into a boat or a pair of 

 waders, selecting some spot that looks sufficiently wet, 

 and then casting for "general results." The small and 

 large-mouth bass spawn during the months of May and 

 June, the exact time depending upon the temperature. 

 In water of a comparatively high temperature the 

 spawning period is prior to that in waters lower in 

 temperature, and in rivers the bass spawn earlier than 

 in lakes and ponds. The nest is guarded by the male 

 fish, and for some time after the eggs have hatched the 



