PROSPECTING 153 



invariably if there is a bass in the immediate vicinity of 

 the cast and he is in a rising mood, he will strike at 

 the first or second cast ; if he does not, subsequent casts 

 in the same place will seldom persuade him. With one 

 man at the oars or paddle and another to handle the 

 casting rod, working around the lake shore slowly and 

 without stopping to whip out any one place to a finish, 

 it is possible to prospect new fishing grounds very 

 quickly and effectively. 



When casting from a boat or canoe a great deal 

 depends upon the man at the oars or paddle. It is an 

 open question who deserves the most credit for the suc- 

 cessful landing of a big, hard-fighting game fish, the 

 man behind the rod or the one who, by his skilful 

 handling of the fishing craft, aids the rod at every stage 

 of the game. The canoemen of the North aid the 

 angler in his pursuit of salmon and square-tails. In the 

 North and West the man behind the paddle or the oars 

 is more than a small factor in the landing of masca- 

 longe. Wherever there are bass, there, too, are the 

 fin- and weather-wise boatmen, upon whose knowledge 

 of feeding grounds and boat handling the sportsman 

 tourist must largely depend. 



At present the rowboat is in most general use for 

 fishing purposes, but the canvas-covered canoe is con- 

 stantly gaining in popularity, especially for stream fish- 

 ing. There is also a general tendency in most all locali- 

 ties toward better boats. Some years ago it was the 

 exception to find, save among privately owned boats, 

 anything much better than a "pung," a blunt-nosed, 

 leaky monstrosity with a chronic objection to direct 



