ii4 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



BREEDING AND GROWTH 



The breeding habits of the large mouthed bass do 

 not differ materially from those of the small mouthed 

 except that he will take advantage of his habitat and 

 build his nest on the roots of a water plant. Being 

 larger, as a rule, the females lay more eggs, have 

 larger broods, and nesting in warm water, the eggs 

 hatch sooner and the fry grow faster. Another ad- 

 vantage is that the fry do not develop cannibalism 

 until they reach the fingerling stage. 



Large mouthed bass average more in weight than 

 the small mouthed of equal age but in Northern waters 

 their maximum weight is but little more. In the 

 South, where the winters are mild and food abundant, 

 the fish do not hibernate and feed the year around 

 and attain great weights. Dr. Henshall has taken 

 these Southern bass up to fourteen pounds on a fly and 

 up to twenty pounds on bait. I have seen a mounted 

 specimen that is said to have weighed twenty-two 

 pounds and he looked it. These extra large fish, how- 

 ever, are nowhere abundant but many are caught in 

 Southern waters up to ten pounds. 



The average weights of the prize winners since 

 1912 of the different classes in the Field and Stream 

 annual contests are as follows: Southern, 13% 

 pounds; northern, 9%. pounds. 



GAMENESS 

 A great many anglers are of the opinion that the 



