THE BASSES: FRES H-W ATER AND MARINE 



Methods of Bait-Fishing 



The methods of fishing for black bass with baits, 

 excluding fly-fishing, are varied, and, I think, re- 

 quire skill in luring beyond that necessary to boat 

 all other fresh-water fishes that take a baited 

 hook. 



Still-Fishing 



Take the apparently simple one of still-fishing 

 from an anchored boat. In this style of fishing the 

 general rule is to strike at once when a fish plucks 

 fiercely. Not so with the bass; he is most leisurely 

 and lazy when taking the lure in still water, mov- 

 ing off slowly with it, generally down current, and 

 I doubt if ever a bass is hooked under such condi- 

 tions except by chance. One never knows when to 

 strike. Unlike the pike or pickerel, which take a 

 minnow bait, move off a few feet, stop and appar- 

 ently turn the minnow and swallow it head fore- 

 most, and then give a signal to strike by moving 

 off again, the black bass will at times hold the min- 

 now crosswise in its mouth and go slowly down cur- 

 rent sometimes 200 feet before stopping, and even 

 then at times seems to be toying with its prey, for 

 it is frequently found that striking and reeling at 

 that distance will bring the minnow, still alive, back 

 to the boat. This is a daily experience on the upper 



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