60 Bass, Pike, and Perch 



In angling for the warmouth, the same rods 

 and tackle mentioned under the head of rock- 

 bass are well suited. In the Southern states a 

 light native cane rod, ten or twelve feet long, and 

 a line of the smallest caliber, sea-grass or twisted 

 silk, is the favorite style of tackle, with hooks 

 Nos. 2 to 3 tied on light gut, and a quill float 

 and split-shot sinker. The usual bait is the 

 black cricket, or the catalpa worm or caterpillar. 

 The white grub found in decayed stumps, and 

 other larvae, crawfish and small minnows, are all 

 useful. Of these the minnow is the best. On 

 streams a small float is necessary to keep the 

 bait from the roots of overhanging trees. In 

 the stillness of Southern streams, under the moss- 

 draped trees, I have idled away many a dreamy 

 hour in the pleasure of fishing for the warmouth, 

 but at the same time fully alive to the weird sur- 

 roundings. Occasionally the splashing of a 

 hooked fish on the surface entices an alligator 

 from his lair in expectation of a fishy morsel. 

 The echoes are awakened time and again by the 

 pumping of the bittern, the hoarse cry of the 

 crane, or the hooting of an owl in the dark re- 

 cesses of the cypress swamp. The solitudes of 

 those waters are very fascinating to the lone 



