Aincricaii Fishciics Socicfy 171 



The' liass pursue tlic silvery lierring, wiiich is the principal natural 

 bait, and ascend the Little h'alls of the Potomac during the summer 

 months in vast numbers. They are captured in such quantities with the 

 net in the salt water and with hodk and line in the rapids, as to he almost 

 a drug in the market. 



As the season advances, the native crawls upon some rock that reaches 

 out into the stream and with his coarse hut elastic cedar pole, casts the 

 roll oi flannel wrapped round a hook and misnamed a fly, into the 

 seething current, and when the brave hsh seizes the clumsy allurement, 

 the hsherman contends fiu- the mastery as best lie may, occasionally at 

 the risk of a ducking in the stream consequent upon the sudden breaking 

 of his tackle, and accompanied with considerable risk. When a man 

 has but a slight foot-hold upon the slippery surface of a shelving ledge, and 

 has attached to the end of his nxl a vigorous Hsh of twenty pounds, lie 

 is apt to fall if the line parts uni'xi)ectedly. Alany are the tales of such 

 accidents, and now and then of fatal results. Generally speaking bass 

 are not hshed for with the fly north of the Potomac. 



But the ri\'er is still a delight to lishermen and on a single 

 da}' a few weeks ago it was estimated that 5,000 men and 

 women were playing at fishing, lining the rocks on hoth 

 banks, from Georgetown to Little Falls, and fleets of small 

 boats dotting the stream from Chain Bridge down. Proba- 

 1)1)' ne\er in the history of the ii\'er were so manv lines otit 

 in this reach, and the}' were cast in pleasant places, l)nt there 

 was a spate on and the fish were oil their feed, or frightened 

 by the invading arm}', and few fish were caught. 



Now for the new fish that are found here. In the lower 

 ri\'er, that is, tidewater below Little l*"alls, are fotind the red 

 and silver ides, only caught with net and called locally sand 

 perch. Plump tench are caught occasionally, up to a pound 

 in weight, on worms, (ioldfish are common and have gone 

 l>ack to original t}pe, an oli\'e bronze in color and nearl}' 

 alwax's niistaken for young carp. They are taken only with 

 the net, and are a favorite bait for the big-mouth bass. 



All these are onl}' n(')\'elties and attract no fishermen, but 

 the entire lower river is fished to brackish u'ater for big- 

 mouth bass, whicli. brought liere from Illinois and reaclt- 

 ing nine ])ounds in weight, have taken on entirel}- new 

 habits in tidewater, ddiese big-mottth bass were taken with 

 a spoon in (jtiantities every month of the past winter in the 



