34 Bass, Pike, and Percb 



tion and the guarding of the eggs and young 

 beins about the same. 



As to the much-mooted subject of the game- 

 ness of the large-mouth bass I have no hesitation 

 in saying, from an experience of nearly forty 

 years, covering all sections of the country, that 

 where the two species coexist there is no differ- 

 ence in their game qualities. The large-mouth is 

 fully the equal of the small-mouth where they are 

 exposed to the same conditions. Many anglers 

 profess to think otherwise, but their deductions 

 are drawn from a comparison of the two species 

 when subject to totally different environment; 

 for it is altogether a matter of environment and 

 not of physical structure or idiosyncrasy that in- 

 fluences their game qualities. A small-mouth bass 

 in a clear, rocky stream, highly aerated as it must 

 be, is, as a matter of course, more active than a 

 large-mouth bass in a quiet, weedy pond. 



With others the opinion is merely a matter of 

 prejudice or hearsay, a prejudice that is, indeed, 

 difficult to account for. It does not make the 

 small-mouth bass a gamer fish by disparaging 

 the large-mouth. As I have said elsewhere, if the 

 large-mouth bass is just as game as the small- 

 mouth, the angler is just that much better off. 



