148 Book of the Black Bass. 



embrace it, and at once began to champion the cause of 

 the black bass. 



I prepared a series of articles on the black bass and black 

 bass angling, and described at some length the proper rod, 

 reel, line, hook, etc., and mode of using them, to render it 

 not only feasible, but practicable, to convince the angler 

 of the high order of game qualities inherent to the black 

 bass, and that by the use of suitable tackle it would not 

 suffer by a comparison with other game-fishes. The seed 

 of these articles was sown in good ground, and yielded 

 abundantly. I received letters from hundreds of black 

 bass anglers, in all parts of the country, thanking and 

 complimenting me for the ideas suggested, and for espous- 

 ing the cause of their favorite fish, the black bass. The 

 result proved far beyond my most hopeful anticipations, 

 and I have the satisfaction of knowing that to-day there is 

 no game-fish more eagerly sought for, and none that is 

 being more rapidly introduced into new waters by its ad- 

 vocates and admirers. 



In February, 1875, I contributed an article, entitled 

 " The Coming Black Bass Eod," to " Forest and Stream," 

 which gave a description of my idea of a proper rod for 

 black bass angling, founded on many years experience, and 

 the use of many different rods for this purpose. Mr. C. P. 

 Orvis, of Manchester, Vermont, at once began the manu- 

 facture of a black bass rod from those suggestions, and he 

 was soon followed by other manufacturers, who, seeing the 

 necessity for a new departure from the old beaten path, 

 soon began to make short and light black bass rods more 

 in accordance with the spirit of the age and the demands 

 of their customers, and thus replaced the former long, 

 heavy and clumsy affairs by the elegant, short, light and 

 pliant rod of the present day. And not only has the length 



