M4: Book of the Black Bass. 



merely suggests that "it was out of condition, somehow," 

 or " was hooked so as to drown it early in the struggle ; " 

 and so, as his largest fish will necessarily he hig-mouth 

 hass, and because they do not fight in proportion to their 

 size, they are set down as lacking in game qualities — of 

 course, leaving the largest small-mouth bass out of the 

 calculation. 



Gentle reader, this is not a case of special pleading, nor 

 is the angler a creation of the imagination lugged in as an 

 apologist for the large-moiith bass; he is a veritable 

 creature of flesh and blood, of earth earthy, and with the 

 self-conceit, weaknesses and shortcomings characteristic of 

 the genus homo. I have met him and heard his arguments 

 and sage expressions scores of times, and if the reader will 

 reflect a moment I am sure he will recognize him. 



Many years ago I was at Gogebic Lake, Wisconsin, where, 

 among a number of prominent anglers, were Dr. F., and 

 Dr. T., both of New York City. Dr. F. had a very 

 extensive angling experience in all parts of the country, 

 and Dr. T. was well known as a participant in the fly- and 

 bait-casting contests in the tournaments of the National 

 Eod and Eeel Association of that day. 



Dr. F. was a firm believer ia the superior game qualities 

 of the small-mouth bass, and declared that he could in- 

 variably tell what species of black bass he had hooked, 

 from its manner of "fighting." Dr. T. was confident he 

 could not do so. The matter was finally put to a practical 

 test, when Dr. F. was forced to acknowledge himself van- 

 quished, and that he nor any other angler could make the 

 distinction, for one fish was as " gamy " as the other. I 

 might add that this result wiU be obtained wherever the 

 two species exist in the same waters. 



