3 6 ° 



RECREA TION. 



They weighed together, 2>7 pounds. I 

 never caught but one larger than these, al- 

 though my brother caught one in this lake 

 weighing 18 pounds. 



A short time after this, I was at the same 

 place, when a man was fishing for pickerel. 

 I asked him what luck. He said he had 

 had 2 or 3 bites, but could not catch any- 

 thing. He pulled the line as soon as he had 

 a bite. 



I took his line; I could now throw it full 

 length, ioo feet. I had not cast many times 

 when I felt a bite. I let the fish run until it 

 stopped; when it started again, I pulled it 

 in. This was a pickerel weighing 14 

 pounds. When fishing one evening, at 

 Pickerel bay, I was standing in the boat 

 talking to a man on shore. The line was 

 in my hand, ready to throw. The bait may 

 have touched the water, but I think not. 

 The pickerel probably came from under the 

 boat and saw the bait. At any rate, he 

 jumped and caught it, broke the line and 

 took the hook and chain with him, and 

 nearly pulled me out of the boat. The com- 

 motion in the water was so great, and the 

 jerk so strong, I thought it was the largest 

 pickerel I had ever seen. 



Getting a new hook and chain, I went to 

 the same place next morning. I caught one 

 pickerel weighing 7 pounds. I told my 

 folks I could not catch the big one that took 

 my hook; but on cutting this one open my 

 hook and chain, lost the night before, were 

 found in his stomach. 



Bass were also plentiful at that time. I 

 caught big-mouth black bass that weighed 7 

 pounds. In July and August I would go to 

 a deep lake, now called Schwartz lake, to 

 catch silver bass. Starting after breakfast, 

 I would walk nearly 3 miles to the lake, 

 catching grasshoppers on the way. I would 

 paddle where the water was 20 feet deep, 

 and catch 25 or 30 bass in as many minutes. 

 They averaged l / 2 pound. Then I would 

 get home in time for a fish dinner. I do 

 not recollect ever having failed to do this. 



After an absence of 36 years, I tried again 

 to catch silver bass in this lake, using the 

 same bait; the only difference was my rod 

 and reel. I could not get a bite. I have 

 fished in this lake the last 5 or 6 years with- 

 out catching even one silver bass, although 

 there are some there. However, I have 

 taken some small-mouth bass, weighing 

 from 1 to $]/ 2 pounds. 



BESS OF RUSH. 



Here is a portrait of Bess of Rush 

 (38.276) who is owned by F. A. Sweet, 

 Smyrna, N. Y. She is by Royal Kent, out 

 of Floss of Rush. Bess is a handsome little 

 pointer and a splendid hunter. She has 

 never been shown, but is capable of hold- 

 ing her own with the light weights — 35 

 pounds — on the bench as well as in the 

 field. 



A high grade modern upright piano for 

 200 subscriptions to Recreation. Write 

 for particulars. 



YOUNG JACK RABBIT. 



When making up your list of Christmas 

 presents don't forget to include a year's 

 subscription to Recreation for each of 

 them. Nothing you could think of would 

 arive them more solid comfort. 



