A DIG ONK THAT DID XOT CKT AWAY. 



H. 13. LAN DC RAF. 



Mr. William Locraft, popularly known as 

 Uncle Billy, and 1 had been planning a 

 trip up river for sonic time. On receipt of 

 a telegram from our old friend, George 

 Walters, that the water was in condition 

 and the bass were biting freely, we gathered 

 our traps, hied away to the railroad station 

 and boarded the 5 130 p. m. train for Dicker- 

 son's station. There we found George, Jr., 

 awaiting us. 



We climbed aboard the wagon and drove 

 2 miles to the old familiar house which 

 stands on the bank a short distance from 

 the junction of the Monocacy and the Po- 

 tomac rivers. 



Early the next morning we were at the 

 river. It was an ideal day for bass. There 

 was a light frost on the ground and the air 

 was sharp and crisp. As I shoved the boat 

 out in the stream, Uncle Billy said, 



"Son, one of us is due for a whopper 

 to-day." 



Uncle Billy rowed while I trolled as far 

 as Red Rock, catching a small bass on the 

 way down. We cast anchor at a favor- 

 ite hole, fished it half an hour, and I caught 

 another small bass. We moved about fre- 

 quently on the way, catching occasional 

 bass, until I had 6, but not even a nibble 

 for Uncle Billy. 



At 3 o'clock we were gradually working 

 upstream toward the house ; also toward a 

 favorite spot where we seldom failed to 

 hook a bass. Uncle Billy remarked, 



"It appears you have it on me this trip." 



We anchored again, and he got his first 

 strike, which was- a good one. He hung 

 the fish but, unfortunately, lost him, the 

 fish running under a snag, part of which 

 Uncle Billy brought up on his line. The 

 most patient and optimistic of anglers, he 

 was plainly nettled at his persistent ill luck, 

 for it is unusual for him not to have the 

 majority catch in any company. 



AYe finally anchored at our favorite last 

 chance, as we term it, and Uncle Billy said, 



"Son, it's now or never." 



Selecting the largest smelt in the pail,- 

 he fastened it on the hook, spitting on It 

 for luck, and cast toward the Maryland 

 shore. He then lit a cigar and began a 

 discourse on the uncertainties of life, ang- 

 ling in particular, when suddenly his reel 

 shrieked. He turned pale and shook as if 



he had the ague. The fish ran out fully 

 IOO feet of line before Uncle Billy could 

 check him. Me was extraordinarily active 

 for a fish of his size and weight, practicing 

 all the tricks of his kind, several times 

 leaping clear of the water in his efforts to 

 free himself of the hook, sulking and lying 

 back like a jackass, refusing to be coaxed 

 or forced. 



Uncle Billy was not so confident as usual 

 concerning the outcome ; he was visibly 

 nervous, though he afterward swore he had 

 never been more composed in his life. 

 After a spirited and exciting contest of 20 

 minutes, the bass succumbed to the supe- 

 rior skill of the veteran, and was brought 

 to net, defeated, but not conquered, for as 

 he lay on the bottom of the boat gasping 

 for air, he made a last desperate flop and 

 came near going over the side. 



After firmly securing him to avoid an- 

 other story of how the big one got away, 

 we hoisted anchor and pulled for the house 

 where congratulations were in order. 



The next day we departed, with a hearty 

 invitation to return soon and duplicate the 

 feat. Arriving in due time at Dickerson's, 

 we boarded the train, proud and happy. 

 Had we been inclined to gamble we could 

 have won considerable money, as there was 

 a party of anglers in the forward car, one 

 of whom had caught a 5 T 4 pound bass at 

 Pomt of Rocks. They were anxious to bet 

 their clothes that their bass was the largest 

 fish on the train, until they saw our cham- 

 pion. For the rest of the homeward jour- 

 ney Uncle Billy was kept busy telling about 

 his capture. 



Uncle Billy presented his fish to the 

 Smithsonian institution, where it is now 

 on exhibition. The officials v-ere highly 

 pleased to receive so fine a specimen and 

 awarded him a diploma, also stating that 

 it was the largest fish of its kind on record 

 ever taken with hook and line from the 

 Potomac or any of its tributaries. It is 

 tagged as follows : 



Species, small mouth bass, Microptcnis 

 dolomiei. Weight, 6]A pounds; length, 22]A 

 inches. Tackle, Bristol steel rod. Von 

 Hofe reel. No. 44 braided silk Kingfisher 

 line, No. 30 New York bass hook. Bait, 

 live smelt. Caught, November 1, 1903. 



"Aren't you afraid of catching cold? 

 This room is like a barn." 



"That's all right. I'm working like a 

 horse." — Harvard Lampoon. 

 73 



