!>74 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[June 24, 1911. 
Bass Fishing 
By ROBERT PAGE LINCOLN 
O NCE having outfitted to suit his taste, 
the bass fisherman whose experience is 
limited to stray trips taken now and 
then, is ready for the finny brethren of the 
lake. I see no need of the stack of outing 
clothing and caps some of the wise ones rig 
themselves out with, for the fish will not bite 
the better because of them. 
The novices are just about of the same class 
the world over. They wait until they are right 
on the scene of the day’s fishing to learn how 
to handle the rod, and then they start in with 
a meed of oaths characterized to bring the fish¬ 
ing pastime to the right level. Some who are 
more sane have the unusual foresight to prac¬ 
tice beforehand at home on the lawn or on a 
field nearby, and their day of sport goes along 
more smoothly in consequence. It is a good 
idea to practice several evenings before the 
eventful trip with a weight of about the heft of 
the frog attached to the line. Of course, it is 
best to learn to cast on the water, but this is 
not really necessary. The preliminary practice 
will help materially. Some scoff at the idea. 
Casting looks easy to the man who is not 
actually in the game, but let him take the rod 
and try to cast; he will find that it is not easy. 
One must learn to place the bait where he 
wishes, with a careful gauging of the distance 
and without haste or blunder. And that takes 
practice, plus a certain amount of ingenuity, 
when you come to study the fish you are after. 
I have seen an amateur send a bait over the 
water like a shot, the bait skidding along the 
surface and finally sinking to the bottom, while 
the fisherman was busy untangling the line, which 
overran on the reel. 
Having jointed the rod, fasten the reel firmly 
on the seat, thread the line through the guides 
and fasten on the weight, presumably a piece 
of lead. Then take a position facing the open 
space with the rod held easily, tip down. The 
bait should be reeled in to about six inches or 
so from the rod top and the line should run 
out easily without the click on. The right 
thumb is held firmly on the line. The rod is 
swung backward then forward sharply, and the 
thumb is allowed to gradually ease on the line, 
but is not removed, since it entirely controls 
the bait. When it is seen that the bait is close 
to the water, the thumb pressure is increased 
gradually and the bait drops. 
In reeling in the line, place the butt of the 
rod against the stomach with the tip slightly 
up. The thumb and forefinger of the left hand 
guide the line into place on the spool while 
you are reeling in with the right. Hasty reel¬ 
ing is often the cause of a backlash in the cast 
that follows, since the line may be spooled un¬ 
evenly, and is easily tangled when brought forth 
in a smart cast; therefore, care should be taken 
to spool the line evenly. This is easy to learn; 
much of the success lies in making the thumb 
obey one’s will. If the reel spins easily, then 
the thumb must be pressed on the line a cer¬ 
tain space before the bait strikes the water. 
The bait should not be allowed to sink, and 
changing the rod from one hand to the other 
should take place quickly. With practice this 
becomes easy and clock-like in its regularity. 
When you have attained a general knowledge 
of the trick, it becomes fun, pure and simple. 
Always there is the satisfaction of knowing that 
each cast is a mite better placed than the 
previous one, and there is the constant expec¬ 
tation that a big bass may be taken. 
I think that the best thing to do is to work 
the thing out yourself. I have derived not a 
little satisfaction in reading books by the 
authorities, finding things already known to me, 
and, then again, striking a fund of knowledge 
that I had not realized. We always learn, and 
there is not a veteran fisher who will say he is 
a master of the subject. Bass are so uncertain 
in their habits that it is impossible to get them 
listed correctly. Bass are easier to be caught 
the first two or three weeks in June or earlier 
than in the open season. They then take bait 
with avidity. They are in the shallows at that 
time and live bait is sure to bring them in. I 
have often cast a live frog, allowing it to sink 
to the bottom, and then hiding, watch a big fel¬ 
low come along and gather it up. One who fishes 
each day for two weeks will find that luck is 
with him sometimes in the stormiest weather, 
when it is almost impossible to cast a bait with 
skill. In stormy weather I often hunt out coves 
or little bays where the water is quiet. There 
beside the rocks I have often landed some nice 
ones. Let the boat creep into the bay or cove 
and make your cast carefully. Early in the 
morning, just as the sun has topped the eastern 
heavens, the bass will take bait, later they may 
refuse. Then again at noon one may have suc¬ 
cess, but it is uncertain. At twilight they again 
come into the shallows, and by rowing a boat 
just outside of the weeds and casting inshore 
there may be luck for the angler. They often 
lie beside weeds and lilypads. The frog should 
be lively, since only action attracts the bass. 
The bait should drag alongside the weeds or a 
little to one side. Most bass do not strike in¬ 
stantly, but follow up the bait and nip at the 
legs. The usual method is for one man to row 
the boat while the other does the casting. When 
the bass strikes, an upward movement of the 
rod tip will set the hook firmly in the jaw of 
the fish. The black bass has a reputation for 
being a staunch and true fighter, and once real¬ 
izing that he is held, he sets about to free him¬ 
self. He may be inclined to go around in a 
slow circle; then he gathers momentum and 
rises, shaking his head viciously in an attempt 
to dislodge the hook. The man at the oars 
should help the man fighting the fish. Slack- 
line should be avoided, as much as possible, for 
it is under these circumstances that many good 
bass are lost. Often the fish will make a' dart 
for the boat and get under it, in which case 
the oarsman must do some quick work, and the 
angler must keep cool and collected, or there 
will be a mess of the whole business. When the 
fish is brought up to the surface the oarsman 
should have the net ready and scoop him out. 
Fish should be kept in a basket filled with leaves 
or wet grass, as then they will be in better con¬ 
dition than when hung out over the end of the 
boat and allowed to trail in the water—a 
method 1 am not much in love with. 
If the bass refuse to take in shallow water, it 
is a good idea to row out a little further where 
the water is deeper and still-fish for them with 
angleworms hooked on in small bunches to 
make a crawling mass. Or helgramite or frogs 
may be used. In still-fishing bass may be 
caught long after dusk. While the artificial 
minnow is good in some lakes, it is just the 
opposite in others. In the Northern lakes they 
are undoubtedly the best thing to be used— 
but in Minnesota they are not infallible. As a 
rule, our bass are taken with live bait. Fly¬ 
fishing is rather rare, though there are excel¬ 
lent places for this purpose in the State. 
THE TOP RAIL. 
A curious device has been made by an Eng¬ 
lishman who calls it a shot cork. It is intended 
not for use in a gun, as its name implies, but in 
the angler’s kit. It consists of a cork cylinder 
closed at one end, while for the other end there 
is a stopper; in fact, a cork. Filled with split 
shot, it will not disturb the meditations of silent 
fishermen—for the maker calls it the silent fish¬ 
erman’s shot cork—hence it is assumed that 
noisy anglers will have none of it. The price 
should not prove prohibitive, for it is only four 
cents. 
Why does not someone make a waterproof 
matchbox in the same way? Good cork is im¬ 
pervious to water, and it will float, which can¬ 
not be said of most of the so-called waterproof 
matchboxes. Besides, the stopper can be manipu¬ 
lated without using a Stillson wrench, and with 
one hand. When one is waist deep in a swift 
trout stream, and wishes to light his pipe, he 
wants a match at once, and in a receptacle that 
can be managed with one hand. In sailing a 
canoe, also, a third hand to light one’s pipe 
would be handy. When you are hiking out to 
windward on a long sliding seat, one hand on 
the tiller, the other assisting in your acrobatics, 
if not ho’ding the main sheet, and the desire 
to smoke seizes you, you are like the woman 
who, when her horse ran away, loosed the reins 
and hung on to her picture hat. To do one 
thing at a time, and do it well, was an aphorism 
invented before the time of s’iding seats and 
picture hats. But she saved the hat. 
There is perhaps no better pocket matchbox 
than two brass shells—a 10 and a 12 gauge, or 
either one with a cork stopper; but for one who 
smokes as Nessmuk did, two navy gun shells 
would be nearer the correct size, and that would 
call for a swivel and sling strap. 
* * * 
Nessmuk’s story? It was to’d by Charles 
L. Schember who, on first meeting the little 
veteran, informed him that he had read all of 
Nessmuk’s books and articles with a great deal 
of pleasure; but he added, his only criticism was 
that Nessmuk used so many periods. 
“Well, I’ll tell you,” said Nessmuk; “when I 
am writing I forget all about my pipe and it 
goes out. And every time I stop to light my 
pipe I’ve got to put a period to the sentence.” 
Grizzly King. 
