982 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Dec. 17, 1910. 
Black Bass in Winter. 
Norwich, Conn., Dec. 8 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: It has always been understood among 
those interested in fishing that the Fairview 
reservoir, which supplies the city with water, 
was abundantly stocked with small-mouth black 
bass. At present the pond is practically dry, and 
upon two different days about a week ago a 
seine was drawn, and not a single bass was dis¬ 
covered. In some places the bottom is rocky, so 
there may have been a chance for the fish to 
hide. Will you kindly inform me through the 
columns of your paper whether or not it would 
be possible that the bass, by burying in the mud, 
could have escaped the seine? I have been told 
that it is the habit of these fish to bury them¬ 
selves in mud during the winter season. If that 
is a fact, is it not likely that many of them are 
buried in mud that is not covered by water? 
Fully 90 per cent, of the basin is at this time 
uncovered by water, which is now 321 inches 
below high water mark. J. M. L. 
[It is the general impression that black bass 
hibernate in winter, but it is not likely that they 
bury themselves in the mud, since the species 
does not like dirty water. It is possible that the 
bass may have hidden among the rocks of the 
reservoir. At the Oneida hatchery of the New 
York State Fish and Game Commission, the 
small-mouth black bass hibernate in their pond 
in October or early November, and do not take 
any food throughout the winter. Undoubtedly 
they settle in the deepest part of the pond and 
remain there dormant, or at least quiescent. In 
the New York Aquarium, where the species has 
been under observation, the bass take no interest 
whatever in food of any kind in the winter 
months. 
If the Fairview reservoir now contains water, 
it is probable that the bass are located in the 
deep holes. —Editor.] 
The Big Bass of the Outlet. 
Berlin, N. Y., Dec. 8 . —Editor Forest and 
Stream: “Deer,” Uncle Hi said, “don't seem 
to care who shoots them,” and it is equally true 
that big fish do not care whose hook they 
take. 
The large trout, which has so often and so 
patiently been angled for by elaborately equipped 
sportsmen, is usually captured by a small boy 
with home-made equipment who drops his angle 
worm in the pool at the psychological moment, 
and the monster black bass, which years ago 
lived in the outlet of Lake Neahtawanta, Oswego 
county, was captured by three boys who were 
playing hookey from the seminary. 
It was one of the first fine days in spring, and 
the joy of a day in the open overcame the fear 
of punishment, and so school books were hid¬ 
den and the three slid as inconspicuously as pos¬ 
sible through by-streets to the bridge, and once 
over the river boldly marched down the main 
street to the lake. 
The morning soon passed in play, and with 
midday came ravenous appetites and nothing to 
appease them. Fish seemed their only hope. A 
piece of line was found in one pocket, another 
boy found a nail to be used as a sinker, and I 
remembered a hook which had been in the lapel 
of my coat all winter, and on that score I in¬ 
sisted on doing the fishing. 
A small frog was caught in the marsh, and a 
clear space being found in the outlet, the line 
was thrown into the water. The sinker struck 
bottom and was far enough from the hook to 
permit the frog to- rise to the surface of the 
water where he kicked vainly in an effort to 
reach the bank, but only for a few seconds, for 
from a bunch of eel grass a monster bass made 
a mad rush at the bait, hooked himself and was 
dragged up on the bank and promptly fallen on 
by the entire party. 
A search of pockets revealed one match—this 
is all true, mind you—and although a strong 
wind was blowing, a fire was made, the fish 
was cleaned and cooked, and three hungry 
stomachs were filled. 
From that time there were no more stories 
of a monster bass in the outlet, and fishermen 
soon ceased to try for him. Sandy. 
Some News and a Little Gossip. 
It seems proper nowadays as soon as a 
yachtsman holds office in one club and does 
well to elect him to office in another, it would 
almost seem that there is an order of merit 
among the clubs, and that to hold office in one 
organization will rank higher than a similar 
office in another. Of course to be commodore 
of a large club like the New York, the Larch- 
mont or Atlantic means much more than being 
commodore of some small club with only 
twenty or thirty members. For some years now 
there have been these changes which began 
probably when Commodore F. T. Adams went 
from the Atlantic Club to the Larchmont and 
was followed two years later by Commodore 
Robert E. 'iod. Commodore Arthur Curtiss 
James went from the Seawanhaka-Corinthian 
Y. C. to the New York Y. C., and Commodore 
Frederick G. Bourne was at one time vice-com¬ 
modore of the Atlantic, then commodore at 
Larchmont and later commodore of the New 
York Y. C. 
Following these precedents last year. Commo¬ 
dore Leonard Richards went from the Atlantic 
Y. C. to the Larchmont Club, and he has been 
re-elected as commodore. As many of these 
flag officers have graduated from clubs on the 
Lower Bay, yachtsmen of that section should 
feel highly complimented. Some more changes 
have been made this year. The Atlantic Y. C. 
has elected Commodore F. M. Wilson, of the 
Crescent A. C., as its rear-commodore, and 
Vice-Commodore Titcomb, regatta committee 
chairman; J. E. De Mund, house committee 
chairman; Walter H. Sykes and membership 
committee chairman Charles B. Ludwig are all 
Crescent A. C. men, who this year will serve 
the Atlantic Y. C. This progression, if it might 
be so called, is always a good thing in a way. 
Those members of one club who are later 
chosen to serve as an officer of another rarely 
forget their old club, and in this way good 
feeling is cemented among the many yachting 
organizations. 
Commodore F. M. Wilson, who has served 
four years as commodore of the Atlantic Y. C., 
will not accept a renomination. He is to be 
dined by the members of his club on Jan. 11. 
While commodore he has done much to help 
the sport in the club and has been very gener¬ 
ous in giving prizes. It is said he is to be 
succeeded as commodore by Vice-Commodore 
Edgar F. Luckenback. 
The annual meeting of the Brooklyn Y. C. 
was held last Wednesday, and a general meet¬ 
ing of the New York Y. C. on Thursday. 
Officers and committees were elected at these 
meetings, and the tickets have been published 
in the Forest and Stream. 
The auxiliary sloop yacht Buccaneer, owned 
by F. R. Wright, of Campello, has been sold 
to S. W. Fraser, of Savin Hill. Buccaneer was 
built for President A. Lawrence Lowell, of 
Harvard University, and used by him until last 
season at his summer home in Cotuit. The sale 
was made through the Hollis Burgess Yacht 
Agency. 
The Williamsburg Y. C. at its last meeting 
elected these officers: Commodore, John G. 
Wilson; Vice-Commodore, William J. Coen; 
Rear-Commodore. H. F. Beck; Treasurer. A. G. 
Ran; Financial Secretary, F. L. A. Schwarz; 
Corresponding Secretary, William S. Richards. 
The club is about to enter upon, its fortieth year 
of existence, and has every prospect of the com¬ 
ing season being the most prosperous and suc¬ 
cessful since its incorporation. 
The twenty-first annual meeting of the 
Rochester Y. C. was held last week. The elec¬ 
tion of officers resulted as follows: Commo¬ 
dore, W. P. Pembroke; Vice-Commodore, 
George R. Newell; Fleet Captain, Wilson H. 
Cross; Treasurer W. W. Hibbard; Secretary, 
Clute E. Nixon; Measurer, C. J. Pembroke; 
Fleet Surgeon, Dr. W. F. Plumley; Directors— 
George F. Argetsinger, A. R. Gorsline, George 
V. Fleckenstein and George P. Culp; Delegates 
to the Lake Yacht Racing Association—T. P. 
Pritchard, W. P. Pembroke and Frank T. 
Christy; Alternates—George P. Culp, Volney 
E. Lacy and M. T. Daly. 
The annual meeting of the Beverly Y. C. was 
held last Saturday afternoon, with a large at¬ 
tendance of members, owing to interesting mat¬ 
ters that were up for discussion. These were 
the advisability of moving the club house and 
the proposition of changing the name of the 
club from Beverly Y. C. to Buzzard’s Bay Y. 
C. After much discussion both of these matters 
were referred to a special committee. On the 
change of location the committee will renort at 
a special meeting at the club house at Wing’s j 
Neck next summer, and was instructed to re¬ 
port on a new location, place and the means of 
moving the club house. The following officers 
were elected for the 1911 season: W. E. C. 
Eustis. Commodore: David Rice. Vice-Commo¬ 
dore; F. A. Eustis. Secretary: Walter S. Crane, 
Treasurer; John H. Ellis, Measurer; E. M. 
