apart (which would, as I say, be strange 
indeed) one need only stretch wide the 
dorsal fin to find a difference. 
THE forward dorsal fin of the rock 
bass is set with eleven strong spines 
that are more or less the same length. 
The calico bass has only six spines in 
its forward dorsal; added to which is 
the fact that the back dorsal is much 
larger than that on the rock bass. The 
coloration of rupestris is subject to 
change, and varies sometimes in differ- 
ent waters. Thus in one lake one will 
catch a rock bass that is exceptionally 
beautiful, which, when taken fresh and 
cripping out of the water, glistens gol- 
den-yellow in the sunlight and upon 
close inspection shows that the body is 
dusted over with a pronounced russet 
that actually seems dust—or bronze 
powder would seem more like the cor- 
rect expression. I was almost startled 
one time to pull up one of these rock 
bass so handsomely colored, and only 
the fact that I was far fom the borders 
of civilization prevented me from hav- 
ing the wonderful fellow mounted. 
This specimen would go probably one 
pound or more in weight and was an 
example of what is possible for growth 
in certain lakes of the north. It does 
seem strange to me that in some lakes 
we should capture them scarcely large 
enough to keep for food, while in other 
lakes they grow to what is really a 
mighty weight for a rock bass. 
Exceptional conditions, of course, 
make for this. The lake in question 
was not over crowded with the pikes, 
hence the rock bass had been able to 
grow up without being cut off in their 
prime, so to speak. And, too, there had 
been few men there to fish, with the re- 
sult that the large ones were almost 
fearless. It surprised me how readily 
they took the flies. We would work the 
boat into the bays, and there, beside 
the sunken trees, fallen down from 
shore out into the water, the lusty fel- 
lows would keep themselves. 
THE rock bass is not quite so aggres- 
sive as the calico bass, but not far 
from it. He is gamey and when he hits 
the fly it is with a determination to 
have it all to himself. Owing to the 
large size of the mouth of rupestris 
one can use bass size flies tied to Num- 
ber 1-0 hook, and if it is kept sharp and 
if the cast is made right one should 
have no trouble in winning all that one. 
would want for eating purposes. I 
have caught rock bass not quite four 
inches long on bass flies which goes 
to show that when one of these fellows 
does hit the fly it manages to get it all 
in the mouth in spite of the large size 
of the hook. 
As I have stated, under exceptional 
Page 527 
conditions, the rock bass not oniy grows 
to weight, and is rich and beautifal 
in coloration, but is equal to a bass for 
the fight that he puts up. Occasionally 
in the north, one will come across small 
lakelets, or, as one would call them, 
ponds. These being spring fed, and 
owing to their small area, the water is 
exceptionally cold. I have taken them 
out of such waters with scales that were 
far thicker than those of the same 
species taken out of warmer waters; 
indeed they were so close laid on the 
body and so difficult to remove that, in- 
stead of flying off, as scales sometimes 
will, they had to be removed a little at 
a time. 
‘THE peculiarity of this condition of 
thick scales and unusual vigor 
points unmistakably to the benefits of 
the cold water. In one of these lake- 
lets I have captured on the fly the crop- 
pie, the rock bass, the sunfish, the 
large and small-mouth bass, and the 
pike—all of these being represented in 
a small lake, fed both from the bottom 
and by a large spring on shore, the 
lake being connected with a river into 
which it was emptied. On one occasion, 
I caught a fish close in shore and was 
rowed out into the water there to fight 
him, my belief being that it was a small- 
mouth bass instead of a rock bass. 
After a fight that was marked by a 
grim determination of the fish not to 
show himself at the surface, I finally 
got him up. My surprise was great 
upon finding it to be a rock bass of 
about a pound and one-half, one of the 
largest I have ever caught on the fly. 
At that time it was my belief 
that the species in question 
would not seize the fly; and, 
furthermore, that it was no 
fighter at all. I soon changed 
my opinion and since then I 
have captured them in num- 
bers on the feather creations, 
and have a respect for this 
member of the sunfish family 
that will not down. 
The range of distribution 
of the rock bass is not great. 
It is found throughout the upper Mis- 
sissippi river valley in a straight line 
north, edging slightly westward in the 
north country into Manitoba, thence 
eastward into Canada, taking in the 
Great Lakes region. It is said that the 
largest rock bass will not go over two 
pounds weight. It is probable that 
larger ones are caught, especially in 
favored waters. The rock bass of the 
cold waters is the fish that I have a 
special place for in my consideration; 
but in the average warmed-out, even 
half-stagnant waters, as found in so 
many lakes, the rock bass is probably 
the most dull and lifeless creation of 
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them all. When captured it ponies in 
without fight; with hardly a move of 
the tail. 
HE coloration of the fish will be a 
pale washed-out hue, and the scales 
will be so soft that they may be pushed 
off with a finger run under them. The 
rock bass of the cold water lakes and 
streams of the north is so different 
from these that there is no comparison. 
If the rock bass has gotten for itself 
a name for a fish with no energy and 
no fight on the hook, it is principally 
by reason of those members caught in 
these warmer waters having no “get” 
and “go” to them. The rock bass is 
not, strictly speaking, a stream fish, 
but this is not to say that it is not 
found in the streams. As a stream fish 
it shows much energy, this being the 
result of living a life bucking a cur- 
rent and holding its own in those 
waters. There are some streams of the 
north that are more or less famous as 
rock bass streams; up these streams the 
species will come on what I would term 
a “feeding run.” 
On one occasion I “ran into” such a 
run and I had the time of my life. 
Every one of the clear water pools 
along that Wisconsin stream was full 
of them, and by getting the flies down 
deep enough a strike was almost certain. 
Of course on a feeding run any fish is 
active. The same is true when the wall- 
eyed pike run up from Superior in the 
streams, such as the Bois Brilé. Then 
one can fish to his heart’s content, and 
be rewarded, no matter apparently 
what sort of a bait is used. 
There is much to be said 
for the fly and spinner com- 
bination in fishing for the 
rock bass. Indeed, I would 
place it very high as a lure. 
These smaller flies are tied to 
Number 8 hooks, and one 
should possess both the spin- 
ners that are nickel finished 
and those finished in gold. 
High grade spinners are 24 
karat gold, which are lac- 
quered so that they will not 
tarnish. If one uses the spinners of 
the bird’s-eye type on the flies then the 
size 8 hook is the best. It is hardly 
necessary to go under that in size, for, 
as I have stated, the rock bass has a 
large mouth and can take in a bass fly 
without any trouble whatsoever. 
UT on summer evenings when they 
are rising fine inshore, it is a good 
idea to use just the plain flies, and then 
the flies tied to Number 12, 14 and 16 
hooks prove tempting; three flies being 
used on the leader so as to make them 
more noticeable. One fishes the rise 
(Continued on page 567) 
