778 FISHES—AMIID A. 
‘We have a fish here that we call ‘ John A. Grindle’, but what his other names may 
be in different parts, if they are found there, I do not know. They grow up to ten 
pounds weight, and are perfectly worthless except for sport, but for the latter they are 
grand. They are far ahead of our trout, I beg your pardon, you say we must not call 
them trout any more but black bass. Well our black bass then, or any other fish I 
know of. 
‘“Grindle or John A., as we familiarly term them, are my favorite fish when I want 
a day’s sport, for they are dead game, never giving up until tired ont, and it takes a long 
time to tire him. Of course the man who fishes for the pot swears when he gets a John 
A., and then breaks his head, but the pot-fisher don’t want gameness or sport, though 
he thinks he wants the latter; meatis what heis after and a John A bothers him. A 
favorite place for our fish is across the river and through the thickets to Lawrence lake, 
which is so surrounded by swamp that it is difficult to approach, but which is 
much frequented by anglers in season. Our manner of taking the Grindle is usually 
with a reed pole, with or without a reel, and with a strong hook and line baited with 
a live minnow, which we cast and troll. 
‘‘ John A. is a terrific biter, ana as fierce a fighter as I ever knew, and he lasts. One 
day last week I killed fourteen, weighing from three to seven pounds apiece, and one 
of these fish fought me over half an hour. Think of that! half an hour’s exciting fon, 
alternating between hope and fear and then crowned with success. This is a delight 
that the pot-fisher never felt with his stiff pole twitching out his little fish before he 
fairly feels them, in his haste to get another. Having told you so much about them, I 
will now try and give you a description of the fish as far as I am able, not being a 
scientist ; but hope that you may be able to recognize it and tell us something of it. 
‘‘ John A. is a soft-finned fish, nota spine about him. His body is round and long, like 
- a pike or jack, and has heavy scales, which are round, that is have no prickles like a 
perch or bass. His tail is rounded, but not evenly; itis as if the lower portion was 
worn off, but the young ones are so, and I think it natural. His head is covered with 
hard plates, and looks like the head of a reptile; it has two sets of teeth, with some 
on the roof of the mouth and others back near the gullet. There is but one fin on his 
back, but it runs nearly the whole length of it, and is soft and of even height. The 
lower fins are large and a pair in the middle of its belly. There is sometimes a black 
spot as big as a quarter of a dollar on its tail, and we call them John A.’s and ‘Spotted 
Grindle,’ according as they have or are without the spot. They live a long time out 
of water. There, that is as near as I can come to his likeness, unless I add that it has 
an expression of ferocity in its whole look.” 
Mr. Hallock (Sportsman’s Gazetteer, 324), thus remarks concerning 
this fish : 
“‘They take frogs, minnows, and sometimes the spoon. Their habitat is deep water, 
when they drive everything before them. Their teeth are so sharp and their jaws so 
strong that they have been known to bite a two-pound fish in two the very first snap. 
The young when about six inches lon g make a famous bait for Pickerel and Pike. Put 
a hundred in a rain barrel and you can keep them all summer without change of water. 
For the aquarium, the young have no equal, but nothing else but snails can live in the 
tank. He will kill a lizard or any other living thing the instant it touches the water.” 
According to Dr. C. C. Estes (Hallock, 1. c.): 
‘¢ While the parent remains with the young, if the family becomes suddenly alarmed, 
