[Illustration front cover]
_THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S LIBRARY_
_EDITED BY
CASPAR WHITNEY_
BASS, PIKE, PERCH
AND OTHERS
[Illustration illo 003]
[Illustration illo 005]
BASS, PIKE, PERCH
AND OTHERS
BY
JAMES A. HENSHALL, M.D.
AUTHOR OF "BOOK OF THE BLACK-BASS," "MORE ABOUT THE BLACK-BASS."
"CAMPING AND CRUISING IN FLORIDA," "YE GODS
AND LITTLE FISHES," ETC.
[Illustration illo 006]
New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD.
1903
_All rights reserved_
COPYRIGHT, 1903.
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and electrotyped April, 1903.
Norwood Press
J.S. Cushing & Co.--Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION
In this volume are included all of the game-fishes of the United States
east of the Rocky Mountains, except the salmons and trouts, and the
tarpon, jewfish, and other fishes of large size, which are described in
other volumes of this series. As a matter of convenience I have grouped
the fishes in families, whenever possible, but in their sequence I have
been guided chiefly by their importance as game-fishes, and not in
accordance with their natural order. The latter feature, however, has
been provided for in a systematic list on a subsequent page.
In order not to burden the text with matter that might not be of general
interest, the technical descriptions of the fishes of each group are
given in small type at the head of each chapter; and that they may be
readily understood by the lay reader the following explanations seem
necessary.
The length of the head is from the point of the snout to the hindmost
point or margin of the gill-cover. The length of the body is from the
point of the snout to the base of the caudal fin, the fin itself not
being included. The depth of the body is from the highest point of the
dorsal line to the lowest point of the ventral line, usually from the
base of the first dorsal fin to the base of the ventral fin. The
expression "head 5" means that the length of the head is contained five
times in the length of the body; the expression "depth 5" means that the
depth of the body is contained five times in its length; "eye 5" means
that the diameter of the eye is contained five times in the length of
the head. In describing the fins the spiny rays are denoted by Roman
numerals, and the soft rays by Arabic numerals, and the fins themselves
by initials; thus "D. 9" means that the dorsal fin is single and
composed of nine soft rays; "D. IX, 10" means that the single dorsal fin
has nine spiny rays and ten soft rays; when separated by a hyphen, as
"D. X-12," it means that there are two dorsal fins, the first composed
of ten spiny rays and the second of twelve soft ones; "A. III, 11" means
that the anal fin has three spines and eleven soft rays. The expression
"scales 7-65-18" indicates that there are seven rows of scales between
the dorsal fin and the lateral line, sixty-five scales along the
lateral line, and eighteen oblique or horizontal rows between the
lateral line and the ventral line. The number of rays in the fins and
the number of scales along the lateral line, as given, represent the
average number, and are subject to slight variation; thus in some
localities the number of rays in a fin may be found to vary one or two,
and the number of scales along the lateral line may vary from one to
five, more or less, from the number given in the descriptions.
I have adhered strictly to the nomenclature of the "Fishes of Middle and
North America" (Bulletin, U.S. National Museum, No. 47), by Jordan and
Evermann, and in the main I have followed the descriptions as recorded
in that admirable work; but in many instances I have depended on my own
notes.
The suggestions as to angling and the tools and tackle recommended may
be confidently relied on, as they are in conformity with my own practice
and are based on my personal experience, covering a period of forty
years, on many waters, from Canada to the West Indies, and from the
Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains.
JAMES A. HENSHALL.
BOZEMAN, MONTANA.
February 1, 1903.
SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OF THE FISHES DESCRIBED IN THIS VOLUME
FAMILY =SILURIDÆ=
=Ictalurus punctatus= (Rafinesque). =The Channel Catfish=.
FAMILY =CYPRINIDÆ=
=Cyprinus carpio=, Linnæus. =The German Carp=.
FAMILY =ELOPIDÆ=
=Elops saurus=, Linnæus. =The Ten-pounder=.
FAMILY =ALBULIDÆ=
=Albula vulpes= (Linnæus). =The Lady-Fish=.
FAMILY =SALMONIDÆ=
=Coregonus williamsoni=, Girard. =The Rocky Mountain Whitefish=.
=Argyrosomus artedi sisco=, Jordan. =The Cisco=.
FAMILY =THYMALLIDÆ=
=Thymallus signifer= (Richardson). =The Arctic Grayling=.
=Thymallus tricolor=, Cope. =The Michigan Grayling=.
=Thymallus montanus=, Milner. =The Montana Grayling=.
FAMILY =ARGENTINIDÆ=
=Osmerus mordax= (Mitchill). =The Smelt=.
FAMILY =ESOCIDÆ=
=Esox americanus=, Gmelin. =The Banded Pickerel=.
=Esox vermiculatus=, Le Sueur. =The Western Pickerel=.
=Esox reticulatus=, Le Sueur. =The Eastern Pickerel=.
=Esox lucius=, Linnæus. =The Pike=.
=Esox nobilior=, Thompson. =The Mascalonge=.
FAMILY =HOLOCENTRIDÆ=
=Holocentrus ascensionis= (Osbeck). =The Squirrel Fish=.
FAMILY =SCOMBRIDÆ=
=Sarda sarda= (Bloch). =The Bonito=.
=Scomberomorus maculatus= (Mitchill). =The Spanish Mackerel=.
=Scomberomorus regalis= (Bloch). =The Cero=.
FAMILY =CARANGIDÆ=
=Carangus crysos= (Mitchill). =The Runner=.
=Carangus latus= (Agassiz). =The Horse-eye Jack=.
=Trachinotus glaucus= (Bloch). =The Gaff Top-sail Pompano=.
=Trachinotus goodei=, Jordan & Evermann. =The Permit=.
=Trachinotus carolinus= (Linnæus). =The Pompano=.
FAMILY =RACHYCENTRIDÆ=
=Rachycentron canadus= (Linnæus). =The Cobia=.
FAMILY =CENTRARCHIDÆ=
=Pomoxis annularis=, Rafinesque. =The Crappie=.
=Pomoxis sparoides= (Lacépéde). =The Calico-bass=.
=Ambloplites rupestris= (Rafinesque). =The Rock-bass=.
=Archoplites interruptus= (Girard). =The Sacramento Perch=.
=Chænobryttus gulosus= (Cuvier & Valenciennes). =The Warmouth Perch=.
=Lepomis auritus= (Linnæus). =The Red-breast Sunfish=.
=Lepomis megalotis= (Rafinesque). =The Long-eared Sunfish=.
=Lepomis pallidus= (Mitchill). =The Blue Sunfish=.
=Eupomotis gibbosus= (Linnæus). =The Common Sunfish=.
=Micropterus dolomieu=, Lacépéde. =The Small-mouth Black-bass=.
=Micropterus salmoides= (Lacépéde). =The Large-mouth Black-bass=.
FAMILY =PERCIDÆ=
=Stizostedion vitreum= (Mitchill). =The Pike-perch=.
=Stizostedion canadense= (Smith). =The Sauger=.
=Perca flavescens= (Mitchill). =The Yellow Perch=.
FAMILY =CENTROPOMIDÆ=
=Centropomus undecimalis= (Bloch). =The Snook, or Rovallia=.
FAMILY =SERRANIDÆ=
=Roccus chrysops= (Rafinesque). =The White-bass=.
=Roccus lineatus= (Bloch). =The Striped-bass=.
=Morone interrupta=, Gill. =The Yellow-bass=.
=Morone americana= (Gmelin). =The White Perch=.
=Petrometopon cruentatus= (Lacépéde). =The Coney=.
=Bodianus fulvus= (Linnæus). =The Nigger Fish=.
=Epinephelus adscensionis= (Osbeck). =The Rock Hind=.
=Epinephelus guttatus= (Linnæus). =The Red Hind=.
=Mycteroperca venenosa= (Linnæus). =The Yellow Fin Grouper=.
=Mycteroperca microlepis= (Goode & Bean). =The Gag=.
=Mycteroperca falcata phenax=, Jordan & Swain. =The Scamp=.
=Centropristes striatas= (Linnæus). =The Sea-bass=.
=Centropristes ocyurus= (Jordan & Evermann). =The Gulf Sea-bass=.
=Centropristes philadelphicus= (Linnæus). =The Southern Sea-bass=.
=Diplectrum formosum= (Linnæus). =The Sand-fish=.
FAMILY =LOBOTIDÆ=
=Lobotes surinamensis= (Bloch). =The Triple Tail=.
FAMILY =LUTIANIDÆ=
=Lutianus jocu= (Bloch & Schneider). =The Dog Snapper=.
=Lutianus apodus= (Walbaum). =The Schoolmaster=.
=Lutianus aya= (Bloch). =The Red Snapper=.
=Lutianus synagri=s (Linnæus). =The Lane Snapper=.
=Ocyurus chrysurus= (Bloch). =The Yellow-tail=.
FAMILY =HÆMULIDÆ=
=Hæmulon album=, Curvier & Valenciennes. =The Margate-fish=.
=Hæmulon macrostomum=, Gunther. =The Gray Grunt=.
=Hæmulon parra= (Desmarest). =The Sailor's Choice=.
=Hæmulon sciurus= (Shaw). =The Yellow Grunt=.
=Hæmulon plumieri= (Lacépéde). =The Black Grunt=.
=Hæmulon flavolineatum= (Desmarest). =The French Grunt=.
=Anisotremus virginicus= (Linnæus). =The Pork-fish=.
=Orthopristis chrysopterus= (Linnæus). =The Pig-fish=.
FAMILY =SPARIDÆ=
=Stenotomus chrysops= (Linnæus). =The Scup=.
=Stenotomus aculeatus= (Cuvier & Valenciennes). =The Southern Porgy=.
=Calamus calamus= (Cuvier & Valenciennes). =The Saucer-eye Porgy=.
=Calamus proridens=, Jordan & Gilbert. =The Little Head Porgy=.
=Calamus bajonado= (Bloch & Schneider). =The Jolt Head Porgy=.
=Calamus arctifrons=, Goode & Bean. =The Grass Porgy=.
=Lagodon rhomboides= (Linnæus). =The Pin-fish=.
=Archosargus probatocephalus= (Walbaum). =The Sheepshead=.
FAMILY =KYPHOSIDÆ=
=Kyphosus sectatrix= (Linnæus). =The Bermuda Chub=.
FAMILY =SCIÆNIDÆ=
=Cynoscion nothus= (Holbrook). =The Bastard Weakfish=.
=Cynoscion regalis= (Bloch & Schneider). =The Weakfish=.
=Cynoscion thalassinus= (Holbrook). =The Deep-water Weakfish=.
=Cynoscion nebulosus= (Cuvier & Valenciennes). =The Spotted Weakfish=.
=Leiostomus xanthurus=, Lacépéde. =The Lafayette, or Spot=.
=Micropogon undulatus= (Linnæus). =The Croaker=.
=Menticirrhus saxatilis= (Bloch & Schneider). =The Kingfish=.
=Aplodinotus grunniens=, Rafinesque. =The Fresh-water Drumfish=.
FAMILY =LABRIDÆ=
=Tautogolabrus adspersus= (Walbaum). =The Cunner=.
FAMILY =EPHIPPIDÆ=
=Chætodipterus faber= (Broussonet). =The Angel-fish=.
FAMILY =BALISTIDÆ=
=Balistes carolinensis=, Gmelin. =The Turbot=.
FAMILY =PLEURONECTIDÆ=
=Pseudopleuronectes americanus= (Walbaum). =The Flounder=.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I PAGE
THE SUNFISH FAMILY, _Centrarchidæ_ 1
The Small-mouth Black-bass, _Micropterus dolomieu_ 3
The Large-mouth Black-bass, _Micropterus salmoides_ 30
The Rock-bass, _Ambloplites rupestris_ 52
The Sacramento Perch, _Archoplites interruptus_ 57
The Warmouth Perch, _Chænobryttus gulosus_ 58
The Blue Sunfish, _Lepomis pallidus_ 62
The Long-eared Sunfish, _Lepomis megalotis_ 65
The Red-breast Sunfish, _Lepomis auritus_ 67
The Common Sunfish, _Eupomotis gibbosus_ 69
The Calico-bass, _Pomoxis sparoide_ 73
The Crappie, _Pomoxis annularis_ 79
CHAPTER II
THE BASS FAMILY, _Serranidæ_ 85
The White-bass, _Roccus chrysops_ 86
The Yellow-bass, _Morone interrupta_ 90
CHAPTER III
THE SEA-BASS FAMILY, _Serranidæ_ (continued) 95
The Striped-bass, _Roccus lineatus_ 96
The White-perch, _Morone americana_ 110
The Sea-bass, _Centropristes striatus_ 115
The Southern Sea-bass, _Centropristes philadelphicus_ 118
The Gulf Sea-bass, _Centropristes ocyuru_ 119
CHAPTER IV
THE PIKE FAMILY, _Esocidæ_ 120
The Mascalonge, _Esox nobilior_ 122
The Pike, _Esox lucius_ 137
The Eastern Pickerel, _Esox reticulatus_ 149
The Western Pickerel, _Esox vermiculatus_ 153
The Banded Pickerel, _Esox americanus_ 154
CHAPTER V
THE PERCH FAMILY, _Percidæ_ 156
The Pike-perch, _Stizostedion vitreum_ 157
The Sauger, _Stizostedion canadense_ 164
The Yellow-perch, _Perca flavescens_ 165
CHAPTER VI
THE GRAYLING FAMILY, _Thymallidæ_ 173
The Arctic Grayling, _Thymallus signifer_ 176
The Michigan Grayling, _Thymallus tricolor_ 178
The Montana Grayling, _Thymallus montanus_ 181
CHAPTER VII
THE SALMON FAMILY, _Salmonidæ_ 203
The Rocky Mountain Whitefish, _Coregonus williamsoni_ 204
The Cisco, _Argyrosomus artedi sisco_ 207
CHAPTER VIII
THE DRUM FAMILY, _Sciænidæ_ 213
The Weakfish, _Cynoscion regalis_ 215
The Bastard Weakfish, _Cynoscion nothus_ 221
The Kingfish, _Menticirrhus saxatilis_ 221
The Croaker, _Micropogon undulatus_ 226
The Lafayette, _Leiostomus xanthurus_ 228
CHAPTER IX
THE DRUM FAMILY, _Sciænidæ_ (continued) 232
The Fresh-water Drumfish, _Aplodinotus grunniens_ 232
CHAPTER X
THE MINNOW FAMILY, _Cyprinidæ_ 236
The German Carp, _Cyprinus carpio_ 236
CHAPTER XI
THE CATFISH FAMILY, _Siluridæ_ 244
The Channel-catfish, _Ictalurus punctatus_ 244
CHAPTER XII
THE SHEEPSHEAD FAMILY, _Sparidæ_ 251
The Sheepshead, _Archosargus probatocephalus_ 252
The Scup, _Stenotomus chrysops_ 259
CHAPTER XIII
MISCELLANEOUS FISHES
The Cunner, _Tautogolabrus adspersus_ 264
The Flounder, _Pseudopleuronectes americanus_ 266
The Smelt, _Osmerus mordax_ 269
CHAPTER XIV
THE MACKEREL FAMILY, _Scombridæ_ 272
The Spanish Mackerel, _Scomberomorus maculatus_ 273
The Cero, _Scomberomorus regalis_ 278
The Bonito, _Sarda sarda_ 282
CHAPTER XV
THE GROUPER FAMILY, _Serranidæ_ 285
The Gag, _Mycteroperca microlepis_ 287
The Scamp, _Mycteroperca falcata phenax_ 291
The Yellow-finned Grouper, _Mycteroperca venenosa_ 294
The Rock Hind, _Epinephelus adscensionis_ 295
The Red Hind, _Epinephelus guttatus_ 297
The Coney, _Petrometopon cruentatus_ 299
The Nigger-fish, _Bodianus fulvus_ 300
The Sand-fish, _Diplectrum formosum_ 303
CHAPTER XVI
THE CAVALLI FAMILY, _Carangidæ_ 306
The Runner, _Carangus chrysos_ 307
The Horse-eye Jack, _Carangus latus_ 310
The Pompano, _Trachinotus carolinus_ 311
CHAPTER XVII
THE CHANNEL FISHES
THE GRUNT FAMILY, _Hæmulidæ_ 321
The Black Grunt, _Hæmulon plumieri_ 323
The Yellow Grunt, _Hæmulon sciurus_ 326
The Margate-fish, _Hæmulon album_ 328
The Sailor's Choice, _Hæmulon parra_ 330
The Pig-fish, _Orthopristis chrysopterus_ 331
The Pork-fish, _Anisotremus virginicus_ 334
THE SNAPPER FAMILY, _Lutianidæ_ 336
The Yellow-tail, _Ocyurus chrysurus_ 338
The Lane Snapper, _Lutianus synagris_ 339
The Red Snapper, _Lutianus aya_ 342
The Dog Snapper, _Lutianus jocu_ 344
The Schoolmaster, _Lutianus apodus_ 345
THE PORGY FAMILY, _Sparidæ_ 347
The Jolt-head Porgy, _Calamus bajonado_ 348
The Saucer-eye Porgy, _Calamus calamus_ 350
The Little-head Porgy, _Calamus proridens_ 352
The Grass Porgy, _Calamus arctifrons_ 353
CHAPTER XVIII
MISCELLANEOUS FISHES
The Lady-fish, _Albula vulpes_ 355
The Ten-pounder, _Elops saurus_ 361
The Snook, _Centropomus undecimalis_ 366
The Triple-tail, _Lobotes surinamensis_ 370
The Cobia, _Rachycentron canadus_ 373
The Spotted Weakfish, _Cynoscion nebulosus_ 376
The Deep-sea Weakfish, _Cynoscion thalassinus_ 381
The Bermuda Chub, _Kyphosus sectatrix_ 382
The Angel-fish, _Chætodipterus faber_ 384
The Pinfish, _Lagodon rhomboides_ 386
The Squirrel-fish, _Holocentrus ascensionis_ 388
The Turbot, _Balistes carolinensis_ 390
INDEX 401
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
OSWEGO (LARGE-MOUTH) BASS 36
THE SMALL-MOUTH BLACK-BASS. THE LARGE-MOUTH BLACK-BASS.
THE ROCK-BASS 62
SURF-FISHING FOR BASS 96
CATCHING SEA-BASS OFF NEWPORT 100
THE SEA-BASS. THE MASCALONGE. THE PIKE 114
THE MASCALONGE OF THE WEEDS. TROLLING WITH HANDLINE 120
THE EASTERN PICKEREL. THE WESTERN PICKEREL. THE PIKE-PERCH. THE
YELLOW-PERCH 140
THE ARCTIC GRAYLING. THE MICHIGAN GRAYLING. THE MONTANA GRAYLING 174
THE MORE SPORTSMANLY WAY OF CATCHING MASCALONGE 200
THE WEAKFISH. THE KINGFISH. THE GERMAN CARP 226
THE CHANNEL-CATFISH. THE SHEEPSHEAD. THE CUNNER 244
FISHING FOR CUNNERS 250
THE FLOUNDER. THE SMELT. THE SPANISH MACKEREL 264
THE BONITO. THE NIGGER-FISH. THE POMPANO 280
CATCHING SPANISH MACKEREL ON THE EDGE OF THE GULF STREAM 300
THE BLACK GRUNT. THE RED SNAPPER 322
THE JOLT-HEAD PORGY. THE LADY-FISH. THE COBIA 348
TAKING BONITO BY TROLLING OFF BLOCK ISLAND 350
THE ANGEL-FISH. THE TURBOT 384
BASS, PIKE, AND PERCH
CHAPTER I
THE SUNFISH FAMILY (_Centrarchidæ_)
The sunfish family is composed entirely of fresh-water fishes. They are
characterized by a symmetrically-shaped body, rather short and
compressed; mouth terminal; teeth small, without canines; scales rather
large; cheeks and gill-covers scaly; scales mostly smooth; border of
preopercle smooth, or but slightly serrated; opercle ending in two flat
points, or in a black flap; a single dorsal fin, composed of both spiny
and soft rays; anal fin also having both spines and soft rays; the
dorsal spines varying from 6 to 13 in the different species, with from 3
to 9 in the anal fin; sexes similar; coloration mostly greenish.
GENUS MICROPTERUS
_Micropterus dolomieu._ Small-mouth Black-bass. Body
ovate-oblong; head 3; depth 3; eye 6; D. X, 13; A. III, 10;
scales 11-73-17; mouth large, the maxillary reaching front of
eye; scales on cheek minute, in 17 rows; teeth villiform.
_Micropterus salmoides._ Large-mouth Black-bass. Body
ovate-oblong; head 3; depth 3; eye 5; D. X, 13; A. III, 11;
scales 8-68-16; scales on cheek large, in 10 rows; mouth very
large, maxillary extending beyond the eye; teeth villiform.
GENUS AMBLOPLITES
_Ambloplites rupestris._ Rock-bass. Body oblong, moderately
compressed; head 2-3/4; depth 2-1/2; eye 4; D. XI, 10; A. VI,
10; scales 5-40-12, with 6 to 8 rows on cheeks; mouth large,
maxillary extending to posterior part of pupil; teeth small,
single patch on tongue; gill-rakers 7 to 10, on lower part of
arch; preopercle serrate near its angle; opercle ends in 2 flat
points.
GENUS ARCHOPLITES
_Archoplites interruptus._ Sacramento Perch. Body oblong-ovate,
compressed; head 2-2/3; depth 2-1/2; eye 4; D. XII, 10; A. VI,
10; scales 7-45-14; 8 rows on cheeks; mouth very large,
maxillary extending beyond pupil; teeth numerous and small,
with 2 patches on tongue; gill-rakers 20; opercle emarginate;
most of the membrane bones of head serrate.
GENUS CHÆNOBRYTTUS
_Chænobryttus gulosus._ Warmouth Perch. Body heavy and deep;
head 2-1/2; depth 2-1/4; eye 4; D. X, 9; A. III, 8; scales
6-42-11; 6 to 8 rows on cheeks; teeth small and numerous;
gill-rakers 9; preopercle entire; mouth very large; opercle
ends in a black convex flap.
GENUS LEPOMIS
_Lepomis pallidus._ Blue Sunfish. Body short and deep,
compressed; head 3; depth 2; eye 3-1/2; D. X, 12; A. III, 12;
scales 7-46-16; 5 rows on cheeks; mouth small, maxillary barely
reaching eye; teeth small and sharp; opercular flap without
pale edge; gill-rakers x + 11 to 13.
_Lepomis megalotis._ Long-eared Sunfish. Body short and deep,
the back arched; head 3; depth 2; eye 4; D. X, 11; A. III, 9;
scales 5-40-14; 5 rows on cheeks; mouth small and oblique;
opercular flap long and broad, with red or blue margin;
gill-rakers x + 8 or 9.
_Lepomis auritus._ Red-breast Sunfish. Body elongate; head 3;
depth 3; eye 4; D. X, 11; A. III, 9; scales 6-45-15; mouth
large, oblique; palatine teeth present; gill-rakers _x_ + 8 or
9, quite short; opercular flap very long and narrow; scales on
breast very small; 7 rows scales on cheeks.
GENUS EUPOMOTIS
_Eupomotis gibbosus._ Common Sunfish. Body short and deep,
compressed; head 3; depth 2; eye 4; D. X, 11; A. III, 10;
scales 6-45-13; 4 rows on cheeks; mouth small, oblique,
maxillary scarcely reaching front of eye; pharyngeal teeth
paved and rounded; gill-rakers soft and small, _x_ + 10;
opercular flap rather small, the lower part bright scarlet.
GENUS POMOXIS
_Pomoxis sparoides._ Calico-bass. Body oblong, elevated, much
compressed; head 3; depth 2; D. VII, 15; A. VI, 17; scales 40
to 45; 6 rows on cheeks; mouth large, maxillary reaching to
posterior edge of pupil; snout projecting; fins very high, anal
higher than dorsal.
_Pomoxis annularis._ Crappie. Body rather elongate; head 3;
depth 2-1/3; D. VI, 15; A. VI, 18; scales 36 to 48; 4 or 5 rows
on cheek; mouth very wide; fins very high, but lower than
_sparoides_.
THE SMALL-MOUTH BLACK-BASS
(_Micropterus dolomieu_)
The generic name _Micropterus_ was given to the small-mouth black-bass
by the French ichthyologist Lacépéde, in 1802, who was the first to
describe it. The name _Micropterus_, which means "small fin," was
bestowed on account of the mutilated condition of the dorsal fin of the
specimen, a few of the posterior rays of the fin being detached and
broken off, giving the appearance of a short and separate fin. The
specimen was sent to Paris from an unknown locality in America, and is
still preserved in the Museum of Natural History at Paris, where I
personally examined it. It is a fine example, about a foot in length,
and is remarkably well preserved. As there was no known genus to which
the specimen with the curious dorsal fin could be referred, Lacépéde
created the new genus _Micropterus_. He gave it the specific name
_dolomieu_ as a compliment to his friend M. Dolomieu, a French
mineralogist, for whom the mineral dolomite was also named.
Originally, the small-mouth black-bass was restricted to the Great Lake
region, parts of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and along the upper
reaches of streams flowing from the Alleghany Mountains in the Southern
states. It has, however, been introduced into all of the New England and
Middle states, and into many Western states. It has a compressed, rather
elliptical body, the dorsal and ventral outlines being nearly equal; it
becomes deeper with age.
As its range, or distribution, is so great and extensive, and the waters
it inhabits are so different in hue and character, the coloration of the
small-mouth bass varies from almost black to the faintest tinge of
green, in different sections of the country. The coloration is so
variable that it differs even in fish in the same waters. It is
influenced mostly by the hue of the water, character of the bottom, the
presence or absence of weeds about the haunts of the bass, and,
moreover, the changes in color may occur in a very short time when
subject to these various conditions. The general color, however, is
greenish of various shades, always darker on the back, and paling to
white or whitish on the belly. When markings are present, they form
vertical patches or bars, never horizontal. Three bronze streaks extend
from the eye across the cheeks. All markings, however, may become
obsolete with age.
The natural food of both species is crawfish, which might be inferred
from the character of their teeth and wide-opening mouth. There is a
popular belief that they are essentially and habitually piscivorous; but
this is an error; they are not so black as they are painted. They feed
on minute crustaceans and larval forms of insects when young, and
afterward on crawfish, minnows, frogs, insects, etc., as do most fishes
that have teeth in the jaws. But the teeth of the black-bass are
villiform and closely packed, presenting an even surface as uniform as
the surface of a tooth-brush. Such teeth are incapable of wounding, and
merely form a rough surface for holding their prey securely. All truly
piscivorous fishes have fewer, but sharp, conical teeth, of unequal
length, like the yellow-perch, pike-perch, mascalonge, and trout, or
lancet-shaped teeth like the bluefish.
The black-bass is far less destructive to fish life than any of the
fishes mentioned; on the contrary, it suffers the most in a mixed
community of fishes, and is the first to disappear. There are small
lakes in Canada and Michigan where the brook-trout and black-bass have
coexisted from time immemorial without jeopardy to the trout. There are
small lakes in Wisconsin where black-bass and cisco, with other species,
have coexisted for all time; and while the cisco is as numerous as ever,
the black-bass has almost disappeared. It does not follow, however, that
black-bass should be introduced in trout waters; far from it.
Brook-trout are being exterminated fast enough, owing to the changed
natural conditions of the streams and their surroundings, without adding
another contestant for the limited supply of food in such waters.
Both species of black-bass have been introduced into Germany, France,
Russia, and the Netherlands. In Germany, especially, they have found a
permanent home. It was my privilege materially to assist Herr Max von
dem Borne, of Berneuchen, with such advice as enabled him to start on a
sure footing in his enterprise, and with such subsequent success in its
establishment that he published several brochures on the black-bass to
meet the demand for information as to its habits and merits as a game
and food-fish. An effort was made some years ago to introduce the
black-bass into English waters, but without success, owing to a want of
knowledge as to the proper species to experiment with. The small-mouth
bass was placed in weedy ponds or small lakes in which only the
large-mouth bass would live.
The small-mouth bass thrives only in comparatively clear, cool, and
rocky or gravelly streams, and in lakes and ponds supplied by such
streams or having cold bottom springs. In lakes of the latter
character, in northern sections, it coexists with large-mouth bass in
many instances. In such cases, however, the small-mouth will be found
usually at the inlet, or about the springs, and the large-mouth at the
outlet or in sheltered, grassy situations. In winter it undergoes a
state of partial or complete torpidity. In ponds that have been drained
in the winter season it has been found snugly ensconced in the crevices
of rocks, beneath shelving banks, logs, roots, or among masses of
vegetation, undergoing its winter sleep. In the spring, when the
temperature of the water rises above fifty degrees, the small-mouth bass
emerges from its winter quarters, about which it lingers until the water
becomes still warmer, when it departs in search of suitable locations
for spawning. At this time, owing to a semi-migratory instinct, it
ascends streams, and roams about in lakes or ponds, often ascending
inlet streams, or in some instances descending outlet streams.
When favorable situations are found, the male and female pair off and
proceed to fulfil the reproductive instinct. The spawning period extends
from May to July, according to the section of the country it inhabits,
and when the temperature of the water is suitable. The nests are formed
on a bottom of gravel or coarse sand, or on a flat rock in very rocky
streams. The male fish does the work of preparation by scouring with
fins and tail a space about twice his length in diameter, forming a
shallow, saucer-shaped depression, in which the female deposits her
eggs, which are fertilized by the male, who hovers near by. The eggs are
heavy and adhesive, being invested with a glutinous matter that enables
them to adhere to the pebbles on the bottom. The number of eggs varies
from two thousand to twenty-five thousand, according to the size and
weight of the female. The nest is carefully guarded by the parents until
the eggs hatch, the period of incubation being from one to two weeks,
according to the temperature of the water. The resultant fry are then
watched and brooded by the male fish for several days or a week, when
they seek the shelter of weeds and grasses in shallow water.
The young fry feed on minute crustaceans and the larval forms of
insects. When a month old they are about an inch long, and continue to
grow, if food is plentiful, so that they reach a length of from three
to six inches in the fall. Thereafter they increase a pound a year under
the most favorable conditions, until the maximum weight is attained,
which is about five pounds. In some instances, however, they have
reached a weight of seven or even ten pounds, where the environment has
been unusually favorable; notably in Glen Lake, near Glens Falls, New
York, where a half-dozen or more have been taken weighing from eight to
ten pounds. One of ten pounds was twenty-five and one-half inches long
and nineteen inches in girth.
As a game-fish the black-bass has come into his inheritance. As the
French say, he has arrived. With the special tools and tackle now
furnished for his capture, he has proved my aphorism. "Inch for inch,
and pound for pound, he is the gamest fish that swims." When I ventured
this opinion twenty-five years ago, there were no special articles made
for his capture except the Kentucky reel and the McGinnis rod, twelve
feet long and fifteen ounces in weight. In awarding the palm as a
game-fish to the black-bass, I do so advisedly, in the light of ample
experience with all other game-fishes, and without prejudice, for I have
an innate love and admiration for all, from the lovely trout of the
mountain brook to the giant tarpon of the sea.
In the application of so broad and sweeping an assertion each and every
attribute of a game-fish must be well considered: his habitat; his
aptitude to rise to the fly; his struggle for freedom; his manner of
resistance; his weight as compared with other game-fishes; and his
excellence as a food-fish, must be separately and collectively
considered and duly and impartially weighed. His haunts are amid most
charming and varied scenes. Not in the silent and solemn solitudes of
the primeval forests, where animated Nature is evidenced mainly in
swarms of gnats, black-flies, and mosquitoes; nor under the shadows of
grand and lofty mountains, guarded by serried ranks of pines and firs,
but whose sombre depths are void of feathered songsters. However grand,
sublime, and impressive such scenes truly are, they do not appeal
profoundly to the angler. He must have life, motion, sound. He courts
Nature in her more communicative moods, and in the haunts of the
black-bass his desires are realized. Wading down the rippling stream,
casting his flies hither and yon, alert for the responsive tug, the
sunlight is filtered through overhanging trees, while the thrush,
blackbird, and cardinal render the air vocal with sweet sounds, and his
rival, the kingfisher, greets him with vibrant voice. The summer breeze,
laden with the scent of woodland blossoms, whispers among the leaves,
the wild bee flits by on droning wing, the squirrel barks defiantly, and
the tinkle of the cow-bell is mellowed in the distance. I know of such
streams in the mountain valleys of West Virginia, amid the green rolling
hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, and in the hill country where Missouri
and Arkansas meet.
The aptitude of the black-bass to rise to the artificial fly is not
questioned by the twentieth-century angler, though it was considered a
matter of doubt by many anglers during the last quarter of the
nineteenth. The doubt was mainly owing to a lack of experience, for
fly-fishing for black-bass was successfully practised in Kentucky as
early, certainly, as 1845. I have before me a click reel made in 1848 by
the late Mr. J.L. Sage, of Lexington, Kentucky, especially for
fly-fishing. I have also seen his fly-rod made by him about the same
time, and used by him for many years on the famous bass streams of that
state. And I might say, in passing, that blackbass bait-fishing, as an
art, originated in Kentucky a century ago. George Snyder, of Paris,
Kentucky, when president of the Bourbon County Angling Club, made the
first multiplying reel for casting the minnow, in 1810, and as early as
1830 many such reels were used in that state. The rods employed by those
pioneers of black-bass fishing were about ten feet long, weighing but
several ounces, cut from the small end of a Mississippi cane, with the
reel lashed to the butt. They used the smallest Chinese "sea-grass"
lines, or home-made lines of three strands of black sewing-silk twisted
together. Those old disciples of Walton would have been shocked, could
they have seen the heavy rods and coarse lines that are still used in
some sections, for their own tackle was as light, if not so elegant, as
any made at the present day.
Another quality in a game-fish is measured by his resistance when hooked
and by his efforts to escape. I think no fish of equal weight exhibits
so much finesse and stubborn resistance, under such conditions, as the
black-bass. Most fishes when hooked attempt to escape by tugging and
pulling in one direction, or by boring toward the bottom, and if not
successful in breaking away soon give up the unequal contest. But the
black-bass exhibits, if not intelligence, something akin to it, in his
strategical manoeuvres. Sometimes his first effort is to bound into the
air at once and attempt to shake out the hook, as if he knew his
misfortune came from above. At other times he dashes furiously, first in
one direction, then in another, pulling strongly meanwhile, then leaps
into the air several times in quick succession, madly shaking himself
with open jaws. I have seen him fall on a slack line, and again by using
his tail as a lever and the water as a fulcrum, throw himself over a
taut line, evidently with the intent to break it or tear out the hook.
Another clever ruse is to wind the line around a root or rock, and still
another is to embed himself in a clump of water-weeds if permitted to do
so. Or, finding it useless to pull straight away, he reverses his
tactics and swims rapidly toward the angler, shaking himself and working
his jaws, meanwhile, as if he knew that with a slack line he would be
more apt to disengage the hook.
I have never known a black-bass to sulk like the salmon by lying
motionless on the bottom. He is never still unless he succeeds in
reaching a bed of weeds. He is wily and adroit, but at the same time he
is brave and valiant. He seems to employ all the known tactics of other
fishes, and to add a few of his own in his gallant fight for freedom.
As a food-fish there is, in my estimation, but one fresh-water fish that
is better, the whitefish of the Great Lakes. Its flesh is white, firm,
and flaky, with a fine savor, and a juicy, succulent quality that is
lacking with most other fresh-water fishes. About the spawning period,
especially in fish from weedy ponds, it is somewhat musky or muddy in
flavor, like other fishes in similar situations; but by skinning the
fish instead of scaling it much of that unpleasant feature is removed.
BLACK-BASS TACKLE
The first consideration for the fly-fisher is suitable tools and tackle,
and the most important article of his outfit is the fly-rod.
Fortunately, at the present day, manufacturers turn out such good work
that one does not have to seek far to obtain the best. And the best is
one made of split bamboo by a first-class maker. Such a rod necessarily
commands a good price, but it is the cheapest in the end, for with
proper care it will last a lifetime. I have rods of this character that
I have used for thirty years that are still as good as new. But the
angler should eschew the shoddy split-bamboo rods that are sold in the
department stores for a dollar. A wooden rod at a moderate price is far
better than a split-bamboo rod at double its cost. Rods are now made
much better, of better material, and considerably shorter and lighter
than formerly, and withal they are much better in balance and action.
If any evidence were needed to prove and establish the superiority of
the modern single-handed fly-rod over the old-style rod, it is only
necessary to refer to the following facts: At the tournament of the New
York State Sportsman's Association, in 1880, a cast of seventy feet won
the first prize for distance; and at that time the longest on record was
Seth Green's cast of eighty-six feet. At a contest of the San Francisco
Fly-casting Club held on October 11, 1902, at Stow Lake, Golden Gate
Park, Mr. H.C. Golcher made the remarkable and wonderful cast of one
hundred and forty feet, beating the previous record cast of one hundred
and thirty-four feet, held jointly by Mr. Golcher and Mr. W.D.
Mansfield of the same club.
A suitable fly-rod for black-bass fishing may be from nine to ten and
one-half feet in length, and weigh from six and one-half to eight
ounces, according to the preferences of the angler and the waters to be
fished.
For an all-round rod for all-round work my ideal is ten and a quarter
feet long and weighing seven ounces in split bamboo and eight ounces in
ash and lancewood, or ash and bethabara. It should be made in three
pieces, with a stiffish backbone, constituting the lower third of its
length, and with most of the bend in the upper two-thirds. A rod
constructed on this principle will afford just the requisite amount of
resiliency for casting, with sufficient pliancy and elasticity for
playing a fish, and embody all the power and strength needed. The
reel-seat should be simply a shallow groove in the hand-piece, with
reel-bands, instead of the solid metal reel-seat, which subserves no
good purpose and is only added weight; moreover, it is now put on the
cheapest rods as a trap to catch the unwary. All metal mountings should
be German silver or brass. Nickel-plated mountings are cheap and nasty.
A light, single-action click reel of German silver or aluminum of fifty
or sixty yards' capacity is the best. A plain crank handle is to be
preferred to a balance handle, but in either case there should be a
projecting rim or safety band, within which the handle revolves, in
order to prevent fouling of the line. My own preference is for the
English pattern, with a knobbed handle affixed to the edge of a
revolving disk on the face of the reel. A multiplying reel with an
adjustable click may be utilized instead of a click reel for
fly-fishing.
The enamelled, braided silk line is the only one suitable for casting
the fly, and there is no better. A level line will answer, but a tapered
one is better adapted for long casts. It may taper toward one end or
both ways from the centre, the latter being preferable. From twenty-five
to thirty yards is sufficient for all emergencies. It should be
thoroughly dried every day it is used. A convenient way is to wind it
around the back of a chair.
Leaders may be from three to six feet long, accordingly as one or two
flies are used in the cast. It should be composed of single, clear,
round silkworm-gut fibre, tapering from the reel line to the distal end.
It should not be tested to a greater weight than two pounds, as testing
silkworm-gut weakens it very materially. It may be stained or not,
though there is no advantage in coloring it; I prefer the natural hue.
There should be a loop at the small end, and one three feet above it,
for attaching the snells of flies. Before using it, it must be soaked in
water until soft and pliable. Extra leaders may be carried in a box
between layers of damp felt, so as to be ready for emergencies. The best
and smallest and most secure knot for tying the lengths of gut together
in making the leader is a simple half-hitch, like tying a single knot in
a piece of string. When thoroughly soaked, the two ends to be tied are
lapped a couple of inches, and a single knot, or half-hitch made in
them, pulling the knot tight, and cutting off the loose ends closely.
Snells should be three or four inches long, of good single gut, the
shorter length for end fly. If the flies are made with a loop at the
head, the snells for same should have a loop at each end for attaching
to both fly and leader. If flies are made on eyed hooks, the snell
should have but one loop for the leader, and a free end for tying to the
eye of hook. The best knot for the purpose is made by passing the end of
snell through the eye of hook, then around the shank just below the
eye, and then between the shank and snell and draw tight, forming a jam
knot. Where the snell is tied to the fly, it should likewise have a loop
for attaching to the leader. It should also be reinforced by a piece of
gut an inch long at the head of the fly to strengthen it and prevent
chafing. Snells, whether separate or tied to flies, should be carried
like leaders between layers of damp felt.
Most flies made for black-bass fishing are too large. The largest trout
flies tied on hooks Nos. 4 to 6 are big enough. As just mentioned, they
are tied directly to the snell on tapered hooks, or made with a small
gut loop at the head of the fly, which is much the best way. Since the
introduction of the eyed hook, or rather a revival of it, for trout
flies, they are now utilized for bass flies also. As between the Pennell
hook with turned-down eye and the Hall hook with turned-up eye, there is
not much choice. Both patterns are based on the old Limerick hook. I
prefer the Sproat or O'Shaughnessy to either, with gut loop at the head
of the fly.
If the black-bass is not color-blind, he seems to have a penchant for
brown, gray, black, and yellow, as flies embodying these colors seem to
be more attractive to him than others. One can judge in this matter,
however, only from experience. And even then the deduction of one angler
is often at variance with the inference of another.
The most successful bass flies, like salmon flies, are not made in
imitation of natural insects. This is true also of some of the "general"
trout flies that have proved particularly pleasing to the black-bass, as
the professor, grizzly king, king of the waters, Montreal, coachman,
etc. True, the black, gray, red, and yellow hackles, which are supposed
to be imitations of caterpillars, are very useful on nearly all waters;
but their resemblance to any known larval forms is very slight.
There is a well-known rule in regard to the size and color of flies to
be used at particular states and stages of the water, and in accordance
with the time and character of the day. It is to use small and dark
flies on bright days, with low and clear water; and larger and brighter
flies on dark days with high or turbid water, and at dusk. This rule is
hoary with age. It has come down to us through past centuries with the
indorsement of thousands of intelligent and observant anglers, and
should be respected accordingly. It is in the main reliable and
trustworthy. Of course there will occur exceptions to prove the rule.
And some iconoclastic anglers at this late day, in view of the
exceptions, declare that it is entirely valueless as a guide; but they
offer nothing better. It is true, nevertheless, and a safe rule to
follow.
FLY-FISHING
To be a successful fly-fisher for black-bass the angler must know
something of the habits of his quarry, or at least of its haunts and
favorite places of resort. On streams these places are in the eddies of
rocks or large boulders, in the deeper water above and below riffles,
under shelving banks and rocks, among the submerged roots of trees on
the bank, near weed patches, driftwood, and logs, and in the vicinity of
gravelly bars and shoals. Except in cloudy weather the angler may rest
during the noon hours, as the most favorable time is in the morning and
late afternoon until dusk. If wading, the angler should fish
down-stream, and when the shadows are long, should endeavor to keep the
sun in front. He should move slowly and cautiously, making as little
noise as possible, casting to the sides and in front over every likely
spot. Casts of thirty or forty feet are usually sufficient. The flies
should be allowed to float down-stream, with tremulous motions,
sidewise, to imitate the struggles of a drowning insect, and then
permitted to sink several inches or a foot at each cast.
Whipping the stream is sometimes quite successful where the bass does
not respond to ordinary casting. This is done by casting in quick
succession and repeatedly over one spot, allowing the flies merely to
touch the water, until several such casts are made, when they should be
permitted to sink, for a few seconds, as before. In making up the cast,
two flies should be selected of different combinations of colors, as
polka and professor. If necessary, changes should be made until two are
selected that seem to meet the fastidious fancy of the fish.
If a taut line is maintained, the bass usually hooks himself, but the
angler should strike quickly upon feeling the slightest tug, or when
seeing the swirl of the fish. One cannot strike too quickly. By striking
is meant a simple turning of the hand sidewise, with a perfectly tight
line; this is amply sufficient to set the hook. Should the line be slack
and lifeless at the moment, a more vigorous movement is required, but
even then it is usually too late. When a bass is hooked, the contest
should be between rod and fish, rather than between the reel and fish.
It is the spring of the rod that conquers him, not the giving and taking
of line. If the rod is held firmly, at an angle of forty-five degrees,
with the thumb on the spool of the reel, there is no likelihood of a
good rod breaking. Line should be given grudgingly, and the fish kept on
the surface as much as possible. When exhausted he should be drawn over
the landing-net and lifted out quickly, at the same time releasing the
thumb from the reel to relieve the strain on the rod.
In fishing from the bank in deeper streams, or from a boat on small
lakes, whereby the fish is better enabled to see the angler, longer
casts are necessary, or the angler must screen himself from observation
by trees or bushes on the bank. The boat should be kept in the deeper
water and the casts made toward the shallows of bars, shoals, and weed
patches. The best time for boat fishing on lakes or ponds is from near
sundown until dark.
CASTING THE MINNOW
The live minnow, shiner preferred, is by far the best bait for the
black-bass, as it is more easily seen, and the best way of presenting it
is by casting from the reel. For this purpose a rod eight or nine feet
long is much better than a shorter or longer one. After a long series of
experiments with rods from six to twelve feet, I arrived at the
conclusion that the one now known as the Henshall rod, eight and
one-fourth feet long and from seven to eight ounces in weight, fulfils
all the requirements of casting, hooking, and playing a black-bass. It
is light, strong, and of beautiful proportions. In first-class split
bamboo it may be as light as six and one-half ounces, but should not
exceed seven and one-half ounces. In ash and lancewood, or bethabara,
from seven to eight ounces is the correct weight.
A multiplying reel is indispensable. It may be two, three, or
four-ply, but the best work and the most effective casting can only be
done with the most perfect reel. It should be as light as possible, in a
fifty or sixty-yard reel. German silver is the best material, though
brass is fully as serviceable, and costs less. Some very good reels are
made of hard rubber and metal.
Only braided lines should be used, as twisted ones kink too much in
casting. Undressed silk, of the smallest caliber, size H, is best.
Braided linen is stronger, but of larger caliber, and not so suitable
for good casting. Neither can effective casting be done with oil-dressed
or enamelled lines.
Snelled hooks on single-gut snells, size No. 1 or No. 2, Sproat
preferred and O'Shaughnessy next, are the best in any method of
bait-fishing for black-bass. There are several other styles of hooks
used, but, everything considered, those named are the most faultless,
and for shape, strength, and general excellence cannot be excelled.
No leader is used, as the minnow must be reeled up to within a foot or
two of the tip of the rod in casting. The snell of the hook is attached
to the reel-line by the smallest brass box-swivel, or it may be tied
directly to the line. The casts are made from right or left and
underhand, not overhead as in casting the fly. Casts of 160 feet have
been made in this way. The chief factor in this style of casting is the
proper control of the reel by the thumb--by a gentle but constant and
uniform pressure on the revolving spool, to prevent overrunning of the
line during the cast, and a stronger pressure to stop the reel at the
end of the cast. The thumb must be thoroughly educated to this work,
and, once acquired, the rest is easy, as but little muscular effort is
required. The novice must begin with short casts and increase their
length as he becomes more proficient in the management of the reel.
Perfect casting from the reel is more difficult than casting the fly,
and more artistic.
In wading a stream the casts are directed to the same likely places
mentioned under the head of fly-fishing. The minnow is allowed to sink
to half the depth of the water and reeled in slowly, which gives a
lifelike motion to the bait when hooked through the lips. If there is no
response, the next cast should be made to another spot, as a bass, if
inclined to take the lure at all, will usually do so upon its first
presentation.
In fly-fishing it is imperative to strike as soon as the bass seizes the
fly, otherwise he ejects it at once, if not hooked by a taut line, for
he is conscious of the deception as soon as the fly is taken into his
mouth. With natural bait it is different. The bass first seizes the
minnow crosswise or tail first, turns it in his mouth, and swallows it
head first. This takes a little time. Usually he holds it in his mouth
and bolts away from other fish, or rushes toward a secure
hiding-place--hence the vigorous initial dash and taking of line. If
stopped before being hooked, he gives several tugs in quick succession,
when he should be given line slowly. The angler, with thumb on the spool
of the reel, can feel every motion of the fish. When he pulls steadily
and strongly and increases his speed, the hook should be driven in by
striking in the opposite direction to his course, or upward. A vigorous
"yank" is not needed. With the strained line a movement of the tip of
the rod a foot or two is sufficient with a sharp hook.
If fishing from a boat, where the angler is more apt to be seen, it
should be kept in deep water and the casts made toward the haunts of the
bass in shallow water. Should the hooked bass break water on a long
line, the slight straightening of the bent rod that ensues will tend to
keep it taut, and there is nothing more to do. On a short line, however
(the bend of the rod being maintained), he should be followed back to
the water by a slight lowering of the tip, but it should again be raised
as soon as he touches the water. The critical moment is when he is
apparently standing on his tail, shaking himself, with wide-opened jaws.
If he is given any slack line at this time, the hook is likely to be
thrown out.
Lowering the tip to a leaping fish is a good old rule when done
understandingly. It has been ridiculed by some anglers who do not seem
to have a clear conception of it. They claim that by lowering the tip it
gives sufficient slack line to enable the fish to free himself. But if
the rod is bent, as it should be, the simple lowering of the tip with a
short line merely relieves it somewhat from the weight of the fish;
there is no slack line, nor could there be unless the rod is lowered
until it is perfectly straight, which no wide-awake angler would permit.
As the fish is in the air but a second or two, the careless angler
simply does nothing, which is, perhaps, the best thing that could happen
for him.
Trolling is practised from a moving boat along the edges of weeds or
rushes, or in the neighborhood of gravelly shoals and bars or rocky
ledges. The bait may be a minnow or a very small trolling-spoon; if the
latter, it should have but a single hook. The revolving spoon is itself
the lure, and any addition of a bunch of feathers, a minnow, or a strip
of pork-rind does not add to its efficiency in the least, and moreover
savors of pot-fishing. A rod and reel should always be used, as trolling
with a hand-line is very unsportsmanlike.
Still-fishing is practised from the bank or from an anchored boat. If
the bait is live minnows, no float is necessary; but if crawfish,
helgramites, cut-bait, or worms are employed, a very small float is
useful to keep the bait off the bottom. The boat should be anchored in
close proximity to the feeding-grounds of the bass, and the angler
should keep as still as possible. Contrary to the popular opinion, fish
hear sounds, not only those made in the water, but those in the air as
well, otherwise they would not be provided with so delicate an auditory
apparatus; because they do not always notice sounds made in the air is
no proof that they do not hear them. The suggestions already made as to
the hooking and playing and landing the bass apply to still-fishing as
well. The minnow is best hooked through both lips, but if they are very
small, they may be hooked just under the dorsal fin.
THE LARGE-MOUTH BLACK-BASS
(_Micropterus salmoides_)
The large-mouth black-bass was also first described by the French
ichthyologist Lacépéde, in 1802, from a drawing and description sent to
him from South Carolina by M. Bosc, under the local name of
"trout-perch." Owing to the vernacular name, he gave it the specific
name of _salmoides_, "salmon-like" or "trout-like." Thirty years before,
pressed skins of the large-mouth bass had been sent to Linnæus by Dr.
Garden from Charleston. South Carolina, under the name of "freshwater
trout," but Linnæus failed to describe or name it. The black-bass is
called "trout" to this day in the Southern states.
The large-mouth black-bass is very similar in appearance to the
small-mouth bass. It is not quite so trimly built, being somewhat more
"stocky" and robust. Its mouth is larger, the angle reaching behind the
eye. It has larger scales, and those on the cheeks are not much smaller
than those on the body, while in the small-mouth bass the cheek scales
are very small compared with its body scales. The large-mouth is more
muscular, and has a broader and more powerful tail.
Its distribution is perhaps wider than that of any other game-fish, its
range extending from Canada to Florida and Mexico, and, through
transplantation, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It has also been
introduced into Germany. France, Russia, and the Netherlands, where it
is greatly esteemed both as a game-fish and food-fish.
The coloration of the large-mouth bass is often of the same hue as the
small-mouth bass, though usually it is not so dark, being mostly
bronze-green, fading to white on the belly. When markings are present,
they tend to form longitudinal streaks of aggregated spots, and not
vertical ones, as in the small-mouth.
Its habits of feeding, spawning, etc., are very similar to those of the
small-mouth. It prefers stiller water, and is more at home in weedy
situations, and will thrive in quiet, mossy ponds with muddy bottom
where the small-mouth would eventually become extinct; on the other
hand, the large-mouth can exist wherever it is possible for the
small-mouth to do so. It is better able to withstand the vicissitudes of
climate and temperature, and has a wonderful adaptability that enables
it to become reconciled to its environment. The feeding habits of the
two black-basses are much the same, though they differ as to their
haunts. The large-mouth favors weedy rather than rocky places, and
though its food is also much the same, the large-mouth is perhaps more
partial to frogs and minnows, in the absence of crawfish, which, like
the other species, it prefers.
In the Northern states it hibernates, and reaches a maximum weight of
six or eight pounds, while in the Gulf states, where it is active the
year round, it is taken weighing twenty pounds or more. In Florida I
have taken it on the fly up to fourteen pounds, and up to twenty pounds
with natural bait. In waters where it coexists with the small-mouth bass
there is no difference in their excellence as food-fish. I have often
eaten the large-mouth bass from the clear-water lakes of Utah and
Washington, that, with the single exception of the whitefish of Lake
Superior, were the best of all fresh-water fishes. And I can truly say
the same of those from some of the large rivers of Florida, notably the
St. Lucie, St. Sebastian, and New rivers.
It prefers to spawn on gravel or sand, but if such situations are
lacking, it makes its nest on a clay or mud bottom, or on the roots of
water-plants; or in ponds of very deep water without shallow shores, it
will spawn on the top of masses of weeds, in order to get near enough to
sunlight. In other respects its breeding habits are similar to its
cousin the small-mouth, the time of incubation and the guarding of the
eggs and young being about the same.
As to the much-mooted subject of the gameness of the large-mouth bass I
have no hesitation in saying, from an experience of nearly forty years,
covering all sections of the country, that where the two species coexist
there is no difference in their game qualities. The large-mouth is fully
the equal of the small-mouth where they are exposed to the same
conditions. Many anglers profess to think otherwise, but their
deductions are drawn from a comparison of the two species when subject
to totally different environment; for it is altogether a matter of
environment and not of physical structure or idiosyncrasy that
influences their game qualities. A small-mouth bass in a clear, rocky
stream, highly aerated as it must be, is, as a matter of course, more
active than a large-mouth bass in a quiet, weedy pond.
With others the opinion is merely a matter of prejudice or hearsay, a
prejudice that is, indeed, difficult to account for. It does not make
the small-mouth bass a gamer fish by disparaging the large-mouth. As I
have said elsewhere, if the large-mouth bass is just as game as the
small-mouth, the angler is just that much better off. As prejudice and
ignorance go hand in hand, we are not surprised when we hear persons--I
do not style them anglers--call the small-mouth the "true" black-bass,
implying that the large-mouth is not a black-bass, but is, as they often
say, the Oswego bass, which is, of course, absurd. I am glad to add,
however, that the prejudice against the large-mouth bass is dying out
among observant anglers, who know that a trout in a clear stream is more
vigorous than one in a weedy, mucky pond.
From my own experience I am prepared to say that the large-mouth bass is
more to be relied on in rising to the fly than the small-mouth, which
fact should be taken into consideration when the gameness of the two
species is compared. The remarks concerning fly-fishing for the
small-mouth bass are also applicable to the large-mouth, as both are
fished for in the same way, and with the same tackle, except that the
rod may be a little heavier. For the large bass of the Gulf states the
rod should be fully eight ounces in weight, and the flies a trifle
larger, on hooks Nos. 2 to 6; otherwise the tackle should be the same.
Minnow-casting for the large-mouth need not differ from that described
for the small-mouth bass. The tackle likewise may be the same, though
for the heavy bass of Florida the rod may be eight, or even nine ounces,
if preferred. Hooks may also be employed of a larger size, say Nos. 1 to
1-0, or even 2-0, as larger minnows are used for bait.
Some anglers of the Middle West have adopted a very short rod of six
feet or less for casting the live frog or pork-rind overhead, in the
same way as casting a fly. This is a very primitive style of
bait-casting, being the same as practised by bucolic boys and Southern
negroes using a sapling pole without a reel. The frog is reeled up to
within a few inches of the tip and propelled like a wad of clay from a
slender stick as we were wont to do as boys. The frog is projected with
great accuracy, but not without a smack and splash on the water. With
such a rod most of the pleasure of playing a bass to a finish is lost.
Presumably the end justifies the means, but this method does not appeal
to the artistic angler. If bait must be used, a small minnow, lightly
cast from a suitable rod, is more in accordance with the eternal fitness
of things and the practice and traditions of the gentle art. In very
weedy ponds and lakes, however, where there is not open water enough
to play a bass, and where it must be landed as soon as possible, this
rod and style of casting answer a good purpose.
[Illustration OSWEGO (LARGE-MOUTH) BASS]
Still-fishing is the same for either species of black-bass, but as it is
usually done from an anchored boat on Northern lakes, where the
large-mouth bass is of greater size and weight than the small-mouth
bass, somewhat heavier tackle may be used than recommended for the
small-mouth.
Trolling with the live or dead minnow, or a small spoon with a single
hook, is a very successful method on lakes, ponds, and broad, still
rivers. A greater length of line can be utilized in trolling, whereby
the fish is not so apt to see the angler. More ground can also be
covered than in any other style of fishing. The boat should be propelled
slowly along the borders of rushes and weed patches, over shoals and
gravelly banks, and near projecting points of the shore. Considerable
care should be exercised to move as noiselessly as possible, avoiding
splashing with the oars or paddle, or making any undue noise with the
feet or otherwise in the boat, as such sounds are conveyed a long
distance in so dense a medium as water. In trolling, the line may be
lengthened to fifty yards, if necessary, though from twenty to thirty
yards will usually be sufficient, especially when a good breeze is
blowing.
Bobbing for the large-mouth bass is much in vogue in the Gulf states,
but is more often practised in Florida. The conventional "bob" is formed
by tying a strip of deer's tail, with or without a piece of red flannel,
around a triangle of hooks, the hairs completely investing the hooks. A
single hook, however, answers fully as well or better. The hook is of
large size, Nos. 3-0 to 5-0. The method of procedure is as follows: The
boat is propelled by a single-bladed paddle, the paddler being seated in
the stern. The boat is moved silently and cautiously, skirting the edges
of water-lilies and bonnets, which grow thickly along the margin of the
channels. The angler is seated in the bow with a very long cane rod, to
which is affixed a short line of a few feet, not to exceed six. As the
boat advances, the angler dances the bob as far ahead as possible. It is
held a few inches or a foot above the water, into which it is "bobbed"
at short intervals. Sometimes the bass leaps from the water to seize it.
When hooked, the fish islanded without any ceremony and as soon as
possible, keeping it meanwhile on the surface, to prevent its taking to
the weeds. Bartram described bobbing as practised in Florida, for
black-bass, nearly a century and a half ago.
Although bass fishing dates back to the middle of the eighteenth
century, when bobbing, skittering, and still-fishing were common methods
in the extreme Southern states for the large-mouth bass, and though the
dawn of the nineteenth century saw bait-fishing and fly-fishing for the
small-mouth bass in Kentucky, it is surprising how little was known in
the Northern and Eastern states about the black-bass and bass fishing a
century after Bartram described bobbing for that game-fish in the
narrative of his travels. Even so late as 1871, when the _Forest and
Stream_ was established, very little appeared in its pages anent bass
fishing. Indeed, a few years later, a discussion lasting a year or more
appeared in its columns from week to week, as to whether the black-bass
would rise to the fly. Previous to the publication of the writer's "Book
of the Black-bass" in 1881, no work on angling gave any but the most
meagre account of black-bass or bass fishing. The "American Angler's
Guide," published in 1849 by John J. Brown, states that the black-bass
has rows of small teeth, two dorsal fins, and a swallowtail. In the
same work the large-mouth bass of the Southern states is classified
under the head of "brook trout," the author being misled apparently by
its Southern name of "trout," and goes on to say that they "grow much
larger than Northern trout," and that they "are fished for with the same
arrangement of tackle as the striped bass or salmon." A contributor to
the work, however, from Buffalo, New York, treats briefly and vaguely of
still-fishing with minnows and crawfish. Brief notes also from Southern
and Western anglers give fair descriptions of the appearance and habits
of both species of black-bass. Frank Forester (Henry W. Herbert) knew no
more of the black-bass than Mr. Brown, and acknowledges that he never
caught one. That old Nestor of angling, Uncle Thad Norris, in his
"American Angler's Book," 1864, gives the descriptions of Louis Agassiz
and Dr. Holbrook for the black-bass, and then relates his only
experience as follows, "I have taken this bass in the vicinity of St.
Louis, on a moonshiny night, by skittering a light spoon over the
surface of the water, while standing on the shore." Genio C. Scott in
his "Fishing in American Waters," 1869, has less to say, and evidently
knew less of the black-bass than any of the earlier writers. He gives
just three lines concerning black-bass fishing, saying, "This fish is
taken by casting the artificial fly, or by trolling with the feathered
spoon, with a minnow impaled on a gang of hooks, and forming spinning
tackle." Of all the angling authors prior to 1870, Robert B. Roosevelt
is the only one who knew anything about black-bass or black-bass
fishing, having fished for it in the St. Lawrence basin. He says, "They
will take minnows, shiners, grasshoppers, frogs, worms, or almost
anything else that can be called a bait." Also, "They may be captured by
casting the fly as for salmon or trout, and this is by far the most
sportsmanlike way, but the most destructive and usually resorted to is
trolling." The only personal experience he gives of black-bass fishing,
unfortunately, is by trolling with large flies. In his "Game Fish of the
North," 1862, he devotes five pages to the black-bass, but apparently
does not discriminate between the two species. In "Superior Fishing,"
1865, he devotes two pages to the black-bass of Canada and the Great
Lakes, in a general way, but gives two instances of fishing as follows,
"Pedro soon hooked a splendid black-bass, and landed him after a
vigorous struggle of half an hour; he weighed three pounds and
three-quarters, and was thoroughly game." And again, "That evening was
again devoted to the black-bass, which took both the fly and spoon
greedily."
During the period covered by the authors named, from 1849 to 1869, the
anglers of the South and Middle West were using light cane rods,
Kentucky reels, and the smallest sea-grass lines for bait-fishing, and
trout fly-rods and trout-tackle for fly-fishing, rods and tackle as
light, to say the least, as those in use to-day.
In 1866 I removed to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where there were thirty
lakes within ten miles abounding in black-bass of both species, with
pike, rock-bass, crappies, perch, etc. On my home grounds was a large
shallow pond fed from Fowler Lake. Becoming much interested in the
black-bass, and finding but little information available in the books of
that day concerning their habits, I determined to give some study to the
subject. Accordingly I cut a ditch from the pond to the lake, with
suitable screens, and stocked it with black-bass of both species. During
their spawning period in the summer I watched them faithfully and
constantly from a blind of bushes on the bank. This I did for several
years, turning the adult bass into the lake when the fry were large
enough to look out for themselves, and turning the fry out also in the
fall.
I extended my observations of the bass during their breeding season to
the many lakes near by. I found a difference of several weeks in the
time of their spawning in these lakes, owing to the difference in
temperature, caused by their varying depth. The appearance of the bass
also differed slightly in the various lakes, so that it was possible,
from a close study of their variations in color, size, and contour, to
determine in what particular lake any string of bass was taken.
About the same time, from 1868 to 1870, Mr. Cyrus Mann and Mr. H.D.
Dousman established their trout hatchery and ponds not far from
Oconomowoc, and Colonel George Shears, of Beaver Lake, a few miles away,
also began hatching trout on a smaller scale. These establishments
presented an opportunity to study the artificial propagation of
brook-trout, and I soon became familiar with the _modus operandi_. This
was before the institution of the United States Fish Commission, though
the state of Wisconsin already had an able and efficient Fish
Commission, Mr. H.D. Dousman being one of the commissioners. Colonel
Shears also experimented with black-bass culture, and between us we
reared many thousands to the age of three months, before turning them
out. Near my pond was a shallow, marshy cove to which the pike resorted
in early spring to spawn, giving me an opportunity to study their
breeding habits, also. There being so many lakes and ponds in the
vicinity, and their being so well supplied with fishes of various kinds,
my opportunities for the observation of fish life were as great as
fortunate.
The differences of opinion among anglers, of all men, pertaining to the
practice of their art, has become axiomatic. Some will differ even to
the estimation of a hair in the legs of an artificial fly, while it is
averred others will go so far as to "divide a hair 'twixt south and
south-west side," as Butler has it. But, seriously, there are several
moot points which I have endeavored to discuss in the following
piscatorial polemic.
Two friends went fishing. Both were famous black-bass anglers, with the
enthusiasm born of a genuine love and an inherent appreciation of the
gentle art so common among Kentucky gentlemen. One was a fly-fisher,
the other a bait-fisher. Each was a devotee to his especial mode of
angling, though generously tolerant of the other's method. They had
fished together for years when the dogwood and redbud blossomed in the
spring, and when the autumnal tints clothed the hillsides with scarlet
and gold.
They differed in their methods of fishing from choice, or from some
peculiar, personal idiosyncrasy, for each was an adept with both bait
and fly. But this difference in their piscatorial practices, like the
diversity of nature, produced perfect harmony instead of discord. Each
extolled the advantages and sportsmanship of his own method, but always
in a brotherly and kindly manner; never dictatorial or opinionated in
argument, or vainglorious and boastful as to his skill, for both were
possessed of the generous impulses of gentlemen and the kindly
influences of the gentle art. Moreover, they were innately conscious of
a common aim, and differed only as to the ways and means of best
attaining that end, which, while dissimilar, were not inharmonious.
And so the Silver Doctor and the Golden Shiner, as they dubbed each
other, went trudging along the bank of the merry stream together. The
Doctor, lightly equipped with only rod, fly-book, and creel, sometimes
relieved the Shiner by toting his minnow bucket or minnow net. They were
fishing a rocky, gently flowing river, characteristic of the Blue Grass
section.
They stopped at a broad, lakelike expansion of the stream, caused by a
mill-dam, and, in a quiet cove at the entrance of a clear brook. Golden
Shiner proceeded to fill his minnow bucket with lively minnows, using
for the purpose an umbrella-like folding net. This he attached to a
long, stout pole, and, after baiting it with crushed biscuit, lowered it
into the water. In a short time he had all the bait necessary--chubs,
shiners, and steelbacks.
"The golden shiner is the best of all," said he, "especially for roily
or milky water; but the chub and steelback are stronger and livelier on
the hook, and for very clear water are good enough."
They then proceeded below the mill-dam, where there was a strong riffle,
with likely-looking pools and eddies.
"The proper way to hook a minnow is through the lips," continued Golden
Shiner, "especially for casting. One can give a more natural motion to
the minnow on drawing it through the water. For still-fishing, hooking
through the tail or under the back fin will answer; but even then I
prefer my method, unless the minnow is less than two inches in length."
And he made a long cast toward the eddy of a large boulder.
"For the same reason," acquiesced Silver Doctor, "artificial flies are
tied with the head next the snell,"--industriously casting to right and
left over the riffle.
"But some flies are tied with the tail next to the snell," ventured
Shiner.
"That is true, but it is unnatural. I never saw an insect swim tail
first up-stream. Nature is the best teacher, and one should endeavor to
follow her lead." Just then the Doctor snapped off his point fly. Upon
examination he found that the snell was dry and brittle next to the head
of the fly, though he had previously soaked it well in a glass of water.
He discovered that a drop of shellac varnish had encroached beyond the
head of the fly for perhaps the sixteenth of an inch on the snell. This
portion, being waterproof, remained dry and brittle--a very common fault
with cheap flies.
"This fly," said the Doctor, "was given to me for trial by Judge Hackle.
He tied it himself. The broken end of the snell still shows a portion
of shellac coating."
"I never thought of that before," remarked Shiner. "No doubt many flies
are cracked off from the same cause."
"Without a doubt, as you say. I know a lady," continued the Doctor,
"who, as Walton says, 'has a fine hand,' and who superintends an
extensive artificial fly establishment--and who has written the best
book ever published on the subject of artificial flies--who personally
inspects every fly turned out by her tyers. And, moreover, she varnishes
the head of every fly herself, in order that not the least particle of
shellac may touch the snell. Such careful supervision and honest work,
to quote Walton again, 'like virtue, bring their own reward,'" and the
Doctor resumed his casting with another fly.
"Well, Doctor, I sympathize with you; but my snells are clear-quill and
no varnish. I may throw off a minnow once in a while by a very long
cast, but it is soon replaced, and costs nothing. And, speaking of
casting, I observed that you made half a dozen casts to reach yonder
rock but sixty feet away, while I placed my minnow, by a single cast, a
hundred feet in the other direction. Moreover, I reel my line toward me
through undisturbed water, while you whipped the entire distance by
several preliminary casts."
"That is necessarily true," answered the Doctor; "but while you must
recover all of your line for a new cast, I can cast repeatedly with the
extreme length of my line in any direction; so I think honors are easy
on the question of casting."
"But," persisted Shiner, "with my quadruple multiplying reel, it is only
a matter of a few seconds to prepare for a new cast. Then again. I have
better control of a hooked fish, and can give and take line much faster
than you with your single-action click reel."
"While I grant your reel has a great advantage in speed, I hold that a
single-action click reel is all-sufficient to play and land a hooked
fish. Your reel is intended particularly to make long initial casts, and
it is admirably adapted for that especial purpose; but in playing a bass
it has no advantage over a click reel; in fact, I prefer the latter for
that purpose. Really, the engine of destruction to the hooked fish is
the rod. Its constant strain and yielding resistance, even without a
reel of any kind, will soon place him _hors de combat_."
Golden Shiner was not slow to perceive the force of the Doctor's
arguments and held his peace. In the meantime both anglers had succeeded
in killing some half-dozen bass, the largest ones falling to the rod of
the bait fisher, as is usually the case. The sun was now climbing toward
the zenith, and the Doctor's flies seemed to have lost their
attractiveness for the wary bass, while the Shiner, seeking deeper
water, was still successful in his efforts. The day, however, was
becoming uncomfortably warm.
"You will admit, Doctor, that you must cast your flies early in the day
or late in the afternoon to insure much success, while I can fish during
the middle of the day in deeper water and still have a measure of
reward, which I consider quite an advantage of bait over fly."
"Granted. Fish rise to the fly only in comparatively shallow water, and
are found in such situations in bright weather only early and late in
the day. But I prefer to fish at just those times. I do not care to fish
during the middle portion of the day in summer." And the Doctor
proceeded to reel in his final cast.
Just then his friend hooked the largest fish of the morning's outing. It
was an unusually gamy bass, and leaped several times in rapid
succession from the water, shaking itself violently each time. But the
Shiner was equal to "his tricks and his manners," and soon had him in
the landing-net.
"Doctor, why does a hooked bass break water and shake his head? Is it
through fear or rage?"
"It is to rid his jaws of the hook. He can neither pick his teeth with a
fin, nor remove a foreign substance from his mouth with his tail. His
mouth is his prehensile organ. A horse, cow, dog, or fowl will shake the
head violently to rid its mouth of an offending object. But a fish,
having no neck to speak of, can only shake his head by shaking his body,
and that only in a lateral direction. As a bass cannot shake himself
energetically enough beneath the water to dislodge the hook, owing to
the resistance of the denser medium, he naturally leaps into the air for
that purpose; and he always does so with widely extended jaws, as you
have seen time and again this morning. He probably also fortifies
himself at the same time by taking in oxygen from the air. He does so,
at all events, willy-nilly."
"How high can a black-bass leap from the water, do you think?"
"A foot or two at most, as you well know," replied the Doctor. "In
rocky streams like this, one has a good gauge for measuring the leap. I
never saw a bass leap as high as yonder boulder, which is about three
feet above the water; and as you have taken several fish in its eddy,
you might have proved it by your own observation, as I did myself."
"I distinctly remember, now," affirmed Shiner, "that my last catch--the
big fellow--leaped several times very near that same rock, and he did
not go half as high."
The two friends then repaired to a cool spring beneath a spreading
beech, to enjoy a luncheon and a quiet pipe,--well satisfied with their
morning's sport,--and to continue the _argumentum ad hominem_ anent fly
and bait, with the usual result that;
"A man convinced against his will.
Is of the same opinion still."
THE ROCK-BASS
(_Ambloplites rupestris_)
In the same family with the black-bass are a number of other sunfishes
that will next be considered, merely as a matter of sequence, and not on
account of their importance as game-fishes.
The rock-bass was first described by the French naturalist, Rafinesque,
in 1817, while travelling in America. His specimens were from New York
and Vermont, which he named _rupestris_, "living among rocks." In the
Northern states it is generally known as the rock-bass, but in Kentucky
and other states of the Middle West it is called red-eye, goggle-eye,
etc.
Its original habitat was from Canada and Lake Champlain southward along
the Mississippi Valley to Louisiana and Texas, but its range has been
extended to many other states east and west by transplantation.
In its general appearance it resembles somewhat the black-bass, but it
is a deeper fish and is more compressed. Its dorsal and anal fins are
comparatively larger and stronger. It has a large eye and a capacious
mouth well filled with small teeth, some on the roof of the mouth being
rather sharp.
The color is of various shades of olive-green, with brassy or coppery
reflection, more or less mottled with black, forming broken and
indistinct lines along the sides. The iris of the eye is scarlet, hence
"red-eye"; there is a black spot on the angle of the gill-cover and dark
mottlings on the soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. It prefers clear
streams and lakes, and congregates in small schools about rocky
situations, gravelly bars, about mill-dams, and in the vicinity of weed
patches in ponds. It spawns in the spring and early summer, making and
guarding its nest like the black-bass, and feeds on crawfish, small
minnows, and insect larvæ. In size it usually runs from a half-pound to
a pound in streams, though reaching two pounds or more in lakes. It is a
good pan-fish for the table, and is well thought of in the Mississippi
Valley, though held in lighter esteem in the St. Lawrence basin, where
it coexists with larger and better fishes.
The rock-bass is an attractive-looking fish, and for its size is very
pugnacious. It will take the artificial fly, or natural or artificial
bait. It bites freely at small minnows, grubs, grasshoppers, cut-bait,
or angle-worms. It is capable of affording considerable sport with light
tackle, owing to its large and strong fins, and its habit of curling its
sides in opposition to the strain of the rod.
With a light fly-rod of four or five ounces, and corresponding tackle,
and trout flies on hooks Nos. 5 to 7, the rock-bass is not a mean
adversary. It rises to the various hackles, and to such flies as
coachman, brown drake, gray drake, and stone fly, especially toward
evening. The flies must be allowed to sink with every cast after
fluttering them awhile on the surface. For bait-fishing a trout bait-rod
of the weight just mentioned, with a reel of small caliber and the
smallest braided silk line, will be about right. Sproat hooks Nos. 3 to
4 on light gut snells tied with red silk are the best. Live minnows
about two inches long, carefully hooked through the lips, are to be
lightly cast and allowed to sink nearly to the bottom and slowly reeled
in again. Or if a float is used, the minnow may be hooked just under the
dorsal fin. A small float is necessary when white grubs, crawfish,
cut-bait, or worms are used as bait. On lakes it is readily taken by
trolling with a very small spoon, about the size of a nickel, with a
single Sproat or O'Shaughnessy hook No. 1 attached.
A rod nine or ten feet long cut from the small end of a native cane
pole, weighing but a few ounces, with a line of sea-grass or raw silk
about the length of the rod, will answer very well for bait-fishing.
This is the tackle mostly used by boys in the Middle West, and it might
be profitably employed by boys of larger growth.
A dozen "red-eyes," gleaming with green and gold, on the string of the
boy angler, is something to be proud of. He gazes with fond admiration
on the wide-open crimson eyes, which to him seem more precious than
rubies. He admires the bristling fins, the gracefully sloping sides, the
gaping mouth and forked tail, with boyish enthusiasm and appreciation.
Although hot and tired, and with many a scratch and bruise on hands and
feet, such trifles are lighter than air, and do not admit of a moment's
consideration. Seated on a rock at the margin of the stream, with the
string of fish in the water, he feasts his eyes on the finny beauties
with the conscious pride of well-earned success and the happy
culmination of his outing. In imagination the battles are all fought
over and over again. He knows just where and under what condition and
circumstance each fish was caught, as, with bare toes, he separates and
indicates the individual on the string. That largest one was hooked
under the dam beside the big rock. The next in size was taken among the
roots of the old sycamore at the bend of the creek. Another and still
another from the deep hole under the rocky cliff. Oh, the joyous days of
youth and going a-fishing in the glad springtime of life! And then,
having laved his swollen feet in the cooling stream, he washes the blood
and scales from his hands, scrapes the mud and slime from his well-worn
clothes, shoulders his lance of elm, and starts for home, bearing his
trophies with as proud a mien as a warrior of old returning with the
spoils of war.
THE SACRAMENTO PERCH
(_Archoplites interruptus_)
The Sacramento perch is closely allied in structure to the rock-bass,
and is the only perchlike fish in fresh water west of the Rocky
Mountains. It was collected by the Pacific Railroad Survey and described
and named _interruptus_ by Girard, in 1854, owing to the interrupted
character of the vertical markings. It inhabits the Sacramento and
Joaquin rivers in California, and is much esteemed as a food-fish, but
unfortunately it is being rapidly exterminated by the carp and catfish
that are said to infest its spawning grounds. In its conformation it is
almost identical with the rock-bass, but differs in having more teeth on
the tongue and more gill-rakers. In coloration, however, it differs very
much, being sometimes uniformly blackish or brassy, but usually the
black coloration is disposed in several vertical bars or markings of an
irregular shape. It has a black spot on the angle of the gill-cover.
I have had no experience in angling for the Sacramento perch, which is
said to be taken with the hook in large quantities for the market. I
have no doubt but the tackle recommended for the rock-bass would be just
as effective for this fish, with similar baits.
THE WARMOUTH PERCH
(_Chænobryttus gulosus_)
The warmouth perch, also known as the black sunfish in the North, was
first described by the French naturalists, Cuvier and Valenciennes, in
1829, from specimens from Lake Pontchartrain. Louisiana. They named it
_gulosus_, "large-mouthed," owing to its big mouth. There is a slight
variation between the Northern and Southern forms. It abounds in all
coastwise streams from North Carolina to Florida and Texas, and
sparingly in Lake Michigan and the upper Mississippi Valley. In its
general shape and appearance it is not unlike the rock-bass, though in
the radial formula of its fins and in its large mouth it approaches
nearer the black-bass than any other species of the family. It has a
large head and deep body, almost as deep as long, and is nearly
symmetrical in outline. Its teeth are in brushlike bands on the jaws,
with patches on the tongue. The Southern form has one or two less soft
rays in the dorsal and anal fins.
It is dark olive on the back, lighter on the sides, with blotches of
blue and coppery red, and the belly brassy or yellowish. Iris red,
ear-flap black, bordered with pale red, with three dusky red bars
radiating from the eye across the cheeks. Fins mottled with a darker
color, and a black blotch on the last rays of the soft portion of the
dorsal fin.
It is not so gregarious as the rock-bass, but otherwise is similar in
its habits, though not so partial to rocky situations, rather loving
deep pools and quiet water. It feeds on minnows, tadpoles, frogs,
insects, and their larvæ. It spawns in the spring. It is a good
pan-fish, and grows to eight or ten inches in length and a weight of
nearly a pound. For its size, it is the gamest member of the family
except the black-bass, and is more like that fish than the others. It is
a favorite game-fish in the South, rising well to the fly, and is a free
biter at natural bait.
In angling for the warmouth, the same rods and tackle mentioned under
the head of rock-bass are well suited. In the Southern states a light
native cane rod, ten or twelve feet long, and a line of the smallest
caliber, sea-grass or twisted silk, is the favorite style of tackle,
with hooks Nos. 2 to 3 tied on light gut, and a quill float and
split-shot sinker. The usual bait is the black cricket, or the catalpa
worm or caterpillar. The white grub found in decayed stumps, and other
larvæ, crawfish and small minnows, are all useful. Of these the minnow
is the best. On streams a small float is necessary to keep the bait from
the roots of overhanging trees. In the stillness of Southern streams,
under the moss-draped trees, I have idled away many a dreamy hour in the
pleasure of fishing for the warmouth, but at the same time fully alive
to the weird surroundings. Occasionally the splashing of a hooked fish
on the surface entices an alligator from his lair in expectation of a
fishy morsel. The echoes are awakened time and again by the pumping of
the bittern, the hoarse cry of the crane, or the hooting of an owl in
the dark recesses of the cypress swamp. The solitudes of those waters
are very fascinating to the lone fisher. The novelty of the situation
appeals very strongly to the angler-naturalist whose experiences have
been on the clear, sparkling, tumbling streams of the North. There
Nature is ever bright and joyous; here she is quiet and sombre and
subdued. But the fishes know no north or south or east or west,--always
the same creatures of interest and beauty, and ever responding to the
wiles of the angler.
I was once fishing on St. Francis River, in Arkansas, where the
warmouths were both large and gamy. One day I went through the woods and
cane-brakes to the banks of Mud Lake, situated in the midst of a cypress
swamp. The lake was much smaller than it had been formerly, as was
apparent from the wide margins of the shores, which were of considerable
extent between the timber and the water. On this margin was a group of
four cypress trees that in size exceeded any that I had ever seen, and I
think worthy of mention. They were from twenty to twenty-five feet in
diameter, or sixty to sixty-five feet in circumference, three feet above
the ground. They were buttressed like the wall of a mediæval stronghold.
In comparing notes with many naturalists and travellers, they have
declared the size of those cypress trees to be both unique and
wonderful.
THE BLUE SUNFISH
(_Lepomis pallidus_)
The blue sunfish was first described by Dr. Mitchill from the waters of
New York in 1815. He named it _pallidus_, meaning "pale," as it was more
sober in hue than the other brilliantly colored sunfishes. It is the
largest of the sunfishes, so-called, as the black-bass, warmouth, and
crappies are not popularly regarded as "sunfishes."
The blue sunfish has a wider distribution than any other member of its
family except the black-bass. Its range extends from the Great Lakes
through the Mississippi Valley to Texas, and along the South Atlantic
states to Florida. In the Middle West it is known as blue gill and in
the South as blue bream and copper-nosed bream. It has a medium-sized
head and very deep body, its depth varying from one-half its length to
almost as deep as long, in which case, barring head and tail, it is
almost round in outline. It is much compressed. The ear-flap is quite
black, without the pale or red border usual in the other sunfishes.
[Illustration THE SMALL-MOUTH BLACK-BASS _Micropterus dolomieu_]
[Illustration THE LARGE-MOUTH BLACK-BASS _Micropterus salmoides_]
[Illustration THE ROCK-BASS _Ambloplites rupestris_]
As might be inferred from its extensive range, its coloration varies
greatly. In large and old examples it is sometimes of a uniform slaty
hue with purplish reflections. In others it is olive-green or bluish
green, darker above, with the breast and belly coppery red. Young
specimens are more brilliantly colored, with silvery reflections and
various chainlike markings. It thrives alike in stream, pond, or lake,
adapting itself to almost any environment. It feeds on insects and their
larvæ, very small minnows, and other small aquatic organisms. It spawns
in the spring and early summer, and its manner of nesting and guarding
its young is similar to that of the other members of the family. It
grows to six or eight inches in length usually, but often to a foot,
especially in large waters. It is quite a favorite game-fish in most
localities, and with such tackle as recommended for the rock-bass it
gives considerable sport, especially in localities that are lacking in
larger and better game-fishes. It rises well to the fly, and will take
any of the baits recommended for the other sunfishes.
In those states of the Middle West, where the brook-trout does not
exist, the "blue gill" is greatly esteemed and much sought after, as it
furnishes the opportunity to employ light trout tackle in its capture,
and with such gear it affords fine sport. I have taken the blue sunfish
in all waters from Wisconsin to Florida. In the latter state many years
ago I fished a fresh-water lake on Point Pinellas, near St. Petersburg,
Florida, though there were but two houses there at that time. I was
using a very light rod, and the fish were as large and round as a
breakfast plate, and moreover the gamest and most beautiful in
coloration of any blue gill I had ever met. The characteristic blue was
replaced by a deep, intense, and brilliant purple, shot with silvery and
golden reflections. While playing one on the surface, an osprey sat on a
dead pine watching with apparent concern and eagerness. The fish made a
stubborn resistance, with much splashing. Then a strange thing happened.
The fish-hawk swooped down and seized the fish and attempted to fly away
with it. Perhaps the hook became fast to his claw, but at any rate he
circled around and around the pond, tethered to my line. It was the
first, last, and only time that I did the aerial act of playing a bird
on the wing. After a few seconds of this exciting and novel sport the
osprey broke away, carrying both fish and hook.
THE LONG-EARED SUNFISH
(_Lepomis megalotis_)
This species was first described by Rafinesque in 1820 from streams in
Kentucky. He named it _megalotis_, meaning "large ear," owing to its
large and conspicuous ear-flap. It is one of the handsomest sunfishes in
its brilliant coloration, and a great favorite with the youthful
Waltonians of the Mississippi Valley. It inhabits small streams in
Michigan and the Mississippi Valley, and the Atlantic slope from South
Carolina to Florida and Mexico, and is very abundant in Kentucky, where
it is sometimes called "tobacco-box," owing to its "lid-like" opercle.
Its body is short and deep, with quite a hump or arch anteriorly, making
the profile of the face quite steep in old specimens. The ear-flap is
very long and wide, blackish in color, with a border usually of pale
bluish or a reddish hue; its back is blue, with chestnut or orange
belly; sides with red spots and bluish lines; iris of eye red; lips
blue. The soft rays of the dorsal fin are blue, with orange between.
Ventral and anal fins are dusky blue. The top of the head and nape is
dark. The coloration is very brilliant and varies in different
localities. Its habits of feeding and spawning are similar to those of
the blue sunfish, though it usually inhabits smaller streams; it grows
to a length of from six to eight inches, and is regarded as a good
pan-fish by many.
It is an eager biter at angle-worms, which is the bait _par excellence_
of juvenile anglers, who greatly enjoy fishing for "sunnies." The only
tackle needed is a light cane rod, very fine line, and small hooks, Nos.
6 or 8, split-shot sinker, and, of course, a float, for no boy would
care to fish without a "bob" or "cork." Half of the pleasure of the
young angler is in watching the float.
But the fly-fisher may also obtain sport to his liking with a rod of a
few ounces' weight and midge flies on No. 10 hooks, for at the close of
the day the long-eared sunfish rises well. In the absence of better
fishing this is not to be despised.
I once saw a boy fishing for "tobacco-boxes" from a rock beneath a
mill-dam on a Kentucky stream. He hooked one of good size, and in his
eagerness to secure it tumbled into the pool, which was quite deep, much
over his head. After some little delay we got him out, almost drowned,
and in a very limp and exhausted condition. When finally he was restored
and capable of speech he exclaimed, "I saved my tobacco-box, anyhow!"
During all the struggle he held on to his rod, and still clutched it
when "landed." Whether he did so from the desperation with which
drowning men are said to cling to straws, or from an inherent sporting
instinct, deponent sayeth not. A clergyman, who knew nothing of fish,
but who was attracted to the scene, said to the dripping boy, "My lad,
let this be a solemn warning to you: throw away the tobacco-box you have
saved and give up chewing; it may drown you yet."
THE RED-BREAST SUNFISH
(_Lepomis auritus_)
This handsome sunfish was the first of its family to receive the
recognition of a naturalist, being described by Linnæus in 1758. He
named it _auritus_, or "eared," from its conspicuous ear-flap. His
specimen was credited to Philadelphia, and was, presumably, from some
neighboring water. It is a fish of the Atlantic slope, with a range
extending from Maine to Florida, and is also found in Louisiana. It is
very abundant in the South Atlantic states.
Its form is similar to the long-eared sunfish, but with a more prominent
snout and a depression in front of the eye. Its ear-flap is as long but
not so broad; its color olive or bluish above; sides bluish with reddish
spots; breast and belly orange or red; blue stripes on the front of the
head. The southern form has a dusky blotch on the last rays of the
dorsal fin, which is lacking in those of northern waters.
Its habits are similar to those of the other sunfishes proper, as to
food, spawning, etc. It grows to a length of from eight to ten inches.
It is a favorite food and game-fish in the South, where it is known as
red-breast bream and red-bellied perch. The same remarks as to angling
mentioned under the head of warmouth perch will apply to this fish as
well.
My angling career really began with the capture of "silversides" with a
paste of bread crumbs, but was inaugurated with taking this "sunny" and
the "punkin-seed" on the artificial fly. An old English gamekeeper, in
the employ of our family as gardener and hostler, taught me to tie a
fly and cast it with a willow wand when but five years of age. At the
feet of that Gamaliel in corduroy I imbibed a love of angling that has
constantly grown with the lapse of years. But increased knowledge of
fishes and a wider experience in angling have not lessened my affection
for my first love--the "sunny." This acknowledgment is due one of the
humblest and least important, but also one of the prettiest species of
the finny tribe.
THE COMMON SUNFISH
(_Eupomotis gibbosus_)
This is the pumpkin-seed or "sunny" of fragrant memory. It is enshrined
in the heart of many an American angler as his first love, when with pin
hook, thread line, and willow wand he essayed its capture in the nearest
brook or mill-pond.
Looking backward over an angling career of half a century, the gamesome
"sunny" with its coat of many colors shines out as a bright particular
star among those of greater magnitude. It is here set down, then, mainly
as a matter of sentiment and to keep its memory green.
The little "sunny" was christened by the greatest naturalist that ever
lived, Linnæus, who in 1758 named it "_gibbosus_" owing to the gibbous
outline of its little body. His specimens were from South Carolina.
It inhabits the Great Lake region, and the Atlantic seaboard from Maine
to Florida, and the northern portion of the Mississippi Valley. In
outline it is not unlike a pumpkin-seed, hence one of its popular names.
This is well expressed in its specific name _gibbosus_. It has quite a
small mouth, but large eye. In coloration it rivals the gayly-tinted
fishes of the coral reefs in tropical seas. The predominating colors are
yellow and blue, being bluish on the back, paling on the sides to a
lighter shade, with yellow blotches and coppery reflections, and belly
bright orange-yellow; the cheeks are yellow with blue streaks; rays of
dorsal fin blue, the connecting membrane yellow; ear-flap black, ending
in a scarlet border; lips blue; iris of eye scarlet.
Its habits of spawning, nest-making, and care of eggs and fry are
similar to those of the other sunfishes mentioned. It is partial to
clear water, with sandy or gravelly bottom, in the vicinity of weed
patches. It feeds on insects and their larvæ and minute crustaceans,
and is especially fond of the eggs and fry of other species. It grows to
a size of eight inches, though usually from three to six inches.
Like all the sunfishes, it is an eager biter, and with very light tackle
much real pleasure can be enjoyed by the angler who is not too
particular as to his preferences. It rises readily to small dark flies,
as the several hackles, black gnat, etc., on hooks Nos. 10 to 12. For
bait-fishing nothing is quite so good as earthworms on hooks Nos. 8 to
10.
There are quite a number of other sunfishes belonging to this family,
but those named are the most important. In the Southern states, where
the sunfishes are known generically as "bream" or "brim" and "perch,"
they are more appreciated than in the Northern states, where the
brook-trout is the favorite among the smaller species. If fished for
with very light and suitable tackle, there is a great measure of
enjoyment to be derived from bream-fishing, north or south. Certainly
for beauty of coloration they are not excelled, and as pan-fish they are
preferred by many to the dainty brook-trout.
There is a certain fascination in fishing with a float, or "cork," or
"bob," as the boys have it. And among us "old boys" there is a certain
undefined feeling, it may be a reminiscent affection, connected with the
float, much the same as that with which we regard the powder-flask and
shot-pouch of the days of yore. And I am not sure but that the old
things and old ways were best, or at least more enjoyable. One can
heartily agree with Alonzo of Aragon in his preferences for old wood to
burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.
What old angler does not remember the eagerness and expectancy with
which he watched the "cork" in days gone by? How well he knew and
understood every motion of it, responsive to the nibbling "sunny": first
a gentle spinning, then a preliminary bobble, then a premonitory start
away an inch or two, and then--O joy!--its swift and sudden
disappearance beneath the surface. The lapse of time cannot wither nor
modern custom stale the pleasures of youthful fishing. To be sure, it
was not all piscatorial cakes and ale; there were a few thorns with the
roses; there were the bruised fingers and toes, the wet and torn
clothes, and the impending and dreaded "dressing down" when home was
reached; but these disagreeable concomitants were soon forgotten, and
are now scarcely remembered, while the pleasures are laid up in the
lavender of sweet recollection.
The old-time zest of fishing with a float can still be gratified; we can
renew our youth by fishing for "sunnies" in the old-fashioned way. In
the wooded streams of the Southern states the float is a _sine qua non_
for bream-fishing, owing to the many tangled roots of trees on the
banks, and the mosses, grasses, and other aquatic plants that grow so
luxuriantly in the sluggish waters. Then here's to the float and the
sunny and the bream!
THE CALICO-BASS
(_Pomoxis sparoides_)
The calico-bass was first described by Lacépéde from specimens sent to
France from South Carolina. He named it _sparoides_ from a fancied
resemblance, either in its scales or compressed body, to those features
in fishes belonging to the family _Sparidæ_.
Owing to its wide distribution it has received many names, more or less
descriptive. In the Northern states it is variously called crappie,
croppie, strawberry-bass, grass-bass, bank lick bass, silver-bass,
big-fin bass, Lake Erie bass, razor back, bitter-head, lamplighter,
etc., while in the Southern states it is known as speckled perch,
goggle-eyed perch, chincapin perch, bridge perch, etc.
As the calico-bass and the next fish to be described, the crappie,
belong to the same genus of the sunfish family, and resemble each other
very much, the vernacular nomenclature is much confused, and in some
instances is interchangeable. Some years ago I proposed to call them
northern and southern crappie; but as the name calico-bass has obtained
considerable currency, it is best to adopt that name for the northern
species, leaving the name crappie for the southern form.
The calico-bass is found in the Great Lake region and the upper
Mississippi Valley, and along the Atlantic slope from New Jersey to
Florida and Texas. Its range has been considerably extended by
transplantation, even to France, where it thrives well as a pond fish.
It is a handsome fish, resembling in its general features and shape the
sunfishes, but with a thinner body and larger fins. It has a long head
and a large mouth, with thin lips and projecting lower jaw. The eye is
large with a dark, bluish iris. Its fins are large and strong. It grows
usually to eight or ten inches in length, weighing from half a pound to
a pound, but occasionally reaches a foot in length and two or three
pounds in weight. Its color is bright olive-green, with silvery
reflections, darker on the back, and paling to the belly. In some
localities it is of a much darker and purplish hue with brassy lustre.
It is profusely covered with dark spots or blotches, as large as the
finger-tips or "chincapins." The fins are mottled with pale spots on a
darker or olive ground. It is gregarious, being usually found in
schools, and prefers clear water. It is especially adapted to pond
culture, and spawns in spring or early summer, according to locality; it
prepares its nest in sand, gravel, or on a flat rock in the same way as
the sunfishes. Its food is the same, also, though it is more partial to
young fish. It is an excellent pan-fish but does not excel as a
game-fish, for though a very free biter, it does not offer much
resistance when hooked. However, with very light tackle it affords
considerable sport, as it does not cease biting, usually, until most of
the school are taken.
The usual method of angling for this fish is from an anchored boat on
ponds or small lakes, or from the bank. At times it rises pretty well to
the fly, and trolling with a very small spoon is also successful on
lakes. The lightest rods and tackle should be employed, with hooks Nos.
3 to 5 on gut snells. A small quill float is useful in very weedy ponds
with mossy bottom. The best bait is a small minnow, though grasshoppers,
crickets, crawfish, cut-bait, or worms are all greedily taken.
Fly-fishing is more successful during the late afternoon hours until
dusk. The flies should be trout patterns of coachman, gray drake, black
gnat, Henshall, or any of the hackles on hooks Nos. 4 to 5.
I first became acquainted with the calico-bass during my residence in
Wisconsin, many years ago. In the vicinity of Oconomowoc it was known as
the silver-bass, though summer visitors from St. Louis, confusing it
with the kindred species, the crappie, called it "croppie," as the real
crappie is known at Murdoch Lake near that city. Owing to its greedy,
free-biting habits it was a prime favorite with youthful anglers and the
fair sex; for once a school was located, the contest was free, fast, and
furious until, perhaps, the entire school was captured. It was
frequently taken by black-bass fishers when casting the minnow or
trolling, much to their disgust. Of course it is always the unexpected
that happens, in fishing as in other affairs of life, and the angler who
was casting a fine minnow for a black-bass, viewed with disdain if not
anger the unlucky "pickerel," rock-bass, perch, or calico bass that
appropriated--or, as the English angler has it, "hypothecated"--the said
choice shiner.
I was once fishing with General Phil Sheridan and General Anson Stager
for black-bass on a lake near Oconomowoc. When the great telegrapher,
after a beautiful cast near a bed of rushes, hooked a calico-bass, and
was anathematizing the "measly silver-bass" with all the dots and dashes
of the Morse alphabet, Sheridan quietly remarked, "Oh, let up, Stager,
it is one of the fortunes of war; better luck next time!" Stager smiled,
gently unhooked the offending fish, and returned it to the water,
saying, "Good-by, croppie, my regards to the rest of the family; but
don't monkey with my minnow again."
When cruising on the St. Johns, or camping on some of the fresh-water
lakes of Florida, I have greatly enjoyed both the fishing with light
tackle and the eating of this fine pan-fish. It is there known as the
perch, silver perch, or speckled perch. It may not be out of place to
say that the generic term "bass" is connected only with salt-water
fishes in the Southern states. Fishes that are known in the Northern
states as bass of some kind become, generically, "perch" in the South;
and the black-bass becomes a "trout" or jumping-perch. If bait-fishing,
one is never at a loss for bait on the lakes of Florida. The black-bass
and calico-bass lie in open water, adjacent to the patches of lily-pads
or bonnets. Among the latter frequent the minnows and small fry. To
catch your minnow the bait is also handy. In the stems of the lilies and
bonnets there lies concealed a small worm, which is readily seen by
splitting the stems. With the worm first catch your minnow, which is
transferred to your bass hook, which is next cast into clear, deeper
water, to be taken by a black-bass or "speckled perch." What a simple
and admirable arrangement for the lazy fisherman!
My old friend, Dr. Theodatus Garlick, who with Dr. H.A. Ackley were the
fathers of fish-culture in America, having succeeded in hatching
brook-trout as early as 1853, relates the following instance of the
remarkable tenacity of life in the calico-bass: "A specimen from which
a drawing was made, was wrapped in a piece of paper when taken from the
water, and carried in my coat pocket for over four hours, and when
placed in a bucket of water soon revived, and seems at the present time
to enjoy excellent health. In warm weather, however, it would not, in
all probability, survive so severe a test of its vital powers." I
imagine that this circumstance happened in winter, and that the fish
became frozen before or after being placed in his pocket; otherwise I
doubt if the fish could have survived so long, unless the piece of paper
was very large and very wet. I know of many instances occurring with
myself and others where freshly caught fish have been revived after
being frozen for several hours.
THE CRAPPIE
(_Pomoxis annularis_)
The crappie was first described by Rafinesque in 1818 from specimens
collected at the Falls of the Ohio, near Louisville, Kentucky. He named
it _annularis_, "having rings," as it was said to have "a golden ring at
the base of the tail," but I have never seen it; it does have a gold
ring, however, around the iris of the eye, and this was probably the
occasion of the name.
Like the calico-bass, the crappie has received a great many local names.
In the northern region of its range it is variously known as white
croppie, crappie, barfish, bachelor, etc., and in Kentucky as newlight,
Campbellite, and tin-mouth, while farther south it is called silver
perch, speckled perch, goggle-eye, sac-à-lait, shad, etc. It inhabits
the Ohio and Mississippi river basins from Kansas to Louisiana and
Texas, and is more abundant in Kentucky and other Southern states than
farther north. Its range, however, has been extended by transplantation
to many states. In general features it resembles the calico-bass very
much, though to the trained eye the differences are very apparent. It is
not quite so deep nor so robust as the calico-bass. The mouth is
somewhat larger, and the snout more prominent or projecting on account
of a depression or indentation in front of the eye. The eye is a little
larger, and the membrane of the jaws is quite thin and transparent,
hence one of its names,--"tin-mouth." The crappie has but six spines in
the dorsal fin, whereas the calico-bass has seven, whereby they may be
readily distinguished.
It grows to about the same size and weight as the calico-bass, ten or
twelve inches, though under favorable conditions it grows larger,
reaching a weight of three pounds. I have frequently taken it as heavy,
or a little heavier, in Kentucky, where many ponds and streams seem
peculiarly fitted for it. In coloration it is much paler than the
calico-bass, and the markings are not so dark or in such large spots or
blotches. It is silvery olive-green, much mottled with a darker shade of
same color, especially on the back, the lower sides and belly being more
silvery and seemingly translucent. The dorsal and caudal fins are much
mottled with shades of green, though the anal fin is almost plain. The
iris of the eye is dark, with a silvery or golden border.
It is found in clear streams and likewise in still, weedy ponds and
bayous, or in all situations adapted to the large-mouth black-bass, with
which fish it is nearly always associated. It is admirably suited for
pond culture. It is quite gregarious and loves to congregate about the
submerged top of a fallen tree or sunken brush, and about mill-dams. It
feeds on all small aquatic organisms and insects and their larvæ, and
the fry of other fishes, tadpoles, etc.
While a very free-biting fish, its game qualities, when hooked, are not
remarkable. It is pulled out with scarcely a struggle. It is rather a
shy fish, withal, and must be fished for cautiously, and with little
noise or confusion. When these precautions are observed, and with very
small minnows for bait, nearly the entire school can be captured in a
short time. It is an excellent pan-fish, and on this account is a prime
favorite.
For still-fishing, a light rod of a few ounces in weight, and a line of
the smallest caliber, size H, should be used. Hooks for bait-fishing
should be about No. 3, as the crappie has a large mouth; they should be
tied on gut snells. A quill float is useful in weedy places, or about
brush and logs. The best bait is a very small minnow, hooked under the
dorsal fin, care being taken not to injure the spinal cord. Soft
crawfish, cut-bait, or earthworms may be substituted where minnows are
scarce. A reel is not necessary for bait-fishing, but a short leader
should always be used, and where required a split-shot sinker is heavy
enough.
For fly-fishing, the lightest trout fly-rod and the smallest click reel
should be employed, with a braided, enamelled silk line of the smallest
caliber, and dark or grayish flies of small size, on hooks No. 4, on gut
snells, with a fine leader. The most useful flies are gray, red, and
black hackles, black gnat, blue dun, gray and brown drake, and stone
fly; but far the best fly that I have ever used is the Henshall of a
small size. It has a body of green peacock harl, hackle of white hairs
from a deer's tail, gray wings, and tail of a fibre or two from the tail
feather of a peacock; they will rise to this fly when no other will
tempt them to the surface. Toward sunset, with the tackle named, on a
breezy summer day, the angler will be amply rewarded, for under these
conditions fly-fishing for the crappie is a sport not to be despised.
It has been alleged that the name "Campbellite," by which the crappie is
sometimes known in Kentucky, was bestowed because the fish first
appeared in Kentucky streams about the same time that the religious sect
founded by Alexander Campbell became established in that state. This may
have been the origin of the name, but I am inclined to doubt it from the
fact that the crappie has probably always inhabited Kentucky streams,
inasmuch as it was first described by Rafinesque in 1820 from Kentucky
waters. He gave gold ring and silver perch as the common names then in
vogue for it at Louisville. I think it more likely the name originated
in this wise: among the many names given to this fish is "newlight,"
probably owing to its bright and apparently translucent appearance; and
as this name was also bestowed by some on the religious sect referred
to, the names newlight and Campbellite became interchangeable for both
fish and sect. It is, however, seldom called Campbellite, while newlight
is the most universal name for it in central Kentucky.
The name crappie, or croppie, has an unknown derivation; perhaps it
comes from the French _crêpe_, a "pan-cake," from its shape or
deliciousness when fried, for it was always a great favorite with the
French of St. Louis and the creoles of Louisiana. In the latter state it
is also known as _sac-à-lait_, "bag for milk" (?).
Great numbers of crappies are annually seined from the shallow bayous
and sloughs bordering the Illinois and Mississippi rivers by the United
States Fish Commission, and planted in suitable waters. If allowed to
remain in the sloughs, which dry up in the summer and fall, they would
eventually perish.