The Game Fish, of the Northern States and British Provinces / With an account of the salmon and sea-trout fishing of Canada and New Brunswick, together with simple directions for tying artificial flies, etc., etc.

by Robert Barnwell Roosevelt

As there are persons so ignorant as not to know how to cast at all, and as I once found one stopping his reel with his first finger, I will say that to make a cast the line is reeled up till the float touches the tip, or in case no float is used, till the bait is within a foot of it, the right hand grasps the rod at the reel, which is turned up, and the thumb placed upon it to regulate the escape of the line; the left hand is near the but; the point of the rod is then carried back behind the fisherman, and with a steady, springy motion is suddenly brought forward and the line delivered. A jerk, or the fouling of the line, which will surely happen if it is allowed to overrun, will certainly tear off your baits, and perhaps your float and sinker; the sinker must strike the water in advance of the float, or the leader is apt to hitch round the upper point of the latter.

The most scientific and truly sportsmanlike mode of taking striped bass must be admitted to be with the fly; which, unfortunately, can only be done in the brackish or fresh water. Like salmon, they will not take the fly in the salt creeks and bays, and thus, though the sport is excellent, it is confined to few localities, and those difficult of access. Fly-fishing may be done either with the ordinary salmon rod, or in a strong current with the common bass rod, by working your fly on the top of the water and giving a considerable length of line. The best fly is that with the scarlet ibis and white feathers mixed, the same as used for black bass; but bass may be taken with any large fly, especially those of gay color. Excellent sport is frequently had in this way from off some open bridge, where the falling tide, mixed with the fresh water, rushes furiously between the piers.

It is generally conceded that the best time for bass fishing is at night, especially if the moon be bright. The most favorable wind is a southwesterly one, strong enough to make a good ripple on the water, and the right time of tide from half-ebb to half-flood. In the shallower inlets the neap tides are preferable, as they do not drain the water so low as to alarm the fish.

In bass fishing, whether for trolling or casting, the rod should be eight to ten feet long, stiff and light, but with a certain amount of elasticity. A rod made of a piece of bamboo, cut in two joints, will, until some awkward friend steps on and breaks it, answer as well as any other, and one that costs three dollars is in every particular as good as one worth forty. The light bamboo jointed rods of our ancestors are no more to be had; the makers say it is impossible to get the cane of the proper taper, and rods of ash and hickory have come into fashion. The latter will answer every purpose, but as they are sure to warp, the guides should be double, so that the line can be shifted from one side to the other. Patent standing guides are all the fashion with us, though the English use the old-fashioned rings made large. Of course we prefer our own invention. The funnel-top should be large, and for a valuable rod, or a particular gentleman, should be made of agate. They are infinitely superior to the old-fashioned ring-top still used in England. Avoid having many guides; they create friction, and three or four will answer every purpose.

If you are a gentleman and a man of fortune, of lavish hand and open heart, you should use what is called a grass or raw silk line, buying a new one every two weeks, by which time it will be rotted out. It does not kink or over-run, works beautifully, and will enable you to cast ten yards further than with any other; but it is not strong at best, will rot immediately if not dried after the least exposure, and costs money. If you are a poor or a careless man, buy a new flax line every year, and throw it away in the Fall, after being disgusted with it all the season. If you are neither of these, buy a plaited silk line of one hundred yards; be sure and get a new one, and take care of it.

Lines may be preserved from rotting by being dipped in a mixture made of one pound of printer’s varnish, half a pound of siccity, and one gill of spirits of turpentine, warmed up together, or in the ordinary drying oil sold at the paint shops, and although they do not render quite so easy, I have all mine, trout and bass lines, so prepared. I cannot take the trouble to dry my lines after every exposure, and if once forgotten, without being so protected, they are ruined. A well-made silk line is strong enough to hang oneself by, if the angler should be disgusted with life by his ill luck, and coated in this manner they will last a long time. They do not get saturated or take up water in casting, and do not stick to the rod as they otherwise would. Lines for fly fishing, prepared in a similar manner, are sold in the fishing-tackle stores, although the makers are opposed to an improvement that will diminish their business. The line is dipped in the preparation when warm, and left in all night; it is removed next morning after the mixture has been rewarmed, and is stretched in a garret or other place not exposed to the sun or rain, and the superfluous varnish wiped off, and after it is thoroughly dried, it is well rubbed. This preparation cannot be used with linen or cotton lines, as it will rot them.

In striking a bass you cannot be too quick, and when fishing with a float your line will sink in the water and enable you to trip the float and fix the hook at once. The fish must then be kept well in hand; but never exhibit severity unless compelled by circumstances; be rough, and the fish will be rough; be gentle, and he will come to you like a friend. Keep him from the rocks and bottom if possible; but give to his willful rushes till he is content to listen to reason. By this course you will avoid feeling often that sinking of the heart that follows when the strain suddenly ceases on your line, and you know he has escaped.[16]

That fine game fish of the southern States usually called bass or red-fish, belongs to another family, and is the Corvina ocellata, or branded corvina. It is distinguished by a peculiar black spot, like a drop of ink, near the tail. It furnishes noble sport and excellent eating, abounds in the neighborhood of the Chesapeake Bay, and is highly prized at southern tables.

CHAPTER XXII.
BLACK BASS.

Gristes Nigricans (Agassiz)—Centrarchus Fasciatus (De Kay).