Bass, pike, perch and other game fishes of America

Introduction

In this volume are included all the Gamc-Fishcs of the United States inhabiting the fresh water lakes and streams east of the Rocky Mountains, and the marine and brackish waters of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

As a matter of convenience I have grouped the fishes in families, wherever 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.

V vi Introduction

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. Ill, 11" means that the anal fin has three spiny rays 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, represents the average number, and is subject to slight variation ; thus in some localities the number of rays in a fin may be

Introduction vii

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 North and Middle America" (Bulletin U. S. National Museum, No. 47), by Jordan & 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 more than sixty years, on many waters, from Canada to the West Indies, and from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains.

JAMES ALEXANDER HENSHALL.

Cincinnati, Ohio.

SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OF THE FISHES DESCRIBED IN THIS VOLUME

Family SILURIDiE Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque). The Channel Catfish.

Family CYPRINIDiE Cyprinus carpio, Linnaeus. The German Carp.

Family ELOPIDiE Elops saurus, Linnaeus. The Ten-pounder.

Family ALBULID.^ Albula vulpes (Linnaeus). The Lady-Fish.

Family SALMONIDiE

Coregonus williamsoni, Girard. The Rocky Mountain Whitefish. Argyrosomus artedi sisco, Jordan. The Cisco.

Family THYMALLIDiE Thymallus signifer (Richardson). The Arctic Grayling. Thymallus tricolor, Cope. The Michigan Grayling. Thymallus montanus, Milner. The Montana Grayling. /

Family ARGENTINID^ Osmerus mordax (Mitchill) . The Smelt. '

Family ESOCID^

Esox americanus, Gmelin. The Banded Pickerel. Esox vermiculatus, Le Sueur. The Western Pickerel.

X Systematic Arrangement of Fishes

Esox reticulatus, Le Sueur. The Eastern Pickerel.

Esox lucius, Linnaeus. The Pike.

Esox nobilior, Thompson. The Mascalonge.

Family HOLOCENTRIDiE Holocentrus ascensionis (Osbeck) . The Squirrel Fish.

Family SCOMBRIDiE

Sarda sarda (Bloch). The Bonito.

Scomberomorus maculatus (Mitchill). The Spanish Mackerel.

Scomberomorus regalis (Bloch). The Cero.

Family CARANGID.® 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 (Linnasus). The Pompano.

Family RACHYCENTRIDiE Rachycentron canadus (Linnaeus). The Cobia.>

Family CENTRARCHID^

Pomoxis annularis, Rafinesque. The Crappie.

Pomoxis sparoides (Lacdp^de). The Calico-bass.

Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque) . The Rock-bass.

Archoplites interruptus (Girard). The Sacramento Perch.

Chaenobryttus gulosus (Cuvier & Valenciennes). The Warmouth Perch.

Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus). The Red-breast Sunfish.

Lepomis megalotis (Rafinesque). The Long-eared Sunfish.

Lepomis pallidus (Mitchill). The Blue Sunfish.

Eupomotis gibbosus (Linnaeus). The Common Sunfish.

Micropterus dolomieu, Lac^p&de. The Small-mouth Black-bass.

Micropterus salmoides (Lac^p^de). The Large-mouth Black-bass.

Systematic Arrangement of Fishes xi

Family PERCID^

Stizostedion vitreum (Mitchill). The Pike-perch. Stizostedion canadense (Smith). The Sauger. Perca flavescens (Mitchill). The Yellow Perch.

Family CENTROPOMIDiE Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch). The Snook, or Rovallia.

Family SERRANID^

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 (Lacep^de). The Coney. Bodianus fulvus (Linnaeus). The Nigger Fish. Epinephelus adscensionis (Osbeck) . The Rock Hind. Epinephelus guttatus (Linnaeus). The Red Hind. Mycteroperca venenosa (Linnsus). The Yellow Fin Grouper. Mycteroperca microlepis (Goode & Bean). The Gag. Mycteroperca falcata phenax, Jordan & Swain. The Scamp. Centropristes striatas (Linnaeus). The Sea-bass. Centropristes ocyurus (Jordan & Evermann) . The Gulf Sea-bass. Centropristes philadelphicus (Linnaeus). The Southern Sea-bass. Diplectrum formosum (Linnaeus). The Sand-fish.

Family LOBOTID^ Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch) . The Triple Tail.

Family LUTIANIDiE

Lutianus jocu (Bloch & Schneider). The Dog Snapper. Lutianus apodus (Walbaum). The Schoolmaster. Lutianus aya (Bloch). The Red Snapper. Lutianus synagris (Linnsus). The Lane Snapper. Ocyurus chrysurus (Bloch) . The Yellowtail.

xii Systematic Arrangement of Fishes

Family ILffiMULIDJE Haemulon album. Curvier & Valenciennes. The Margate-fish. Haemulon macrostomum, Gunther. The Gray Grunt. Haemulon parra (Desmarest). The Sailor's Choice. Haemulon sciurus (Shaw). The Yellow Grunt. Hamulon plumieri (Lact5pi^de). The Black Grunt. Haemulon flavolineatum (Desmarest). The French Grunt. Anisotremus virginicus (Linnaeus). The Pork-fish. Orthopristis chrysopterus (Linnseus). The Pig-fish.

Family SPARID^ Stenotomus chrysops (Linnseus). 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 (Linnteus). The Pin-fish. Archosargus probatocephalus (Walbaum). The Sheepshead.

Family KYPHOSIDJE Kyphosus sectatrix (Linnsus) . The Bermuda Chub.

Family SCIiENIDiE

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. Lac(fp^de. The Lafayette, or Spot.

Menticirrhus saxatilis (Bloch & Schneider). The Kingfish.

Aplodinotus grunniens, Rafinesque. The Fresh-water Drumfish.

Systematic Amingement of Fishes xiii

Family LABRID^ Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum). The Cunner.

Family EPHIPPID^ Chaetodipterus faber (Broussonet). The Angel-fish.

Family BALISTID^ Balistes carolinensis, Gmelin. The Turbot.

Family PLEURONECTIDiE Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum). The Flounder.

Chapter I

The Sunfish Family, Centrarchidce .... The Small-mouth Black-bass, Micropterus dolomieu The Large-mouth Black-bass, Micropterus salrnoides The Rock-bass, Amblopiites rupestris The Sacramento Perch, Archoplites interruptus The Warmouth Perch, Chcenobrytttis gidostis The Blue Sunfish, Lepomis pallidus The Long-eared Sunfish, Lepomis megalotis The Red-breast Sunfish, Lepomis auritus The Common Sunfish, Eupomotis gibbosus The Calico-bass, Pomoxis sparoides The Crappie, Pomoxis atmularis

FAGS I 3

57 58 62

65 67 69 73 79

CHAPTER II The Bass Family, Serranidtz

The White-bass, Roccus chrysops . The Yellow-bass, Morone interrupta

CHAPTER III The Sea-bass Family, Serranidce (continued) ... 95

The Striped-bass, Roccus lineatus 96

The White-perch, Morone americana . . . .110 The Sea-bass, Centropristes striatus . . . • 115 The Southern Sea-bass, Ceittropristes philadelphicus . 118 The Guli Sea.-h2iss, Ceniroprisfes ocyurus . . .119 xvi Contents

CHAPTER VIII The Drum Family, ScicEnidce 213

The Weakfish, Cynoscion regalis . . . . .215 The Bastard Weakfish, Cynoscion twthus . . .221

Contents xvii

PAGE

The Kingfish, Menticirrhns saxatilis . . . .221

The Croaker, Micropogoti undulatus .... 226

The Lafayette, Leiostomus xanthurus .... 228

CHAPTER XV The Grouper Family, Scrranidce

The Gag, Mycteropcrca microlepis .

The Scamp, Myctcroperca falcata phcnax

The Yellow-finned Grouper, Myderoperca venenosa

The Rock Hind, Epinephelus adscensionis

The Red Hind, Epinephelus giUtatus

The Coney, Petromctopon cruentatus

The Nigger-fish, Bodianus fulviis .

The Sand-fish, Diplcctrum formosiitn

PAGE

Chapter XVI

The Cavalli Family, Cnransidcc The Runner, Carangus chrysos The Horse-eye Jack, Carattfftis latus The Pompano, Trachinotus carolintts

307 310

3"

CHAPTER XVn

The Grunt Family, Hcumididce .

The Black Grunt, Hcemulon plumieri The Yellow Grunt, Hcamulon sciurus The Margate-fish, Hcrmulon album The Sailor's Choice, Hcrnmlon parra The Pig-fish, Orthopristis chrysopterus The Pork -fish, Anisotremus virginicus

The Snapper Family, Lutianidcc The Yellow-tail, Ocyurus chrysun^us The Lane Snapper, Lutianus synagris

323 326 328 330 331 334

336 338 339

Contents

XIX

The Red Snapper, Lutiatius aya The Dog Snapper, Lutianus jocu The Schoolmaster, Lutianus apodus

The Porgy Family, Sparidcc

The Jolt-head Porgy, Calamus bajonado The Saucer-eye Porgy, Calamus cala?nus The Little-head Porgy, Calatnus proridens The Grass Porgy, Calamus arctifrons

FAGS

347 348 350 352 353

CHAPTER XVIII The Lady-fish, Albula vuipes

The Ten-pounder, Elops saurus

The Snook, Centropotnus undecimalis

The Triple-tail, Lobotes surinamensis

The Cobia, Kachycentron canadus .

The Spotted Weakfish, Cynoscion nebulosus

The Deep-sea Weakfish, Cynoscion thalassinus

The Bermuda Chub, Kyphosus sectatrix .

The Angel-fish, ChcBtodipterus faber

The Pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides .

The Squirrel-fish, Holocottrus ascensionis

The Turbot, Balistes carolinensis .

355 361 366

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Where the Bass bite well .... Frontispiece

PAGE

Oswego (Large-mouth) Bass 36

The Small-mouth Black-bass. The Large-mouth

Black-bass. The Rock-bass 62

Surf-flshing for Bass 96

Catching Sea-bass off Newport 100

The Sea-bass. The Mascalonge. The Pike . .114 The Mascalonge of the Weeds. Trolling with Hand-line 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 2^4

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. Tuic Turbot 384

xxi

CHAPTER I THE SUNFISH FAMILY ( Centrarchidce)

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

Microptertis dolomieu. Small-mouth Black-bass. Body ovateoblong; head 3; depth 3; eye 6; D. X, 13; A. HI, 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 ovateoblong; head 3 ; depth 3 ; eye 5 ; D. X, 13 ; A. Ill, 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 riipestris. Rock-bass. Body oblong, moderately compressed ; head 2J; depth 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 interrupt us. Sacramento Perch. Body oblong-ovate, compressed; head 2| ; depth 2\\ eye 4; D. XII, 10; A. VI, 10; scales 7-45-14; 8 rows on checks; 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 CH.ENOBRYTTUS

Chcenobrytttis gulosus. Warmouth Perch. Body heavy and deep ; head2i; depth 2I ; eye 4; D. X,9; A. Ill, 8; scales 6-42-1 1 ; 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 pallidiis. Blue Sunfish. Body short and deep, compressed; head 3; depth 2; eye 3^ ; D. X, 12; A. Ill, 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 ;r-|- 11 to 13.

Lepomis megalotis. Long-eared Sunfish. Body short and deep, the back arched ; head 3 ; depth 2 ; eye4 ; D. X, 1 1 ; A. Ill, 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. Ill, 9; scales 6-45-15; mouth large, oblique ; palatine teeth present ; gill-rakers jf 4- 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. Ill, 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-\-\o\ 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\ ; 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 dolofnieit)

The generic name Micropterus was given to the small-mouth black-bass by the French ichthyologist Lacepede, 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 line 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, Lacepede created the new genus Microptcnts. He gave it the specific name doloniicu as a compliment to his friend M. Dolomieu, a P'rench 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 fiowing from the Alleghany Mountains in the Southern states. It has, however, been introduced into all of the New P^ngland 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 arc 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

The Simfisb Family g

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, saucershaped 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 lo Bass, Pike, and Perch

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 Sunfish Family ii

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 tlie thrusli, 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 twentiethcentury 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 1S48 by the late Mr. J. L. Sage, of Lexington, Kentucky, especially for fly-fishing. I have also seen his fiy-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 black-

The Sunjisb Family 13

bass bait-fishing, as an art, originated in Kentucky a century ago. George Snyder, of Paris, Kentucky, when president of the Bourbon County AngHng Club, made the first multiplying reel for casting the minnow, in 18 10, 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 lie 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

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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