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IT is good luck to be on the good side of the man I that knows Fish," said Walton. My purpose here is to tell something of the natural history of the fishes anglers woo so ardently. Later I will deal more specifically with the habits of the basses and trouts and their relation to that ever-interesting problem, " Fishermen's Luck."

Historical

The biological history of the black basses is covered so ably and scientifically by Dr. Henshall, in his " Book of the Black Bass," that I will touch the subject only in a general way.

Louden, in his " The Small Mouthed Black Bass," states that the early Jesuit missionaries used the word " achigan" as early as 1655 to designate the small mouthed black bass. The word corresponds with the French word " bas " meaning stocking and certainly these hardy fishers of men must have included " our " fish in their Friday menus. Robert Roosevelt found 101 the Chippewas of the Lake Superior Country still using the name " achigan " in the eighties.

The first small mouthed black bass recognized by science was a specimen described by Lacepede in 1801. It happened to be a mutilated specimen and as a result received the unfortunate generic name "microp-terus," meaning small fin.

The small mouthed black bass is often called " red eye " by many anglers.

Range

The original range of the small mouthed black bass was probably restricted to the Great Lakes region, the northern parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys and perhaps the headwaters of certain Allegheny streams. Frank Forester in his " Fish and Fishing " says that the black bass was found in the basin of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes and was distributed in New York via the Erie Canal which was opened in 1825. We know that the small mouthed black bass was introduced into the Potomac in the early fifties and in other Eastern rivers soon after. Since then his range has been greatly extended by transplanting in most of the cold water streams of northern U. S. and Canada and in several European countries.

Description

The small mouthed black bass is too well known to warrant much of a description here. The coloration of the small mouthed black bass varies considerably in different waters and even in individual specimens. Generally the back of this fish is dark, sometimes black; his sides of some shade of green and his belly cream colored or dull white. Young specimens are usually marked with dark patches or bars placed vertically, seldom horizontally, on the body. Three dark streaks cross the cheeks but as the fish grows older all marking may become faint or be lost entirely.

Habitat

The small mouthed black bass is essentially a fish of cold, moving, clear water and for this reason is most often found in swift streams or in large bodies of water where there are currents and sand and gravel bars or rocky ledges. For this reason waters like the Georgian Bay and many of our Northern lakes and streams are ideal for this fish. Sir Dolomieu does not thrive in warm, still, shallow, weedy waters.

Food

One look at the mouth of the black bass tells its own story. His small brush-like teeth proclaim to all observers that his favorite foods are craw-fish, insects, helgramites and other larvae. He will also feed on minnows but is not as piscivorous as is generally believed although he can, and in some waters must, live almost entirely on small fishes. He is an enterprising feeder, not always content to wait for something to " turn up."

Breeding and Growth

The black basses belong to the Centrachidae or fresh water sunfish family and breed in the Spring. The small mouthed commences as early as April in some waters and as late as July in the far North. The spawning time depends mainly on the condition of the water, the fish showing little interest in raising a family until the temperature of the water reaches 50 degrees F. They spawn earliest in shallow waters.

The small mouthed black bass prefers to make his nest on sand, gravel or rocky ledges, the male fish doing all the nest building. Sometimes he will merely scoop out a depression in the sand and occasionally one will roll pebbles into a cluster and carefully polish each one although generally they are not as good housekeepers as their smaller cousins, the common sunfish.

When the nest is completed the fish sallies forth like a knight of old seeking ye lay die faire. When he finds her he exerts himself to make a favorable impression meanwhile driving the trying-to-appear-reluctant charmer into the nest. Here he ascertains whether or not she is ripe. If not he angrily drives her away and seeks a more suitable mate. If she is ready to expel the eggs he induces her to do so and fertilizes them as they are ejected. Upon completing this function the female's interest in the family ceases forthwith and the male proceeds to guard the precious eggs, hovering over them diligently, fanning with fins and tail to keep the water circulating over them and to prevent sediment settling. During this time he shows remarkable bravery in defending his charges and will drive away any fish regardless of size.

The eggs hatch, on an average, in twelve days depending on the temperature of the water. The fry, which are almost invisible the first few days, hover over the nest for from forty-eight to sixty hours rising and falling as the surface water warms and cools. Later the proud father leads his numerous flock to the weed beds and leaves them to fend for themselves. Here begins an existence that cannot help but breed brave, strong, lusty fishes. They are not only pursued by enemies of all sorts but soon develop a fierce cannibalism and prey upon one another. Needless to say, those that survive are extremely fit and it is this cruel, fierce youth that produces the doughty warriors that we all love to engage in battle.

The young fishes feed upon the minute organisms found in all suitable bass waters, chief of which are daphnia, cyclops and other Crustacea and larvae. The little fellows that survive attain the fingerling stage, three to six inches, by Autumn and are almost a pound in weight the following year.

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