The Oakwood Press (Oakwood

With July at hand, anglers throughout the country set their interests in taking black bass. As a group, the large and smallmouth bass and their relatives form America's favorite fresh water fish.

For the sport, action, and skill involved, many anglers prefer to catch bass by means of bait casting. Some of those fine bass lakes of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan have yielded prize winning smallmouths, and from North Carolina to Florida and Texas huge largemouths have been duped by darting plugs.

You take "The Ozark" tubular steel bait casting rod 5½ feet in length, attach a "Hi-Bridge" level wind casting reel filled with 50 yards of 12 pound test silk braided nylon casting line. Snap on a Schmoo plug bait, and cast it to the lily pad clusters or weedy set-backs. You have just the right outfit to tangle with the 10 and 12 pound largemouths, or 5 pound scrappy smallmouth bass.

In plugs, to cover every condition, you need both solid and jointed, top water and deep running; and these should be in red and white, green and yellow, scale finish, and shore minnow finishes.

These lures, together with double spinners, single spinner with pork strip, and ordinary nickel spoons, are reliable summer tempters when the bass are deep and both casting and trolling is to be done.

You may weight the plugs where the water is deep over a grassy bottom, and troll them at moderate speed in a hitchy sort of fashion. Often this plan brings good sized bass to net. Lake George, in New York, is one notable place where this system has worked successfully.

Other tips on taking bass by bait casting, and especially at night, are given in Old Hi's free booklet called "Fishing for the Millions." and a copy will be sent to you promptly if you'll drop a penny postcard request to me, in care of The Press. We'll have more to say about taking bass by other methods in a week or two.

Since bass, walleyes, pike, and pickerel are so fond of minnows, you should use one of the new double duty galvanized pails with 10 quart floating bucket. This features a new built-in bait can to carry worms, crabs, or frogs, which makes it extremely handy for extended trips or when several fellows go along in the party.

Here's an angle you should consider if you go after these game fish often, when a variety of bait counts.

Live bait boat fishing is very popular and effective along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. and for this sport you want a good boat rod. Both the "Chesapeake" and the "Jamaica," 5½ feet in length overall, are fine tonkin bamboo boat rods. In tubular glass salt water boat rods, you would find the "Pompano" and "Admiral" to be ideal for general use.

By sending for your free copies of Old Hi's booklets "Salt Water Sports Fishing" and "Pacific Coastal Fishing," by addressing a postcard to me in care of The Press, you'll learn how best to use boat rods of this nature for taking all kinds of inshore game and food fish. Send for your copies today.