Atlanta Daily World

FISH PSYCHOLOGY OPENS UP THIS ISSUE BELOW

Sometime ago I promised my good friend, the Sports Editor, that I would tell the Fans something of my experience as a fisherman. If it is fish news that he wants, he shall have plenty of it.

When a man bites a fish, that is no news, but what if a fish bites a man? Well, I have actually been bitten by fish, but I shan't tell you about that now.

First I should like to pay tribute to the memory of two real fishermen from whom I learned much; namely, Dr. Amos and Dr. Jones. Bob Harper, also deceased, was too, a lover of the sport. All Fishermen, I believe, have many things in common. As far as I am concerned, fishing is the greatest of all sports. Twenty four hours do not seem long when the fish are biting. With little to eat and drink and plenty of bait you can take life easy and let the rest of the world go by.

During the regular season I spend many nights on the banks alone, with only the owls, and now and then a bull frog to be heard in the near distance. Certain hours of the night (especially in these parts), the big fish come close to the banks when all is quiet, looking for food. I have observed them splitting the water like a motor boat, but not always at a rapid speed, however, and it is certainly interesting to observe their action.

It is much easier to trick fish at night than in the day, especially when there is no one around. Evidently, they know something about the fisherman's tricks, and if you should hook one and allow it to get away you might as well take up for a while because it spreads the alarm.

There are two kinds of fishermen, professional and amateur, of course. I belong to the latter class, but I have learned much from the professionals and I am still in school. There are lots of good fish ponds, lakes and creeks in this section and lots of people fishing, but just a small per cent of these people are successful. The unsuccessful ones, as a rule, blame it on the sign. The professionals don't bother much about the sign.

Sometimes the fish will bite only real, live bait and, if the sign has anything to do with that they must be right. A real disturbance is high wind. It is difficult to tell if the fish is biting when the wind is high, but if you have a baited hole, where the wind is not greatly disturbing, they can be tricked all right. The wind was quite disturbing last Saturday, but I tricked four of the prettiest bream out at South River lakes that I ever caught. If the fans desire it I shall be glad to give them an article on tricking the bream next week.

HERE'S LUCK TO YOU, FANS
G. R. Higginbotham