New-York daily tribune., 1859-06-03
MISCELLANEOUS.

TROLLING FOR MuscALoSGE.-Ceorge Dawson, in
his fourth letter to The Albany Journal from among
the Thousand Islands Of the st. Lawrence gives
graphic sketch of morning spent in catching musca.
longe; for he has begun to catch them in earnest
now. He Gays:
Before we had rowed q mile, sun, atmosphere,
sceuc beauty and everything else poetic and fancu,
were dispersed by the sudden click OF my largest reel
A prompt backward movement OF my ROD at once con
WINGED me that had work on hand Of the most lively
kind. remembered all that had been written about
giving pike, pickere muscalonge &C., fifteen min
utes TO gorge the bait and all that sort OF thing; but
paid no attention to il, because didn't believe in 1t.
would az soon think Of waiting until my coffee got
cold before drinking it, as to SIT still for fifteen minutes
or for fifteen seconds, before striking after hsh has
taken my hook. How any one, with fire enough In
him to make angler at all, can do 90, Is beyond my
comprehension. Nor will 1 admit that il is either
necessary or wise Except in very hot weather, when
they are enervated and sluggish pckeTel and musca-
longe dash the bs with the speed Of lightning and
gorge il sufficiently the intsIt TO be hee IL struck
promptly and with force.
1.-The customer now struggling at my line was evi-
dently well hooked. lie came up, for moment, hke
a log. 1t required every muscle to wind him IN. AL
first he was evidently only wondering what nah Deiaen
him for in less than ten seconds he jerked back with
such force a. TO compel me to give him ine would
save him. But, in giving him line, took care not 70
meLi fish of any considerable size succeeds IN Turn
tall upon you. III hc must icecuSJ HN.'
backward. SO long as you hold him inu', you are are
hi. master. Otherwise, be is yourr. he TOOK tns
hook when hundred and fifty test OF line was oq'.
In two minues two hundred and hity feet was Ia tne
water ard all but fifty feet had run on my reel before
recovered an inch. Andthe couddo but little more
than hold him. lie pulled back bike rnuiei and my
rod braced against my hip and held at an age oi forty
Eve assumed crescent shape as nodded IN seeming
ecstacy while the monster las soon began To deem
himI tuaged to free himself from the berbed hook
which beld him. by arm became weary from reeling,
and at every turn IL seemed as If would crop from ts
socket. But there could be no respite. IL woca DE
disgrace 10 surrender; and in fifteen minutes had n,
reasonably quiet by the side OF the boaf-towng nui
with one hand while with the other fastened hin wah
my spring gaf AID laid hin al my :eeta IeeAfy P0s"d
mEscoi0Hge! -,
"He was beautifully hooked, through and through
the upper In And vet would have lost hun II / RAD
given him slack line for instant IL ne hsd turned
upon me- the effort 10 bripg him back would slmo I
certainly have drawn the hook from his lip. And Ju-'
here is where 30 many good fellows fall II Of conrse
requires 20 KIN 10 induce sh 10 dash Al yoN hook
when trolling. II his boat is kept at proper speed
and be has the proper length Il line IN the wsser,
sgreenhorr viii have many strikes o. We,
ersn. Bot 4 requires skil TO hook hsh when ne
strikes and to hold him after he s hooked Inc sun
pie ar is taut lire always after the nsn hooked
II compelled to unreel to save your teckie Oh ,ns
fsh pus 90 heavily to Cause you 70 lear t1af 70 ~
struggles be may tear himself Tree from the hook, an
reel slowly and slwsys with tsuf line. Those wnf
cannot Do fhis better as the Old writers tell u) v'
| their fab 6feen minutes 10 gorge. But wouid =
soon think of spearng salmon on their spawning oeas
or catching trout with net, s 70 90 anytnins ~ un