Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-03-01
(To BE CoNTINUED.)
Trolling for Muscalonge.

Trolling for Muscalonge.
George Dawson, in his fourth letter to the
Albany Journal from among the thousand Isles
of the ST. Lawrence, gives graphic sketch of
morning spent in catching muscalonge; for
he has begun to catch them in earnest now
lie says
Before VIC had rowed mile. sun, atmosphere,
scenic beauty, and everything else poetic and
fanciful, were dispersed by the sudden click of
my largest reel. A prompt backward move
ment of my rod at once convinced me that ! had
work on hand of the most lively kind. Ire.
membered all that had been written about pike,
pickerel, muscalonge, ETC., =" fifteen minutes to
gorge the bat," and all that sort of thing;
but paid no attention to it, because didn't
b lleye in it, | would as soon think of waiting
until my coffee got cold before drinking it, as
to sit still for fifteen minutes or fifteen seconds,
btfore /" striking after fish has been taken
by hook. How any one, with fire enough in
him to make u angler at all, can do SO, is be-
You'd my comprehension. Nor will l admit
that it is either necessary or wise Except in
very hot weather, when they are ennervated
and sluggish, pickerel and muscalonge dash
at the bait with the speed of lightning, and
gorge it sufficiently on the instant to be held if
" struck, promptly with force.
The customer now struggling at my line was
evidently well hooked He came up for mo-
ment like log. 1t required every muscle to
wind him in. At first he was evidently only
wondering what had befallen him: for in less
than ten seconds he jerked back with such force
as to compel me to give him line if l would save
him. But in giving him line, | took care not
to give him the bit. The odds are against you
the moment fish Of any considerable size sue
ceedS in " tnrnng tail upon you. II he must
recede, let him do SO backward. So long as
you hold him thus, you are his master other
wise he is yours. lie took the hook when
hundred and fifty feet of line was out. In two
minutes, two hundred and fifty was in the wa
ter: all but fifty feet had run off my reel le'
fore recovered an inch. And then | could do
but little more than hold him. He pulled back
like mule and my rod braced against my
hip, and held at an angle Of forty-fve, assumed
a crescent shape as it nodded in seeming eesta-
cy, while the monster, Gas soon began to deem
him) tugged to free himself from the barbed
hook which held him. My arm became weary
from Keeling, and ut every turn it seemed as if
it would drop from its socket. But there could
be no respite 1t would be a disgrace to sur
render and in fifteen minutes | had him rea-
sonably quiet by the side Of the boat-towing
him with one hand while with the other hand
fastened him with my spring gaff, and laid
him at my feet-a tDenty pound musrdlOnge
He was beautifully hooked through and
through the upper lip. And yet would have
lost him if had given him slack line for an
instant. If he had turned upon me, the effort
to bring him back would almost certainly have
drawn the hook from his lip. And just here it
is where SO many good fellows fail. 1t Of
course requires no skill to induce fish to dash
at your hook when trolling If his boat is
kept at proper speed, and he has the proper
length of line in the water, " greenhorn ~
will have as many I" strikes" as a veteran -
But it requires skill to hook fish when he
strikes, and to hold him after he is hooked
If compelled to unreel to save your tackle, OF
if the fish pulls so heavily as to cause you to
fear that in his struggles he may tear himself
free from the hook, unreel slowly, and always
with taut line Those who cannot do this
better (as the old writer tells us) give their fish
fifteen minutes to gorge" But l would ~
soon think of spearing salmon on their spawn
ing bed, or catching trout with net, as to d.
anything 50 unsportsman and unchristian likt
as to permit fish to sink quietly in his mes
with hook in his mouth, that he might have
fifteen minutes to gorge it," Fair play il
ajewel," and if you haven't the skill to hooE
fish when he first strikes your bait, lot hin
run and try again. But never give fish " ff
teen minutes to gorge''
-a>0~B----
CARE OF THE EYB.-Looking into the FIRE il
INN b.