The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-02
NOTES OF TRAVEL.

city and Lake Pepin - Fishing nSd
Travel, Etc. ETC. III"
,KvEN1Ee TELEGRAPH SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE
LAKE CITY Minnesota, June 20, lS66.-From
what can see in travelling from Washingtont to
Minnesota, and from extensive inquiry along
the route there is no reason to fear short crops
of anything in the farming line, unless In
exceptional cases of winter wheat and rye.
Crops are everywhere little backward, but
under the influence OF the recent rains are
coming forward finely. In Minnesota everything
looks lovely. Wheat brings two dollars bushel
or nearly, at the river towns and farmers are
straining every nerve, or rather muscle, to break
ND as much new land as possible, and make
their money while their great staple Is in high
demand. Instances are known where FARMS are
paid for by single crop. Every OK, horse, Or
mule is wanted for the breaking plough this
year, and those who have no teams OF their own
are paying in this section six and seven dollars
an acre for turning the sod under
This town ls situated on a fine prairie along
the west side OF Lake Pepin, sixty miles below
St. Paul. The residence part is built up with
handsome cottages, with ample grounds well
shaded with forest and fruit trees. There are
several good hotels-one large and very tne one
for a country town; and the place has become
Iavorite resort Tor people from the East and
South, who come here to enjoy the delights ota
Minnesota summer. And here let me correct an
error of expression, very common with those
who write about Lake Pepn. 1t is fire.
uuently called an enlargement OF the Mis-
sissippi river.p You might as well call mans
body an enlargement of his neck. The river
simply runs into it and out of it. Lake Pepin
is frst-class country lake of itself, andis under
no obligations to the Father of Waters for It's
existence. 1t Is from three to five miles wide,
and nearly thirty long, surrounded with high
bluffs, some of which rise perpendculary for
three or four hundred feet, and present a face
of bare sandstone columns, with green slopes
on the summit, while others show sloping
forest from the waters edge. There is not in
America more delightful lake than Lake Pepin,
either for scenery for boating, tor healthful-
ness OF climate, or for fishing. The bass, wall
eyed pike, pckerel, and moscalunge abound in
it's sky-tinted waters and the speckled trout are
found In its numerous tributaries.
We have yet to try the trout here, but you
might have seen us playing a few of the lake
beauties the other day. Anchorlng our skiff off
the point in front of the village one afternoon,
we captured twenty-eight game fish, consisting
of white bass, Ohio samen, yellow pike Ohe
two last belonging to the pike perch family,
and pickerel; also, three catfish and two skip
jacks, or hickory shad The average weight
was about two pounds, excluding the catfish,
which was Gfteen-pounder We played the
latter for half an hour with one slender
tackle, and were finally compelled to
round ashore, and lead him out upon
the beach. We would be In favor OF
calling the cat game fish ii he was not so
stubborn in his resistance You may reel him
orr;lJ .Cs,r o,,1
come in. Deaf to reason, he must be killed by
main force. Parboied and baked, he is said to
be good fish for the table, but we want no
more of them on our hooks. We fshed with
single sinews and small hooks, with minnow.
AS we did not use the fly, the scientific"
sportsman will of course turn up his nose at us;
but the sport was good enough for us. There
is Just enough uncertainty as to whether you
will get another bite, and just enough proba-
bility that you will, to balance the emotions;n
and the fresh cooling breeze, and the boat gently
rocking on the wave 6ll one with sense OF
exquisite pleasure.
And when the fish takes your hook and min
now-when you feel the sudden tautening OF the
line, and see it spin through the water, as the
pike or bass darts right or left, or dive to the
lowest depths, or madly leaps into the air to
see what unheard-of enemy has got him now, or
perhaps to get square blow at your line with
his tail or the better to shake the hook from
his mouth you can crowd INTO a few
moments sport enough to keep the mind
healthy for a year just by the recollec
tion of it, provided you always have drop
of wild blood in your veins, uncorrupted
by city notions of fly fishing. We have no
objection TO scientific .sportsmen, as they call
themselves; their methods are, no doubt very
fine for those who have time.money, and oppor-
tunity to practise them; but if they do not quit
writing down in their books those who some
times fish with natural bait as ''bockheads,r
''pot fishers" and ''poachers," some Of us will
get after them by-and-by with a sharp stick.
If the last remark is considered at all severe
we will relieve it, and do justice to the fly by
adding that on the following day we stood well
out on the rocky point near Prescott, and cast
the trout fly over the black bass, in swift water,
capturing bakers dozen in a couple of hours.
Their weight was about three pounds each.
here are rocky shores along the upper Misss-
ppi in every neighborhood, where there is
fine bass fishing as one could wish.
fone wants to see large fish, without killing
it is amusing to watch the bill-6sh in Lake
I'm. They weigh from ten to one hundred
Pods, have a short, stout body and paddle,
ensd bill from ten inches to two feet long,
runAg out from the nose. Their favorite play
rs toump straight out of water and stand on
Ihen g1s for ON instant and fhan faIl hack lilya