The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-09
SHOOTING THE MUsKALLoNGE.
Novel Sport that New York Fisherman
Says Is Far Ahead of Trolling.

New York Sun.
There's moro sport for me in lying in wait
ON runway to get shot at muskallonge than
there is in standing on one in expectation OF
putting ball into deer" said George Bonnet,
Of the Rice Lake Club to a reporter.
ITO get shot at muskalonge!'
Eyes. Why, there's more excitement in
hunting the muskallonge with the rifle than there
is in killing il III any other way. There is for
me, at any rate, and when you shoot muskal-
longe you can always know that it will be big
one-a bigger one than you would catch on a
hook if you fshed for year Then it requires
great skill and wariness to shoot one OF these
fresh-water monsters. They are as crafty as the
fox and as fierce as the wolf 1t also requires
ge1at patience, for the appearance of your first
victim may be delayed for hours Last sum
mer was at one fishing ground-Rlce
lake, in Canada-and in three days had not sue
ceeded in getting shot at single fish caughV
a number of small ones, the largest being ht-
teen FOUNDER, by trolling, but was anxious to
kill one Of the immense fellows knew were IN
the lake. The way you hunt for muskallonge
with the rife is to climb a tree with branches
extending over deep part of the water where
! you know that big fish naturally lurk. | built
me comfortable platform of boards in tree
situated in such spot, just as deer hunters who
watch for salt-licks from trees arrange for
| their comfort and convenience. The hrsr sea
| son l occupied the tree killed five big. fish IN
| three days One of them weighed forty two
pounds Muskallornge have a habit .f od
there, as if they were taking a
sun bath. The shadow OF bird flying overhead,
the swapping of twig, or any sight or SOUND no
matter now insignificant, will send them to the
depths again in the tWinkling of an eye, and II
| they reappear again it will be after hours have
passed. Only the very largest fish come up to
bask in the sun. Tilnid and suspicious as they
are, it is singular fact that if you succeed in
| shooting one it will instantly be surrounded by
| others, which art to the surface and snap ana
| tear at the dead fish with their alligator jaws.
| While their attention is all centered IN their
| dead brother active and sklllful hunter may
stretch the bodies of two or three others on the
| water. By that time, however, the others, If
there are any others left, suddenly discover that
there is something wrong, and they dart away
and seen more.
well, last summer, as said I hadn't sue
ceeded in getting shot in three days stay at
the lake. The last day | was there | climbed
to my platform in the tree and hid among the
branches to watch once more Cor the appearance
Of some old-timer of the lake. / waited patient.
ly for four hours and never saw suspicion or
one. l took off my hat, and red label that was
pasted on the crown. and had become loosened.
fell out and dropped on the water 1t hoated
out several feet, and was watching 1t IN list
less way, when | saw, three CT four feet below
the surface, an immense muskallonge rising
cautiously up toward the red label. He rose
slowly, straight ahead, and suddenly made
one grand swoop at the label: l was
IedOy IOF Ilu WQeU his SIedt utdO
shot out of the water, and shot
a ball clear through it. He leaped
clear out of the water and fell back, gave three
or four convulsive movements, and turned ever
dead. Before he was dead four other large
muskallonge were swarmlng around him. :
killed two of them, and the other two dlsap-
peared The big fish was nearly forty FOUNDER,
| and the other two weighed thirty pounds apiece
The biggest muskallonge l ever caught in the
lake with a hook was a twenty-fi five FOUNDER. l
have GATED them through the ice. though, that
weighed thirty pounds
THAT is style of fishing that requires skill
and nerve. You cut big square mole through
the ice, and build it dark hut to kee;: the
| light out of the hole. This enables YOU to see
| far down in the water. Takinc a silver wire
sneIl, three or four feet long, with strong arti
fetal minnow on one end of it, you sink 1t
through the hole with your left hand,
| and thrust your eaff down with your
right. The gaff you hold very still,
near the bait, which you keep moving
will see the shadowy form Of big muskallonge
away down below you. He sees the oalT ana is
coming up to investigate it. He graz "ly GtaWs
near, until you can see his savage eyes S''tei,
and discover his long sharp teeth between MS
half-open jaws. At that instant man who does
not become excited and tremble like aspen
has got a nerve that not one out of ten, even
among old fishermen, has got The big fish
moves on slowly, sometimes pointed straight for
the bait and then siding up to it, betraying all
the suspiciousness of his nature He will come
on, though until he has satisfied himself on the
| matter of the strange object in the water. When
he gets close to the bait and stops and glares
wildly at it the fisherman sinks tho strong gaff
| in his side, and, if it is managed skillfuy is
sure to land on the ice after a struggle in which
the advantage is all on the side of the fisher
man."