Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1885-08-21
SHOOTING THE MuscALoNes.
Novel Sport That = New York Fisherman
Says IL Far Ahead OF Trolling.

Says IL Par Ahead Of Trolling
New York SUM-
~There's more sport for me in lying in
wait on a runway 10 get shot at mus
calonge than there is In standing on one
in expectation Of putting a ball into =
deer said George Bonnet. OF the Rice
Lake club
TO get a shot at muscalonges
es Why, there's more excitement
in hunting the muscalonge with the rife
than there is in killing il in any other
way. There is for me. at any rate. and
when you shoot musealonge yon can
always know that il will be big one--7a
bigger one than you would catch on y
hook If you fshed for year Then 1t
requires great skill and wariness 10 shoot
one of these freshwater monsters They
are as crafty as the fox and as fierce as
the wolf II also requires great patience.
for the appearance of your first victim
may be delayed for hours Last summer
| was at one fishing ground-Rice lake. in
tanada-and ia Sthree days had not sue
eeeded in getting shot at a single fish. ]
caught a number of small ones. the iarg
est being a nfteen- FOUNDER. by trolling.
but | was anxious 10 kill one of the in.
mense fellows | knew We're IN the laks
The way you hunt for muscalonge with
the rifle is to climb tree with branches
extending over aSdeep part of the water.
where YOU know that big fish naturally
Turk. | built me comfortable platform
OF boards in a tree situated in such spot.
just as deer hunters who watch salt ticks
from trees arrange for their comfort and
convenience
The first season / occupied the tree l
Killed i've big fish in three days One of
them weighed forty-two pounds Mus
calonge have habit of slowly coming to
the surface of tire water on sunny days.
aud lying there. as if .hey were
taking a sun bath. The fhadow of
bird flying overhead. the snap
ping of twig. or any sight or sound no
matter how 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 10 bask in
the sun Timid- and suspicious as they
are. it is a singular fact that if you sue
coed in shooting one it will instantly be
surrounded by others. which dart to the
surface and snap and tear at the dead fish
with their alligator Jaws While their at
tention is all eentered in their dead
brother an active and skillful hunter may
stretch the bodies of two or three Others
on the water. By that time however
the others il there are any others left
suddenly discover that there is something
wrong, and they dart away and are seen
no more
The biggest Muscalonge ever caught
in the lake with the hook was a twenty
fivepounder | have gaffed them through
the ice. though, that weighed thirty
pounds. That is a style of fish that re-
quires skill and nerve. You cut big
square hole in the ice and build over il
dark hut to keep the light out of the hole.
This enables you. 10 see far down in the
water. Taking a silver wire smell three
or four feet long, with a strong artificial
minnow on one end of it. you sink it
through the hole with your left hand, and
thrust your gaff down with your right
The gait you hold very still. near the
bait which you keep moving about in the
water. 1t won't be long before you will
see the shadowy form of q big muscalong
away down below YOU He sees the
bait and is coming up to investiga it.
He gradually draws near, until you can
see his savage eyes glitter. and discover
his long, sharp teeth between his half
open jaws At that instant a man who
does not become excited and trembled like
an aspen has got nerve that not one out
of ten, even among old fishermen. has
got The big ifs 9knoves on slowly. some
deg .6i.inss - "a. 7be tf1syfag sfii the
suspiciousness ofs 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 the strong gait in
his side, and if it is managed skillfully,
Is sure to land him on the ice after
struggle, in which the advantage is all on
the side of the fisherman.