The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-15
UNIQUE SPORT.
"Muddin9" Fish and Gathering Alliga-
tor Eggs in Mississippi Bayous.
From the Ne,O York Sun.

"Muddin9' Fish and Gathering Alliga-
tor Eggs in Mississippi Bayous.
From the Nel0 York sun.
"Thev have queer way Of catching fish
In the inland lakes and bayous that are so
numerous in the low swamp lands Of Mlssis-
sippi and other southern states,n said a
travelling man. 1.-THE waters are inhabited
by many varieties of excellent fish,
among them large fish of good
game qualities which the natives call
a trout, although l have my doubts about
its being OF that family of fishes. There are
perch in some Of the waters that grow
larger than any l ever saw caught else
where, and a sun6sh that often grows to
weigh pouud-a fish as broad as 1t is large.
They call this fish Dream in the south.
There is also a species Of sucker, and
3-pounder Is not an uncommon catch.
Soft shell turtles, a novelty to me, and which
tho epicures Of these dreamy localities de-
clare are as great delicacy as terrspins are
abundant.
During the spring season the swamps
around the lakes are inundated and their
waters are merged into the lakes, making
of the country one vast, unbrokoa area Of
watery waste. This water recsdes as SUM
mer approaches, by July l she swamp
bottoms ore dry enough to permit persons
to walk safely upon them. The swamp
Nal6TB uSpOolb hth ku6 lah6e q uhEk uuu VI
considerable depth and density, which
settles on the lake bottoms, / didn't learn
who discovered that by agitating this
mud a condition OF the water would result
which would make its depths unbearable to
the fish In the lakes, and drive them to the
surface, but somebody discovered 1t and the
discovery is annually utilized by the sport
loving natives from the time the swamps
become dry until they are again inundated.
This mode of fishing is called 'mudding' and
to go mudding In the swamp lakes is the
hight of pleasure to the inhabitants of those
queer districts.
mo line, hook, or rod is needed by the
sportsman who goes mudding, He takes
along a darby, who carries an article Of
tackle which is called a splunge. The
splunge is piece Of board two feet long by
eight or ten inches wide, with hole bored
through the middle. Into the hole a handle
six feet long is fitted. And this darky, or
two Of them II you like, carry baskets TO
hold the fish that are caught The real
scientific sportsman who goes a-mudding is
armed with spear, which Is single
sharp pointed spike fastened to one end Of
ten foot pole. Less expert fisherman use
three tined spears with barbs on the ends.
The way-down, lubberly, or chump fisher
man does not even trust to his skin with
three-tined aud barbed spear, but carries
dipnet or corn basket tied to the end Of
pole.
ARRIVED at the fishing ground the fisher
men wade out into the water until they are
waist deep. The darby with the spiunge
! thrusts his implement down to the bottom
| and stirs up the mud with It, In a very
short time the water becomes thick and
roily from the agitation, and then the fish
| Degin coming to the surface. The perch
appears first, jumping its entire length
from the water as il trying 70 escape from
| something. Next the trout appear, and
they make the lake lively with their
maueuvers. As the fish appear the
| fisherman launches his pike or bnrb
| at then, and 80 skillfully are some of the
single-tine pikers that they can impale a
perch or trout while it is still In the air.
| The fisherman with the net simply dives his
| trap in among the fish he is mudding for
and scoops them OUT The third fish to ap-
pear from the thiokeniug depths is the
| broadsided suntish or Dream, and later on
the snout OF the great s~amp-lake sucker
| may be seen protruding above the surface.
This is all Of itself the sucker finds neces-
sary to expose out of water. and a stranger
| 10 the sport would fail to detect ia those
protuberances the sign OF fish below them
They resemble big air bubbles.
| "After a continuous mudding of the
water for some minutes it becomes SO thick
that the fish turn on their sides and gasp
for breath. The genuine sportsman then
| calls halt and moves at once with his aids
to another part of the lake to raid that in
the same way. The basket-and-net fisher
men regard this stage of the mudding as
their best opportunity, and they remain to
scoop up the gasping fish as long as any
como to the top. Soft shell turtles are
caught with hook and line, with bait.
These curious swamps are thickly in
| habited by beaver, mink and otter, but
their fur is worthless. The beavers alone
by their dams inundate large tracts Of land,
and they do immense damage to the corn
cane aud cotton crops. The inevitable al
ligator is there in abundance also, and
grows to an immense size. 1t is favorite