The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-18
THE GAME MUSKALL0NGE.
GREAT SPORT wow TO he nan ~
MIR MINNESOTA FORESTS.
Haunts of the shark of tho Jnsnlt"d Sens
Power and GnmeneSS of Different Nnri-
cties-Method Of Taking the Zig Eel.
lows -- Intelligence Against Instinct.

CHICAGO, June over me Thousand lakeS
OF Minnesota and Wisconsin the airs 81 early
summer are blowing. soft MS the lips Of baby
hood, When they breathe upon the bald head
Of tho oldstcr In tho 70 my punt II seems to
him that the woman he loved ATTY years ago
has come back from :he shades, has Slipped
behind him and Is kissing him upon his
shining poll These airs are odOrous with tho
Scent Of pine and beech. cool wi.h the GOODNESS
Of the upncr deeps and - him who drinks
them the hot aud dusty smOons OF the city are
only disturbing memory. Tho summer sun
80 high in a dome OF fauItless blue. unlocked
by wisp Of white. aud the trees make black.
squat shadows on the water lifty Yards from
the shore runs line Of Wild rice its tops Just
protruding through eight feet of nrystal-UeaT
huid. The stalks break tho diving rays If light
and give murkv. ruvcrnous look to the water.
That Ia the lair Of tho musEnllonge Some
folks call him "musky" Some folks call him
"lpgey" The Ojibwa Indians called him
INA -ki-no-je." the French "masQuc al.
.lonGe." Divided into three schools Of masca-
'longe." "muscalonge' and "muskelIunge.
the lovable and loving scientists have been
chewing one nnothers hair for fifty years. Tho
name ~ him is Of little Importance. Ito Is the
shark OF the unsalted seas Deep In the semi
gloon Of his lair he lies until the unhecding
lprey swims slowly by. Then he flashes ten
yards out like bullet. and four-pound pike
or bass Ia cut in two. A little blood stains the
lsurface. the pirate saunters slowly back to his
hiding place. and one Of the million small
Tragedies Of nature has ended.
Years ago the muskalIonCe was plentiful In
tho great lakes Ito 30 far east as
ERIE. The indians living along Superior
Huron and Michigan found in him a never
failing supply Of food. though they caught him
tby main strength There is no explanation Of
This Disappearance from these huge bodies Of
water. so admirably adapted in many localities
for his propagation and preservation. mi
crobe may have ended him. or heavy ice may
,have given him distaste for his feeding
Igrounds. or he may have been seized by one OF
the irresistible and cause'ess appctites for mi
grafton that come in their turn to all fishes and
fbeasts. At any rntp he disappeared with praC-
teal completeness, and In any one OF tho
finland oceans is now exceedingly rare. Every
year enc hears OF few captures Of murkal-
,longe in Superior ~ Michigan, hut each year
the number of these CAPTURES has hecome
fewer. There is no longer any muSkaougo
fishing on any Of the great .akrs. To pursue tho
giant with satisfaction the angler must 20 else
where This huge and comhativo pike is now
confined. for all practica purposes. to two Of the
lake and river systems of America. One is the
St. Lawrence system, the other. and by far the
moro popuOus. is tho Miss iSsippi system. In
deed. the muskalIonge interest centres in tho
latter system. In the lakes and streams having
a direct or remote connection with the Father
OF Waters new grounds are sought and new
records made. Everything possible TO the st.
Lawrence in a muskallunEc way has been done
or found For years the fish nt that system
have been growing fewer and smaller. The
muskallonge. though giant Of strength and
fighting quality. can be ishel out ~ well rs
perch. OCCASIONAL" individuals are taken in
out-of-the-way places. There is record OF a
CAPTURE made in Kentucky creek and one in
Swamp River. Iowa. How they got there ia n
mystery. but what they were doing there Is
plain. They were killing That is the mission
OF tho kind in whatever water they may happen
TO swim.
Wisconsin has two great muskallonge dis
tricts and Minnesota one. The centre Of the
Minnesota district is in the Cass county lakes.
which are Of the Itasca region. All Of the
waters Of that part Of the country which flow
north and empty into tho Winnipeg. Rainy
Lax, and similar bodies. contain the great
northern nike in numbers. but not n muskal-
longc The line of division is sharply drawn
The Wisconsin grounds are divided into the
Chippewa and Wisconsin River regions The
celebrated Turtle Lake chain belongs to tho
Chippewa system. That region drained by the
Wisconsin River is probably the greatest
muskallonRe habitat in the world great
est that ia. in the number OF the fish
ithat may be taken. They do not run so large
III size uS tlo minnesota HSD. nor, as tney
are further south and used to warmer waters,
: do they exhibit altogether such gnmencss.
This region contains Pelican Lake. the Mani
tOwish chain and the NiouX Desert. All OF tho
waters around th"s" lakes flow ultimately into
the Wisconsin River. Tn" State contains more
than 800 lakes great and small. Many OF them
are set down only upon the county maps II Il
imam hung 10000 feet above Wisconsin, and
Hooked down he would think that its surface
had ha., uitl - ,,loe
OF these lakes has shore line OF moro than
400 miles and is never mentioned outside of
Stho neighborhood. That ia the Mason chain
and they nre good muskollongc waters. too.
The "musky fishing of the future, however
sis to be had In Minnesota. That part OF the
eworld Is still wild and unspoilcd. Vast forests
scover the land. The deer browse undisturbed
iThe fox yaps shr al night. knowing that no
hounds will be hid on his trail. and the long
bhowl OF the qucstnG timber wolf trembles on
! the air. Only the padded football OF all occa-
,sional guide leaves the mari; OF man. 1t is
eeven said that here and there the vanishing
3beaver may be encountered. SO wild is it that
sthe Minnesota guide by profession is guido
in reality and not boatman md man of all
Fwork. Each year some muskaonCo fisher
discovers now source OF tho Mississippi
and writes 20 his county paper about it,
S.In the shadows Of those forests no axe rings
sthe white man. In these recrsses the muskal-
;lqnge breeds and wakes to enormous size
kThey form an unpanntratod preserve that will
'keep this fish for the sportsmen OF three CEN
iturics hence. The Canoo docs not scar the sur
siace OF some OF these lakes. deep bosomed in
Sprimeval forests. because 70 reach them ro-
:Qures days OF effort There are MANY others.
however, not so inaccessible and yet wild
enough 70 bring man face to face with utterly
unmarried nature They teen with muska-
lopGe. and W cstern fishermen who know
enough ara giving them more and moro the
preference.
Tn. Woman Lake chain Is nn instance In
poiGt. Two years ago a Chicago man. who
hal been there and hshel to The delight Of his
SOU. conceived the idea of starting q road
house, or summer hotel, or permanent camp
Tor tho entertainment Of others who might ind
their way far northeast His house. u
roomy and comfortable one. stands manymiles
from thu nearest railway station and il il