The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-18
AM there. Hc cannot be pnld Zoo much nor 100

/ oil In admirable condition. spring fishing Is
| now at its height. Four weeks hence the mus
kullonge cannot be taken at nll. Guides and
hotel proprieiors say that this is because OF
"Dloom on the water. which is pollen shed
In July and August. mostly in July There is
| nothing in this except imagination. The mus
! ka ongc is no butnnist and cares nothing about
| bloom The fish does not bite in July or
! August because he cannot At some time In
| those two months he sheds his teeth. Just as q
! deer once a year sheds his horns. II mus
| kaIionge be taken by accident late in July or
! early In August his remaining teeth, il he
| have any. may be pushed out with the
| thumb nail. The nsh. ~ coGrse. from
July ~ to Aug. II Is low in flesh.
weak, sick and II FOR nothing The
teeth when they begin TO return grow with
great rapidity. Early in September the new
! set is white. strong and sharp and their owner
is once mo ready to do business. The fish
ing from the middle O! September until ex-
cessivoly cold weather begins is better even
than In the late May and in June. The fish are
iatter. Last falls Wisconsin catch averaged
twenty pounds. The record break u the year
was Minnesota male. caught in one Of the
Womaii chain lakes. He weighed for:y-two
pounds. In early October the muskallonge's
voracitv is superb TO him all that glitters is
gold. Tho fish has been known to strike Mt an
oar that was copper-tipped and to take n tin
cup from the hand OF n man who had leaned
over tho boats edge to dip water.
At this time Of tho year. though 1t is the beat
OF the spring fishing. tho angler who is sue
cessful is one who knows the muskaIlonge and
its peculiartics and haunts and fishes with
judgment az well as skill and determination.
There il undcniably moro satisfaction in
catches made under these conditions than
when the fresh-watcr sharks are 30 hungry
hat n IN IN ~ n e.
enough line and big enough hook and enough
muscle behind them. To begin WITH a man
wants a boat with good broad bottom. The
less cranky it Is the better It is. Speed is not
"A dcsideratum. The bruud shouldcred guide.
having been promised 81 ut the end OF the day.
will sand 1t along fast enough to turn the
spoon. and that ia all tina: is necessary. He is
u foolish city follow who goes after mus
kallonge in n bark canoe. The Indians
handle it well. but the men OF the north
western lakes do not build and manage it
81 well us it is done in Canada. The trolling
spoon should be No. y and the line OF braided
grass or linen. Braided silk 10 as strong and
il handsomer. but it is apt to kink and tangle.
and with twenty-five pounds OF "muskv" on
the hook the angler does not feel the need Of
any other worries. The musk alongc line is
made in a special size half way between tho
bass and tarpon lines. There should DO four
hundred feet OF it on the reel. for this fish Ia
rusher and occasionally takes out the string
with terrifying speod and rcrtinacty. IL
man has money to throw in bundles at post
holes he may use split bamboo hand-assem-
hled rod made by any one of the leading con.
ildence men who trade upon tho vanity OF
humankind. Otherwise a steel rod of twelve
ounces weight and eight feet in length will
be- found to serve every purpose.
The troll should trail not more than forty
feet behind the boat and the course OF tho
boat should be parallel to and not more than
thirty feet from one Of the long lines of wild
rice tops II is a fact that when two men arc
trolling. one at sixty feet and one at thirty. the
man with the shorter line gets all the fish. Or.
rather. he gets the strikes. Explanation is
found in the fact that the fish does not often lie
in water OF more ten feet depth. He is watch
ing for passing victims. his small eyes cooked
upward and his broad nukes moving slowly
to and fro every muscle and tendon OF
him ready for instant spring. He sees
the shadow OF the boat passing above him
and an instant later the glitter Of the spoon
comes to him Then no strikes it in the
twentieth part OF second. Possibly his
vision is bothered by the boat shadow or pos
sibly he Is angered by tho slight disturbance.
II the troll be 50 far behind the craft that lot
daylight ntervencs. tho muskallonge is much
more apt 10 Ict " pass MN by. Lake the Dla"k
bass. or the brook trout Of a certain age the
muskallonge has much temper. aud is often ir-
rItated into striking when he is not at all hun
cry. This is accomplished readily enough il
h" he sleeping noar the roots Of tho water
grasses \ couple Of casts, or three at the
most with their consequent spiash", and mp
pies. Will hrinG him ont in Il fla ia to avengc
himself upon tho di~turber OF his repose
Many muskal longe have Ucrn caught in thus
way, which when cut open wcr" iunnI To be
illl"d WIN pieces OF bass. perch and small pike.
Like any other athlete. the fish wIlt nor rut ~
So '!espcratc Il iEht when i!.r' bat even then
viii give the best of wrist and otradiest ct
iorcarms al thcy can do. Pouni for rUunithe
! is probably a game a~ anything that -wimS.
with The eNr"pt,Vn OF the ErayIinG, Nrhpodtr
| trout. s,lvcriinxi land-!ockch salmon or
| Ouananlche, which has no equal among salt or
| fresh water fishes. II IN" angler be, 50 for
tunnte as to hook firmly. an old man
60 out without a check Then h. VII
ne treated to series OF surprises that. If they
| power. prove at least pos"c- Of highly ,le
! Nelopnd instinct An old man fish is !l-h
there is 70 learn OF ttre art q getting of hook
! or breaking a line. i is the instant duty Of
the boHHn to get hin away % ,hs wl
| lake II he is permitted for mnut" 10 re-
main near the pants he will p"'rr" in less time
| than it takes TO tell it; Thsre are many in-
stances ofth" old man. dartiug into the roots
ON his first rush as soon as hr sung OF the barb
! he describes a half dozen swift circles. wrap
png the limo about number III the roots.
When this is done a vicious lungc will set him
! instantly free. Equally Of course the line mus.
| be cut near the surface OF the water and the
submerged part Of it sacrificed. There is
| nothing that will hold and Kill the musk onge
save the steady dragging spring OF the rod.
| Once rid OF that he has liberty within reach
| II the boat be- taken II hundred YarGs from the
| wild rice and there lie acres OF clear water in
which to WAC the battle. the man and his foe
| turnish sight worth going many miles to see
| A III rty- pound 'lungcy" in gool condition will
| get five fect out Of the water ten times III ~
! many minutes. and each time he rises will
| shak" his long head savagely. as II he were
/ q dog endeayoring to get rid Of the
! hook. Often he will strike the surfac"
| mouth down ana turn couple Of sOm-rsaults
| betore sounding to the bottom fifty feet below.
When this happens the line is apt To be wrapped
! about him and the chances are thousand to
/ one that his weight will break II. The dead
| Lest thing to use against him IL the multiny-
INK automatic reel. because after his first rush
| much u his effort is apt to he directed u gain
ing slack. and II he gets five yards OF il he Will
snap himself on. Also, if he can get at the limo
! above the snoll. a single click OF his powerful!
Jaws will sever the threa! as clearly as it could
| be cut with scissors.
, There are delights in this form Of fishing not
| to be had 81 Sewhere In tho llrst place. the
boat Is steady and there Is no danger Of n spill.
In the second place. tho theatrc of action il
wide and level. In the third IIarc. the man Mt