The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-05
GOOD LUCK TALES
Anglers Are Beginning to Have
Somewhat Better Fortune.
RECORD BREAKING FISH CAUGHT
Masl<alonge Weighing 1O3 Pounds
Taken With Seine in Tur-
tie Lake, Wis.

4
Hard luck stories are becoming less
common among the fishermen and tales
of record-breaking catches are more and
more frequent as the weather becomes
warmer. The cold, stormy and windy
days are not favorable to successful
angling, and fishing is really like all
other sports, dependent upon old Sol for
it's prosperity. s.,
Perhaps the best record of the season
was made by sportsman at Rice Lake,
Wis, who captured sixty-one bass in a
single day. This, by the way, is eleven
more than the law permits. but most men
would be perfectly willing to pay the fine
in fact, nine out often would put them
selves out Of their way to render them
selves liable : to prosecution if they
could .-..-~.. - .-
Two other good catches reported were
those of George Reilly and j. R. Nc
Kinnon at Lake Susan, and Mrs. A. P.
Veel and Miss Rothery of Omaha at
Lake Minnetonka. i The former two
caught twenty-six bass with total
weight of seventy-nine pounds, and the
latter secured eighteen bass and pickerel,
which aggregated something more than
seventy pounds in weight. Catches
of this sort in waters which are fishede as
persistently as, those. of the two lakes
mentioned, are rather remarkable.
1t may seme strange to those who are
not familiar with the angling for mas
kalonge to intimate that there might be
fish hooked that could not be landed by
single individual, but it is nevertheless
true. Recently, the Wisconsin fish COM
mission, in search ofslarge specimens for
exhibition purposes, sseined Turtle lake
and took from these waters one mas
kalonge weighing 103 pounds and one that
weighed 81, pounds. It would be only a
chance catch if one should land one of
these big fellows with hook and line,
but it shows that they are in the lake1,
and it is probably such giants as these
that consecutively smashed six No. and
5 Skinner hooks within two hours at this
lake. mos. Z and Stare large hooks and
strong ones, but the jaws of the mas
kalonge are like. steel, and the writer has
lost many hooks in this manner. Unless
the hook is. swallowed between the bony
part Of the upper sand lower jaw, the
| ordinary hook will be broken and the fish
will get away. 1T has been the experience
Of anglers to have one hook of the gang
broken at a time until the whole three
were gone, but it is also true that some
Of these big fish are occasionally hooked
justsright, and then it becomes a matter
ofsskill and patience in landing him. 1t
is believed that the largest maskalonge
ever taken in these waters did not exceed
IS pounds, though there are undoubtedly
many that are much larger that the
ordinary tackle will not hold. Many mas
kalonge have been: brought in this spring
that were of 20 pounds weight, which is
a fair. average for the big ones.
>.:- Where Big Bass Lurk.
There is place just over the Wiscon-
sin border known as the Hole. 1t is not
distinguished by any other name,s but it
is renowned for its black bass and its
inaccessibility. The water area is not
bog for nearly a quarter of nile-a
veritable floating bog. In this mixture Of
mud and water the angler must, stand
waist deep and cast his line into the pool,
which has the reputation Of being bot
tomless There are no rushes in 1t and
the banks are perpendicular, so that If
one can cast his line over the edge
he is sure to have his bait fall among
the big bass that have been undisturbed
for ages, for few anglers have the hardi
hood to invade this locality, with It's dis
comforts of mosquitoes, malaria breed
ing swamp and treacherous bottom.
Occasionally, however, a venturesome
sportsman will make the trip and is we'll
repaid for the exertion. Bass four to six
pounds in weight were taken there last
Sunday, as many as each of the four
anglers could carry, and they were TAX
en- in one hour and a half. Some of the
varieties taken are declared to be cross
of wall-eyed pike and Oswego bass, for
several of them could neither be called
bass or pike, though in parts resembling
each. If it is true that these varieties
interbreed it is a. fact unknown to local
hatchery experts. ~