The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-20
Finny Tribe Is Hugging the Bottoms
of the Streams.
Few Diciples Of Walton Go Out With
Hook and Line.
Best Places Near Mankato to Catch a
Mess-.Habits OF Eel.
Laws Regulating Shooting Game and
HustIIng for Fish.
From Fridays Daily.

Although the season is now open for
the catching by hook and line of nearly
all kinds of fish that are to be found in
the lakes and streams within easy reach
of Mankato, yet on account of the late
cold spring very little fishing has been
DONE The water is cold and the fish
stay nearer the bottom than they will
after the streams and lakes lower, and
the late spring and summer sun warns
the water at the surface. Mankato ang-
lers are aware of this and few of them
are willing to run the risk of a dull,
lonesome, monotonous, chilly day with
a hook and line in which the inhabitants
of the watery regions fail to take any
interest.
Some fishing has been going on how
ever William Polchow early this week
caught five or six wall-eyed pike in the
Blue Earth river. Other people have
been catching some sand pike in the
same stream; but these little catches
are nothing to what will be made when
the weather has grown warmer and the
surface of the water is lower.
The best fishing places in the vicinity
of Mankato are generally considered to
be Eagle Lake, Washington Lake and
the mouth of the Blue Earth river and
certain season of the year, the waters
of the Blue Earth off Spring Island. Of
these Washington Lake is probably the
best fishing resort of ALL Here are
caught sand pike, wall-eyed pike; black,
rock, silver and green bass; croppies,
sun fish, sheep heads, buffalo fish, horn
trout, blue cat fish, German carp and
pickerel. About the same varieties can
be found in Eagle Lake. At the mouth
of the Blue Earth, besides all the above
named fish, few cells are caught now
and then. Whether these cells are plenti
full or scarce is difficult to determine
The cells seldom come to the surface for
food as the bed of the river is peculiar
ly treacherous at this place and contains
many holes and crevices where cells can
obtain plenty of food with the greatest
ease. In these hiding places the cells
will often come upon fish so suddenly
that the latter have little chance to es-
cape In such hooks, too, the cells find
the spawn of fish and other aquatic crea-
lures and make hearty meals of such
food
The cells are truly omnivorous. They
devour not only the eggs and young of
other animals of the water, but of their
own kind as WELL There is scarcely a
living thing of the animal or vegetable
kingdom that they will not consume if
they have a chance. In localities where
the food found in the water is made
quate to sustain them the cells may Of
ten be seen upon the banks of stream,
nibbling the grass. At night they will
often glide into farmers garden and
devour the cabbages, of which they are
very fond.
A dead dog or horse or human body
that has been caught beneath the sur
face of the water is rare banquet for
the cells. A number of cells will make the
carcass or body their headquarters un-
til the feshy parts have all been con-
sumed.
Spring Island fishing is good in warm
ho o,,I
in cool weather the fish rather tend to
avoid the place. But, when the July sun
beats down upon the waters and
thoroughly warns them, the finny in
habitants seek some cool place and
naturally congregate in the vicinity of
cold springs such as are found about
Spring Island. This gives the angler
at Spring Island many rich haul on hot
days, when there is little luck for any
body fishing anywhere else.
just what is the law regarding game
and fish, it is difficult for any person
to keep in his head. Every succeeding
legislature seems to delight in repeal
ing the regulations adopted by its pre-
decessor and establishing a new set of
its own. The game and fish law passed
by the legislature of 1903, superseded
all previous laws, and is the most dras-
tic, and in the opinion of many is far
too severe. 1t favors the few.
This law allows the spearing of pick
erel, suckers, red horse, carp and bull
heads from March Is to May LIST. Nets
may be used in inland lakes of the state
to catch white fish or trelipses from
Nov. 10 to Dec. 10. The nets must not
be more than 200 feet long or four feet
wide, and the meshes must not be less
than three and one,half inches in width.
Minnows may be caught by minnow
net in waters where there are no trout.
No person is to be allowed to fish with
more than two nets. Permission to use
nets must be secured from the state
board of game and fish commissioners,
the fee to be charged being ST per net.
All other fish than the above named
can be caught only with hook and line.
No person is allowed to use more than
one hook or one line at time. The line
or fishing pole must be held in the hand
The law forbids the catching of trout,
except lake trout, between Sept l and
April Is; black, gray or Oswego bass
md May 90; herring
//Noo.1-Z l1-aa~I