The sun., 1919-05-18
NEW YORK MUSKY
OPENING JUNE 16
Light Tackle and Casting Dis
placing Old Method Of
Trolling.
FISH A LONE TRAVELLER
Taken on Fly Rod, Clever
Work Required by Angler to
Overcome Pixies Cunning.
FISH A LONE TRAVELLER
ny DIXIE CARROLL

ny DAAlh CARROLL.
The nuskalonge season opens in New
York State on June 1e ana closes De
cember 81. The minimum length of {
fish to be retained Is twenty-four in.
ches
Cut the cards old scout, becaus,
we're going to sit In for a few hand,
win tne musky. the livellest big fsi
or the inland waters.
And beginning with the Openers
we sure have to keep our eyes on the
game or the willy old rascal will make 6
getaway with the kitty.
Many sure enough fishermen, who
havo never had the undiluted pleasure
OF bringing a mans size musky to gaff
tilt the nose Bkyward at some of the
tales brought from the muslsy country
and for that reason half has never beer
told about this game old boy.
No matter how narrowing the tale
the musky Is guilty Of everything said
about him. and at that he still has q
Few little old tricks he has never
sprung on the keen bunch who are out
for his scalp.
Hooking him unawares has caused
more nervous prostration than playing
with bunch OF war Brides" and land
Ing this old tiger on light tackle Is nc
game for mammals angel child.
Musiy Vicious ana Looks Part.
The musky In vicious cuss and he
certainly looks the part. His Jaws are
lined with an outfit Of sharp, dagzerlike
teeth that would mako q maneating
shark jealouA
The lower Jaw projects Just enough
to give him a mean look. and the sleam
OF his eye sure lines him up with the
bad actors.
Ho is always on the feed ana strikes
with vicious lunge at anything NOV
ing In the water. Any fish smaller than
himself he considers fair game, and the
younger members of his own family are
Just as juicy to him as q stranger, while
tho lone wild duck or mud hen hurry
ing homeward to her fireside Is quickly
sobbled down II she passes dis hunting
waters.
Last season a musky was caught on
small red bass fly and when brought
ashore the feet of a mud hen were
found sticking out of his throat. When
he was cut open for mounting another
mud hen and n fair string Of fish were
found In his stomach. The condition
or the birds and Ash showed that they
had been inhaled the afternoon the
musky was caught
Here's a musky weighing thirty
pounds that when landed disgorges five
and half pounds OF mud hen and seven
pounds of fish, and yet he takes a wal
lop at little red feathered hook about
three Inches long. before he had time
to swallow the last course of mud hen.
Fish OF Varied Menu.
From this alone we find that the
musky has a varied menu and one of
all sizes. Also that he Is willing to 20
more than half way in the matter of
accommodating the angler by striking
most anything tossed to him.
He never travels in a crowd, but Is n
lone hunter. and his favorite spots are
over submerged weed beds, off the edge
or weed beds. water lilies, or the grasses
that grow In the water.
Alongside of submerged rock he will
wait on the lookout for passing fish, then
with lightning dart sv irl out, close
his jaws on the feed and swim back 10
his hangout. there to gorge It, ready in
a minute to make another dash to FIJI
the feed bag.
Tho musky always strikes n lure OF
fish sideways. and he strikes with plenty
OF force, often nosing n plug way UP in
the air when he strikes short.
To the fellow who has never muskied
mitch but who has deep buried ambition
10 take wallop at this end OF the game
and also the everyday musky enthusiast
the following line of information gath
cred from the experience OF fifty OF the
boys who landed musky weighing from
twenty to sixty-one pounds, will make
mighty good dope to paste on the inside
Of your tackle box. and incidentally save
you from packing line Of whopping big
spoons and lures In the outfit when you
make your initial attempt at a close I'D
view OF this old barbarian in his home
waters.
Light Tackle Coming to Front.
For many years the general method
or coaxing the musky TO gan has been
trolling. with fairly stiff and strong
tackle, but the swan song OF these fifty
big fins indicates that the light tackle
and casting are coming to the front as
the real sporting game for musky.
Against twenty-five caught by trolling,
there looms up twenty-eight caught by
casting, and a majority Of six is not at
all bad for an end OF the game that is
practically new. And of those landed
through casting. seventeen checked in on
steel rods, nine on bait-casting split
bamboo, while two had the extreme
honor of being fought to a finish with
light bamboo fly rods.
Do you get the drift. old timer, OF
the fight these muslSy made on the off
end Of n six-ounce fly rod? It's a
mans sized job to land a musk on
fairly strong tackle, but to trim one in
on a little old whippy fly rod surely
calls for clever work and skill against
the brute strength and cunning OF the
musky.
Fifty minutes OF wonderful fight was
the record OF one of these fly rod battles
OF tackle skill against musky vile before
the old dog would say uncle" To that
kind OF sport don the lid; It's sure
some fighting, boy. some fighting
OF the bats and lures dished up to
these favored fifty. we find that twenty
one took chance on the spoon, thirteen
preferred artificial plugs, eight ended II
all on suckers or sinners, four were in
troduced to Mr.. Frog. two took the pork
chunk without the beans), and two
fell to the bass fly and spinner.
Washington Park Journeys.
CHICAGO, May IT. - Tournaments
scheduled by the Washington Park
Amateur Casting Club at the casting
Ia RoOn washington park folio1y. Mo-,