The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1930-07-10

trap Chain. or at least not in the
upper lakes of that chain it fol-
lowed pursuing the reasoning or
speculation of Mr.. Surber) that he
great northern pike simply turned
into muskies. Therefore his state
ment that if great northern pike
were placed in a musky lake in
their extreme youth they would
grow up as masquinOngy and not
lucius. Very interesting but a
terribly balled up thing to waste
thought on.
| We know of vast number of
lakes where the great northern
pike TEEN and where the muskies
also live in great numbers, caught
side by side. Anyone who has fish,
ed the most famous musky waters
of the world Gin the Lake of the
Woods region and in Sabaskong
Bay in particularly know the attacks
that the great northern pike make
on the spoon-lures when one is
casting for muskies and the exas-
peration of the fishermen in having
to peel them off of the hooks.
Not only do the muskies and the
great northern pike thrive side by
side but there is no deviation in the
structural characteristics or set col
or markings which would point to
such a thing that the great north
ern pike and the musky are given
to mating and producing a cross
breed, for to the best of my knowl-
edge the fish cultGrists have failed
utterly in producing the hybrid as
between the musky and the pike,
proof that the relationship between
the two is an exceedingly distant
one although admitting that some
time in the dim ages of which we
have no ken all these fish derived
from the pike family (the musky,
the great northern pike and the
pickereD were one and the same.
But it is an absolute certainty that
they are not one and the same in
the present day and anyone who
thinks so has no real respect for
the most obvious facts of the case!
The above remarks on this SUBJ
ject are occasioned not by the de-
sire to open up the old argument
on the part of the present writer.
Several years ago took Mr.. Stur-
Der severely to task for his state
ments in an article which appeared
in Field and Stream" under the
title when a Pike Is a Muskel-
lunge." Mr.. Surber wrote me after
the appearance of the article that
I should have obtained his later
views on the subject before going
into print with my write-up. The
subject rested then for quite some
time when in the present June,
1880, issue of the State Game and
Fish Commissioners magazine
Fins, Feathers and Fur" appeared
an article by Mr.. Surber titled 1.-THE
Muskellunge," Deane Rundlett in a
forward calls attention to the fact
that Mr.. Surber has received IAN
avalanche of mail" anent the SUBJ
ject of the musky and the great
northern pike being identical and
they have endeavored to obtain a
radio talk from Mr.. Surber on
this subject. Mr.. Rundlett remarks
that Frankly, DR.. Surber has con-
verted most of the men with whom
he is in contact to his position" He
ends by stating that: Robert Page
Lincoln, Morris Alderman, 0. w.
Smith, James Stuber and others Of
the writing brotherhood please
note"
Among the photos used to illus
trate this article is IAN intimate
portrait of the author, Thaddeus
Surber" where he is looking thru
an infant telescope probably trying
to find the familiar pike spots on a
musky. On looking closely at this
photo we detected the features of
our old friend Bob Irwin of Camp
Recreation, on Belle Tain of the
famous Mantrap Chain. The fish
he is holding up is not a great
northern pike but is muskel-
lunge and was caught, not in the
Rum River, but in Belle Tain. Bob
Irwin guided the party who caught
the fish, Mr.. Robert Heinkle, of
Crosby, Minnesota, the fish weigh
ing twenty-six pounds, fifteen
ounces and was caught on the 9th
day of June 1927. So much for the
sake of accuracy. Further proof,
and if necessary, affidavits are to
be had to establish the identity of
the fish and where caught.
Tnnidonfo11xy IL NOV ho int
to note that for some reason or 9TH
er there has been desire on the
part of some agencies to popular
ize the Rum River which flows out
of Lake Mile Lac into the Missis-
sippi River as fishing stream
equal to the st. Lawrence, the Nip
lyon and other noted waters. Every
once in while appears photo of
a giant muskellunge" caught in
the Rum River. It would not as
tonish me to see someone haul out
a tuna from the Rum River. So I
am not surprised to see this photo
labeled Northern Pike from Rum
River" But it is rather discourag-
ing to Bob Irwin who also has had
"an avalanche of mail" since the
appearance of this article by Sur
Der asking him when he fished for
great northern pike in the Rum
River and how come he had nerve
to say that the great northern pike
CD he is holding up in the picture
is a musky, etc., etc. A very de-
pressing incident. It's wonder
some one down at Anoka does not
get hold of photo of Hoover with
sword fish caught in the celebrat-