A Day at Lake Tetonka. 



About 2 p. m. we loaded our boats and pulled away for the old 

 fishing ground. The wind had died away and hardly a ripple 

 disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake. This calmness 

 made it much warmer and more uncertain for our sport, but as 

 we were to leave for home on the night train we could not af- 

 ford to wait for wind and weather. During the first hour after 

 anchoring we hardly got a bite, but about 3 :30 a nice breeze 

 came creeping over the lake, and we had royal sport until 

 nearly sundown. 



I will tell of one very strange thing I experienced here, 

 that I never noticed anywhere before to such a marked degree. 

 Mr. and Mrs. Van Fleet fished in a boat anchored only about 

 twenty-five feet from ours. Their catch consisted mostly of 

 pickerel, croppies and perch, while we caught as fine a string of 

 pike as I ever saw caught in one afternoon. 



About 6 o'clock Mrs. Van Fleet suggested that we take 

 in the anchors and pull for the cottages as we might lose out 

 on supper if we stayed out longer. 



The other boat was some distance ahead and as they 

 struck the deep water, above "Oak Point," Mrs. Van Fleet tied 

 on a large "Skinner spoon" and as she cast it out back of the 

 boat she called back to us, "You have been catching all the good 

 fish this afternoon, but I am going to hook one now that will be 

 some fish." 



\Yhile it was said in good-natured banter, the words were 

 hardly spoken, when her little steel rod was nearly torn from 

 her hands and bent until the tip struck the water. She was 

 an expert with the rod, and, though taken by surprise, she 

 quickly recovered herself and put him on the spring of the 

 steel. 



I called to her, "You have got a big one and if he ever 

 reaches the weeds he is as good as free." 



She put up a good fight, but unfortunately her line 

 was old and would not stand the strain caused by a slight 

 tangle on her reel. 



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