MISCELLANEOUS. 273 



a fine string of bass, making the day's catch weigh in all 230 

 pounds, and the grand total for the three days 620 pounds. 



These pike differ as widely from our common pike, both in 

 appearance and habits, as do the muscalonge. In shape and 

 gaminess they closely resemble the latter, though the mark- 

 ings are entirely different. The great Northern pike is one of 

 the most gamy of all our fresh-water fishes. He fights like a 

 wild cat from the time he is hooked until he is landed, or 

 escapes, while the common pike makes a spurt or two when 

 first hooked, and then allows you to drag him in as you 

 would a chunk of wood. 



This Long lake is a very paradise for the disciples of Wal- 

 ton. It is about seven miles long, and from a quarter to a 

 mile wide; has high, bold, stony, and in many places bluffy 

 banks, and the water is so pure and clear that you may see a 

 small pebble at a depth of twenty feet or more. All around 

 the shores are old logs and trees that have fallen into the 

 water and sunk, making capital feeding and hiding grounds 

 for large fish. It has never been fished but a very little. Up 

 to last summer, Ashland, thirty-five miles distant, was the 

 nearest point to it, and from that point there was no road, and 

 no means of reaching it, except on foot. 



Last fall the North Wisconsin railroad was completed to 

 within two miles of the lake, and during the fall and the pres- 

 ent spring and summer hundreds of pounds of fish have been 

 taken out of it. Still there seems to be no perceptible dimi- 

 nution of the supply. You can still catch fish there so rap- 

 idly that you will soon tire of the sport and want to rest. 



There are good accommodations at the lake. Plenty of 

 ice is put up each winter, so that you can save your fish and 

 bring them home. There are several boats on the lake that 

 can be had at reasonable rates. To reach the lake, go to 

 Hudson, Wisconsin, and take the north-bound train on the 

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