FISH AND FISHING. 



481 



Of course one does not think of these 

 things until his attention is called to them. 

 It is the same with that dollar we owe. 



I know the live bait fisherman runs his 

 risks, he is liable at any moment to be 

 kicked to death by a vicious grasshopper, 

 or strangled in the coils of a venomous 

 |angle worm ; but then the fly fisher is often 

 obliged to ascend to the tops of trees and 

 bushes to retrieve an over-zealous cast, and 

 is liable to hang himself in the chaos of. his 

 own tackie. 



Sometimes as I go forth in the twilight 

 with my sapling, my pig lead sinker, and 

 my can of angle worms, I meet one of these 

 experts, by the brookside, with a bank- 

 book filled with bass flies, offering each and 

 patiently putting it back as it is hissed 

 down by the infuriated fish. 



Then I sit on the mossy bank and gently 

 kick my bare feet back and forth in the 

 water and catch fish, while the " profes- 

 sional " lariats a stump across the creek. 



There is a sudden snap, a furious out- 

 burst of frescoed profanity; then all is still. 

 Then L. B. fisher gathers himself up, takes 

 an inventory and any other bottled goods 

 he may have on hand, and plods thought- 

 fully homeward in the starlight. It was 

 ever thus. 



Recreation is all right, keep right after 

 the " Ancient and dishonorable order of as- 

 sociated G. and F. Hogs." 



Geo. R. Brown, Lansing, Mich. 



MUSKALONGE FISHING ON MINOCQUA LAKE 



After 10 years of arduous law practice my 

 health gave way to overwork and I was ad- 

 vised to take a month's outing in the woods 

 of Northern Wisconsin. On August 8th a 

 party of 4 of us, consisting of 2 ladies and 

 2 men, started for Vilas county to rough 

 it for 6 weeks. On the second day we were 

 comfortably located in a cottage built of 

 pine logs and situated on the bank of one 

 of the many beautiful lakes of that region. 



We spent 4 weeks of our allotted 6 there 

 and enjoyed the finest fishing imaginable. 

 With a few minnows' for bait we could in a 

 half hour's time, catch enough Oswego bass 

 for several meals. 



Every fish we caught was either eaten at 

 the table or turned loose in the lake. The 

 many days we spent roaming through the 

 forests or rowing on the lakes will be long 

 remembered. 



The last 8 days of our stay my wife and 

 I devoted to fishing for muskalonge in 

 Minocqua lake. The lake is about 7 miles 

 long with an average width of one mile. 

 After engaging a guide we started in. The 

 weather was cool and the wind blowing a 

 good strong breeze, making ideal weather 

 for this kind of fishing. On calm days the 

 sly old fellows can see all that is going on 

 about them, and they very cunningly avoid 

 the bait, no matter how tempting it may be, 



After rowing about for a while Mrs. 



gave a shriek, so common to her sex, when 

 feeling for the first time the tug on the line 

 caused by a large fish. Being new in the 

 art we followed the advice of the guide 

 by towing Mr. Musky about for several 

 minutes, despite his frantic efforts to dis- 

 lodge the hook from his jaws. Now he 

 would leap 2 or 3 feet into the air, then dive 

 to the bottom and lie quiet awhile, until a 

 gentle pull on the line brought him again to 

 the surface, when he would make a strike 

 for some unknown point. By gently tow- 

 ing him for about 30 minutes he was brought 

 along side the boat, puffing like a porpoise. 

 Then a jab with the gaff, and he lay on the 

 bottom of the boat — a 20 pounder. 



We succeeded in getting each day from 

 3 to 5 of these magnificent fish. To the un- 

 initiated, let me say, that you must not ex- 

 pect to catch muskalonge unless you have a 

 liberal supply of patience, and are willing 

 to work. After our 6 weeks were up we 

 returned, feeling that we had been well paid 

 for the time and money spent, and with a 

 determination to try it again next year at 

 the same place. 



E. D. H., Rockford, 111. 



I put a small ad. in Recreation to sell 2 

 guns. I received 2 answers and had sold one 

 of the guns before I received a copy of the 

 magazine myself. That is what I call quick 

 work. From then till now answers and 

 offers to exchange have been coming right 

 along. I sold both guns and could have sold 

 or exchanged many more had I had them. 

 When I have anything more in this line to 

 sell or exchange I will know just where to 

 put the ad. 



Those who answer ads in Recreation 

 should enclose a stamp. It would not mean 

 much to them, but when you answer a hun- 

 dred or more letters it makes an item. 

 Harry G. Higbe, Hyde Park, Mass. 



The Ithaca gun came in due time, was 

 measured and weighed, and found to fill 

 the specifications to the dot. It's a beauty, 

 and certainly gave me a surprise, but es- 

 pecially when I gave it a chance to talk 

 in its own behalf at the traps. It's a killer, 

 and a far reacher. not a snuffer. Every- 

 body ^gave it a whirl, and pronounced it 

 perfect. 



I have made no mistake in interesting 

 myself in behalf of Recreation, nor when I 

 ordered an Ithaca. 



Geo. A Townsend, Utica, N. Y. 



I received the pocket Kodak and thank 

 you very much for it. I also thank the East- 

 man Kodak Co. for their promptness in 

 sending it. 



Ira. Canfield, Lock Haven, Pa. 



