392 
FOREST AND STREAM 
September, 1921 
ON UPPER MISSISSIPPI WATERS 
THE RECORD OF A THREE-HUNDRED MILE TRIP THROUGH THE 
BLACK BASS COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA -PART TWO 
T HE Minnesota River is one of the 
important rivers of the State of 
Minnesota if for no other reason 
than that the scenery along its shores 
is of the most enchanting type. It is pic- 
turesque and entirely satisfactory. But 
the river itself is not so attractive. It 
is muddy in its lower reaches at least; 
a condition which is caused, I am told, 
by a commercial fisherman, by the carp 
rooting and stirring up the bottom in 
their feeding operations. 
Although the Minnesota River is an 
ideal home for the carp, I do not mean 
to infer that 
“rough fish” are $ 
the only kind 
found along its 
course. Up to- 
ward its source 
there is good 
bass fishing to 
be had; and in 
Lac Qui Parle 
wall-eyed pike 
fishing is prob- 
ably the best to 
be had in Minne- 
sota. There, 
wall-eyes up to 
twelve and fifteen 
pounds have been 
captured, and in 
the outlets of 
streams pouring 
into the Minne- 
sota, bass and 
pike are found. 
But the lower 
reaches hold no importance in this 
respect. 
The Minnesota River runs across very 
nearly the whole State, west to east, 
rising as it does on the Dakota border 
and emptying into the Mississippi at 
Mendota. 
O N the 23d of June, 1920, having 
floated down the Minnesota, we 
reached Mendota and went into 
camp below that point on benchlands. 
The river was very high and the low- 
lands flooded. An effort was made to 
catch some wall-eyed pike off of the 
Mississippi sandbars, but although nu- 
merous attempts were made not one 
strike was had and not one fish went 
into the frying pan. The high water 
of the river filled us with alarm. If 
the waters of the St. Croix also were at 
this flood stage was it not possible that 
the fishing for this summer at least was 
spoiled? However, there was nothing 
to do but to find out; and there was no 
use staying any longer on that portion 
of the Mississippi. 
On the 24th we camped below New- 
port. On the 25th we rowed down to a 
point above Hastings where we went 
into camp completely surrounded by 
many cows and one bull of which I 
have little to say; but it was Frank’s 
By ROBERT PAGE LINCOLN 
opinion that if we made no unwise 
moves we would still live to have some 
fine small-mouth bass fishing. 
We broke camp above Hastings and 
floated down the Mississippi; it being 
a blustery day with a devilish wind a- 
blowing. At ten o’clock we arrived at 
the mouth of the St. Croix with waves 
lashed up into breakers and very nearly 
defying our efforts to guide the boat 
toward the Prescott shore. 
The action of the St. Croix waters 
underneath has a great effect upon the 
Mississippi River. In fact, for some 
ten miles' or more the Mississippi River 
is thrust aside and pushed over by the 
St. Croix waters which in their very 
nature are almost black in appearance 
(through mineral and other influences) 
though they are really more or less 
transparent; that is to say, not crystal 
clear but sufficiently clear to detect what 
is going on in the water if it is brought 
under close observation. The same col- 
or of water is noted in other northern 
rivers. You find the same condition in 
the Chippewa River of Wisconsin; a 
wine-colored water; though when you 
dip it out with a glass you are surprised 
to find that it is exceedingly clear. The 
strangeness of this is the first thing 
that fixes itself upon one as he comes 
in contact with the St. Croix or any of 
these rivers. 
T HAT the St. Croix is one of the 
most interesting rivers in the north 
there can be no doubt. It rises in 
Douglas and Bayfield counties, one of 
the principal tributaries being the Nam- 
akagon, coming from Namakagon Lake 
in Bayfield County. The Namakagon 
itself is fed by numerous tributories, 
principally the Totopatic River which 
also rises in Bayfield County. However, 
the St. Croix River proper finds its 
source in Douglas County rising in Eau 
Claire Lake and Upper Lake St. Croix. 
After gathering up the waters of nu- 
merous streams the St. Croix attains 
size and pours south where it meets 
and empties into the Mississippi at Pres- 
cott. 
It forms the boundary line between 
Minnesota and Wisconsin from Prescott 
to the little village of Swiss. The widen- 
ing of the St. Croix from Prescott up 
to Stillwater has called forth the term 
“lake” as being applied to it. This 
broad part is thirty miles long from 
Stillwater to Prescott and ranging in 
width from one 
to three miles. 
Prescott, Wis- 
consin, was made 
famous by Mr. 
Charlie Stapf. If 
you have not 
heard of Charlie 
Stapf let me in- 
troduce him to 
you. He spent the 
greater portion of 
his life on the St. 
Croix; has fished 
small-mouth bass 
all his life; and 
in fact it may be 
said that what 
Charlie does not 
know about bass 
isn’t worth know- 
ing. Years ago 
he started experi- 
menting with bass 
flies and particu- 
larly with spinners; the result was that 
he created various specimens in this 
line, such as weedless hooks, and spin- 
ners to be used in collaboration with 
flies that have proven a success prob- 
ably beyond even his own anticipations. 
It may be said of Stapf’s spinners and 
flies that they represent truly some of 
the best to be had in the tackle world. 
In the northern States the Stapf spin- 
ners and flies are known and used 
everywhere; but it is doubtful if the 
East yet has heard of them. 
During a whole summer of active fish- 
ing on the St. Croix and the lower 
Mississippi waters I made use of these 
spinners and flies. I used but two kinds : 
the Yellow Sally (with spinner), and 
the Fischer (with spinner). 
If there ever was an enthusiastic bass 
fisherman it is Charlie Stapf. He knows 
bass from nose-tip to caudal. And he 
likes the bass of the St. Croix. When 
a man has lived in a region all his life 
he comes to adore it, and so Charlie 
loves the St. Croix. And with that love 
has come the desire to keep as much 
publicity from it as possible. 
When Stapf found out that I was to 
write up fishing on the St. Croix he 
was up in arms at once, and if I was 
treated with open dislike and distrust 
it is no more than natural. Stapf’s ver- 
Pushing in the boat at Savage on the Minnesota River 
